Founder and Trustee
Andra Milsome is Mark’s widow and founder of the Mark Milsome Foundation.
A native New Yorker, Andra moved to London in 1969 when her film-producer father relocated the family. After studying photography in New York, her career took an unexpected turn when she became a booker at the Ritz nightclub, before being headhunted back to London to run the video division of Miles Copeland’s independent record label. At 19, she was the youngest producer in town. A decade styling bands and singers followed, spanning London, New York and LA, before Andra returned permanently to London and opened one of the city’s first dedicated yoga studios.
Andra met Mark at a party, and after a series of chance encounters, they finally went on their first date 18 months later. They married in the Arctic Circle in December 2005 and welcomed their daughter, Alice, in April 2006. Rural South Wales became their family home and a haven for Mark.
Mark was thriving professionally when he was killed on the set of Black Earth Rising. The devastating loss sent shockwaves through the Film & TV industry.
Soon afterwards, Andra founded the Mark Milsome Foundation with Kirk Jones and Harry Bowers, initially to mentor new talent without traditional industry connections. Today, she works tirelessly with the Foundation to raise awareness and improve safety on set, while continuing her creative consultancy and photographic work.
Chair
Abbi Collins is an accomplished stunt coordinator whose distinguished 40 year career is defined by a commitment to safety, precision and creative storytelling.
In recognition of her contribution to the stunt profession, Abbi was inducted into the Stuntman’s Hall of Fame in 1994, marking a significant milestone.
Working across film and television, Abbi brings extensive practical knowledge, calm leadership and a collaborative approach to complex stunt sequences. She works closely with directors, performers, stunt teams and production departments to design and deliver action that is both compelling and meticulously managed, from pre-production planning and rehearsal through to filming.
Alongside her work in stunt coordination, as Chair of the Mark Milsome Foundation, she champions health and safety across the screen industries, promoting safer working practices and was also one of the founders, and Vice Chair, establishing the world renowned, British Stunt Register, in 2017.
Beyond her professional career, Abbi holds a Private Pilot’s Licence, is a dedicated animal activist and a passionate sportswoman. She has a particular love of equestrian sport, and over the years has competed in many equine disciplines.
Combining decades of experience with leadership, athleticism and a lifelong passion for action and animals, Abbi brings energy, expertise and determination to everything she undertakes. Her career reflects a unique blend of professional stunt expertise, sporting achievement, aviation and advocacy for a safer, more responsible screen industry.
Foundation Secretary
Mona Benjamin read English at Clare College, Cambridge. After graduating, she began working in commercials, which was where she first met Mark.
Over more than twenty years in production, she worked variously as a production assistant, producer’s and director’s assistant, assistant production coordinator and production coordinator. Her credits include Sense and Sensibility, The Fifth Element, Ugly Betty, Alexander and Casino Royale. She has been with the Foundation since its inception in 2018.
Head of Content
Una Hill has 30 years of experience working in film production and content creation. Her career spans high budget feature films and film campaigns for charities and brands.
She spent the first 15 years of her career working in production offices on features including A Perfect Murder, Spider-Man, Love Actually and Sahara.
Una subsequently moved into producing and directing film campaigns for charities and brands, working independently under the name Pearl Films. Her work involved taking projects from conception through to the finished film, working closely with clients to develop ideas and communicate their messages.
Una joined the Mark Milsome Foundation in 2023, bringing her extensive experience across different areas of the industry to her work with the Foundation.
Trustee and Treasurer
Catrin Lewis Defis is a Welsh-speaking, award-winning drama producer with more than 30 years experience across scripted high-end television and independent film.
Catrin produced two series of the bilingual crime drama BANG, which is when she met Mark who was the DOP on series 1. The series went on to win the BAFTA Cymru Award for Best TV Drama, as well as Best Drama Series at the Celtic Media Festival and a Bronze Medal at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards. Writer Roger Williams was also nominated for a Writers’ Guild Award for the series.
Catrin is a founding member, trustee and treasurer of the Foundation and also serves as a committee member of Screen Craft Guild Cymru.
on dedicated to spotlighting women across film and TV.
She has moderated panels and industry conversations high-profile events such as Camerimage, Eurocine, and the BFI, and regularly delivers masterclasses on industry access, career strategy and inclusion. She also contributes to best practice across higher education and professional development within the screen industries.
Trustee
Junior Agyeman is a highly experienced Camera Operator and Steadicam Specialist whose career has been built around a passion for visual storytelling.
Through years of working across film, television and live productions, he has developed a reputation for combining technical precision with creative instinct, capturing images that immerse audiences in the story and bring a director’s vision to life.
As a Steadicam operator, Junior thrives on the challenge of creating fluid, dynamic camera movement that enhances emotion, energy and connection on screen. His work has seen him collaborate with talented creatives across the industry, contributing to productions that demand adaptability, teamwork and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
Beyond the camera, Junior is driven by a genuine curiosity about people, creativity and personal growth. His interests outside of filmmaking provide a broader perspective that enriches both his professional work and his approach to life. He believes that diverse experiences, continuous learning and meaningful relationships are essential ingredients for personal development and positive social impact.
As a Trustee of the Mark Milesome Foundation, Junior brings not only his professional expertise and creative insight, but also a strong belief in the power of opportunity, mentorship and community. He is proud to support the Foundation’s mission and help create pathways that inspire and empower future generations.
Trustee
Daisy Allen graduated from Falmouth University in 2019 with a BA (Hons) in Television & Film Production. Before graduating, she was lucky enough to be selected by the Mark Milsome Foundation as one of two trainees chosen for the ‘Foot in the Door’ scheme.
Since then, she hasn’t stopped, working her way up through the camera department to A Camera Second Assistant on productions such as Wuthering Heights, The Beekeeper 2, Slow Horses, The Gentlemen and Gangs of London. She has also worked on Fantastic Beasts, The Witcher, Masters of the Air, Citadel and No Time to Die, among others.
Daisy has been part of the Foundation since shortly after its creation in 2019 and, since stepping up, has become a mentor for current and future trainees who, like her, have been lucky enough to join the Foot in the Door programme.
Unfortunately, Daisy never had the chance to meet or work with Mark, but she dreams of one day becoming a camera operator just like him and has a strong commitment to health and safety within the film and television industry.
Trustee
Sunny Bains is the Production Safety Manager at the National Film and Television School (NFTS), with over 30 years’ experience in the film and television industry.
Before joining NFTS six years ago, she spent 11 years at Sky. Sunny leads production safety and risk management across the school’s diverse student productions and is passionate about delivering practical, focused training and finding solutions that help create safer sets. Outside of work, she loves travelling and spending time with her grandchildren.
Trustee
Harry Bowers has been in the industry for over 30 years, as a Clapper Loader, Focus Puller, and now a Camera Operator.
His career started when the Clapper Loader of a new production filming in his local town walked into the pub where Harry was doing his summer job, and they got chatting. The crew had not been able to bring a Camera Trainee with them. Harry’s luck was in. He had just finished a film course, and his particular interest was in camera, having already had a photography background, and here he was talking to a member of the camera crew on a TV production.
If that wasn’t lucky enough, it was Mark! The most helpful, generous, and encouraging person Harry could have hoped to meet at the start of his career. That was his first job as a Camera Trainee with Mark, and they did many more, as they both climbed the ladder, working on many different films and TV dramas. Mark gave Harry his start in the industry, but also a friendship that kept them working together for over 25 years.
It was the mentorship that Mark gave Harry, and others along the way, that became the original inspiration behind the Foundation, because that level of generosity and support is rare, but so important for young people starting out in this industry.
Trustee
Rebecca Hawkes is Head of Elstree Studios and has more than 40 years of experience in the film and television industry.
Throughout her career, she has led technical, operational, and strategic initiatives across production, post-productions, and global film distribution. A passionate advocate for the industry, Rebecca is committed to supporting innovation, education and the highest standards of health and safety for future generations.
Trustee
Julia Jones is a film industry publicist and writer with a track record spanning over thirty-five years.
After spending 12 years with top international PR agency DDA, she left her role as Senior Vice President to become a freelance publicist focussing on film production, corporate representation and copywriting. From August 2016 until October 2017, she headed up communications for the Pinewood Group.
Current corporate clients include Manchester-based SPACE STUDIOS. In recent years she has also represented The Production Guild and US and UK-based post-production studio HARBOR.
Recent credits as a unit publicist include Paramount’s Ebenezer starring Johnny Depp, Sir Ian McKellen, Tramell Tillman, Sam Claflin, Andrea Riseborough and Daisy Ridley; and A Quiet Place: Day One starring Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff and Djimon Hounsou, also for Paramount.
Julia knew Mark Milsome personally and also worked with him on Hunky Dory, Hackers and Silent Cry.
Trustee
James Layton grew up surrounded by the film industry. His father, Vernon Layton BSC, was a cinematographer and his mother a production manager.
He began his career making music videos at London’s Oil Factory and has since spent 17 years as a camera operator, working on major productions including Apple TV’s Silo.
James met Mark Milsome through Mark’s father, Doug Milsome BSC ASC, while working on a film in Ukraine. They became close friends, with Mark regularly staying at James’s London flat, where he had his own keys. They later worked together on Downton Abbey, where Mark’s infectious humour kept James constantly laughing.
James joined the Mark Milsome Foundation to bring a working camera operator’s perspective to its efforts to improve safety on set. Having worked on the production where Mark tragically lost his life, the Foundation’s mission is deeply personal to him.
He has witnessed how long hours, tight schedules and production pressures can create unsafe situations, and how crew members often feel unable to speak up for fear of jeopardising their careers. James hopes to help change that culture, ensuring crews feel empowered to challenge unsafe practices and that Mark’s legacy brings lasting improvements to safety across the industry.
Trustee
Chris Plevin ACO Associate BSC GBCT is a camera operator of some thirty years experience, and nearly fifty years in the film industry,
working in movies and TV drama, on such productions as Band of Brothers, Game of Thrones, Jurassic World, Gladiator 2 and many more. He’s a founder and Board member of the Association of Camera Operators, an Associate member of the BSC, a member of the GBCT and the film industry union BECTU. He is married with two daughters and living in Buckinghamshire, and attended film school after developing a passion for photography and finding out you could actually get paid for doing a job that you love!
Trustee
Philip Sindall, Lifetime ACO, Honorary Assoc BSC. My journey in the Film Industry started in 1968 whilst viewing 2001 “A Space
Odyssey”.
As a young 15-year-old who originally had designs on becoming a stills
photographer, the experience completely blew myself away and from then on, it
was the power and beauty of Cinematography that captured my imagination and
which to this day, stills does.
In 1973, I attended Harrow College of Art and Technology to study for three years
on their Film and Television Production course.
In 1976, I joined the BBC Film department based at Ealing Film Studios as a film
camera assistant, working on Documentaries, Music & Arts, Drama’s and Currents
Affairs programs, all on 16mm film.
In 1984, I moved on to pursue my dream of becoming a drama-based Camera
Operator, which amazingly became a reality in 1987 on the film “Paperhouse”.
Since then, I have been fortunate enough to be the A-Camera Operator on over
50 feature films and television productions.
During that time, I was also extremely privileged and honored to have Mark by
my side for many of those productions, his grace, humility, work ethic and humor
will remain with me forever.
Advisory Council
Jake Edmonds is the managing director of Media Safety Ltd and has been at the forefront of providing film safety and training since the mid 1980s.
His knowledge and expertise are much sought after by major film studios such as Warner Bros. and minor productions alike. Jake is passionate about empowering those working in the film & media industry to create and work safely and Jake and his team at MSL are extremely proud to provide ongoing H&S advisory to the Foundation, supporting the development and ongoing support of the Mark Milsome Foundation Film and TV Online Safety Accreditation Course.
Advisory Council
Dermot Hickey is a 1st AC and a Focus Puller whose film credits include Superman, The Flash, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Instigators, Road House and The Gentlemen.
He has worked extensively with cinematographer Henry Braham on major international productions, including Superman, which took him to Svalbard in the Arctic to film sequences for the production.
A member of the Guild of British Camera Technicians (GBCT), Dermot also shares his expertise with the next generation of camera crew, leading practical workshops on traditional 16mm and 35mm film cameras.
Dermot is a former Trustee of the Mark Milsome Foundation and now serves on its Advisory Council.
Advisory Council
Mary Lawrence is a partner at Osborne Clarke, heading their specialist Health & Safety team.
Mary has a particular interest in media and entertainment businesses, handling high profile HSE investigations, including fatal accidents and serious injuries.
Advisory Council
Sarah Prince started working in the industry as an actor, but in the early 90’s family and a change of career worked with a production company where Sarah was first asked to set up an agency representing D.o.P.’s and camera operators.
Subsequently, (with her partner) setting up the PrinceStone Agency. Over the past 30 years Sarah has looked after many award winning clients and of course some of the most loved…Mark Milsome.
Sarah has worked with the Mark Milsome Foundation from it’s inception, with a special interest in H&S on set, working with the advisory board for the foundation. Which included the 2020 Steve Hewlett Debate on H&S at the Edinburgh TV Festival. A part of the selection panel for the foundation’s
“ Foot in the Door” trainee scheme and as an adviser to the MMF camera trainees; helping them to understand contracts, their rights and negotiations.
Sarah continues to look after clients in film & television but also works in an advisory role – offering one off negotiations for those not wanting full time representation. Her free time is spent on a yoga mat or covered in oil paint!h Prince
Advisory Council
Mark Purvis has worked in film and television for more than 30 years, beginning his career in Australia at the age of 16 and going on to work across production and post-production in the UK and internationally.
With a background spanning camera, digital imaging and production technology, Mark has spent much of his career looking at how technology can make filmmaking simpler, safer and more collaborative.
He is the co-founder of Mission, a production technology company supporting film and television productions, and co-founder of Origami, a media orchestration platform designed to simplify the increasingly complex workflows behind modern production.
Throughout his career, Mark has remained passionate about the people behind the technology and about creating working environments where crews can do their best work. He is proud to support the Mark Milsome Foundation and its work to improve safety, wellbeing and professional standards across the film and television industry.
Advisory Council
Jen Smith is the founding CEO of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), responsible for developing its remit, operating model and governance structure.
In her previous role at the BFI Jen led the creation and publication of the first contractual clauses to prevent harm within the screen sector which were also adopted within music and theatre. She was responsible for gaining international recognition for the BFI Diversity Standards, achieving Autism Friendly Status for BFI Southbank and ensuring that the full range of diversity data on who the BFI funds and employs is published annually. Jen has also held a broad range of roles in the housing sector leading on Strategy, PR, Business Development, Learning and Development and Inclusion. Prior to that Jen worked in Parliament, specialising in Foreign Affairs and International Relations and is an ACAS accredited mediator. In September 2026 Jen was appointed by Cabinet Office to be a Disability Access Ambassador for the Creative Industries. Jen is a founding trustee of CRAFT, The Comedy Representation & Artform Trust and advises three other Boards, The Mark Milsome Foundation, We are the Unheard and UK Muslim Film.
Advisory Council
Alexandra Stone is an independent UK producer heading Streetcar Productions.
Recent credits include: Emily Atef’s Kenya-set CALL ME QUEEN. Paul Auster’s IN THE COUNTRY OF LAST THINGS; All3 Media/Channel 5 series, THE DROWNING; Suzi Ewing’s 10X10; David Mackenzie’s award-winning YOUNG ADAM; Menhaj Huda’s KIDULTHOOD; Richard Linklater’s FAST FOOD NATION and Gerald McMorrow’s FRANKLYN. Stone is currently working on films at Searchlight Pictures, MUBI and Johnny Depp’s IN.2 Film. Prior to Streetcar, Stone headed development at Jeremy Thomas’ Recorded Picture Company and HanWay Films, with filmmakers such as: Bernardo Bertolucci, Terry Gilliam, Jonathan Glazer, Harmony Korine, Sarah Polley, Phillip Noyce, and David Cronenberg.
Advisory Council
Fabian Wagner ASC BSC is a cinematographer and filmmaker known for a variety of High end TV and film work.
A two-time Emmy nominee and ASC Award winner, he is passionate about storytelling, developing original projects and supporting the next generation of filmmakers.
Advisory Council
John Wightman is currently Head of Market Analysis, Policy & Strategy for Consumer Finance at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
John worked for many years in the charity sector as Head of Fundraising, Development and Marketing for Crimestoppers and as Head of Fundraising and Marketing for The Ramblers. He has also been Ombudsman Leader & Head of Practice for Consumer Credit at the Financial Ombudsman Service. John has been advising us on several charity and campaigning matters.
Patron
Rory Kinnear is an award-winning British actor, writer and director whose career spans theatre, film and television.
He has received two Olivier Awards for his work at the National Theatre and is widely recognised for his roles as Bill Tanner in the James Bond films Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre and No Time to Die, as well as The Imitation Game, Penny Dreadful, Years and Years and Black Mirror.
Rory became a Patron of the Mark Milsome Foundation in 2020, bringing a deeply personal connection to its work. His father, the celebrated actor Roy Kinnear, died following an accident while filming The Return of the Musketeers in Spain in 1988.
Mark Milsome’s tragic death in 2017, while filming a car stunt in Ghana, reinforced for Rory the importance of improving Health & Safety standards across the film and television industry. He is a passionate advocate for safer working environments and for ensuring that the wellbeing of cast and crew remains paramount on every production.
As a Patron, Rory continues to support the Foundation’s work, using his voice and experience to champion safer practices and help ensure that Mark Milsome’s legacy contributes to meaningful and lasting change across the industry.
Patron
Kirk Jones is an award-winning British writer and director whose career spans film, television and commercials. He is best known for directing Waking Ned Devine, Nanny McPhee, Everybody’s Fine, What to Expect When You’re Expecting and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.
Kirk’s friendship with Mark Milsome dates back to their film school days, and the two remained close throughout their careers.
Kirk has been closely involved with the Mark Milsome Foundation since its creation, helping to establish and guide the organisation following Mark’s death in 2017. He served as Chair for more than four years before stepping back from the day-to-day running of the Foundation in 2022 and becoming a Patron.
Kirk played a key role in developing the Foundation’s Online Production Safety Passport, conceiving, writing and directing the training project and giving his time and expertise to support its creation.
He remains a committed Patron, supporting the Foundation’s work to improve Health & Safety standards across the film and television industry and continuing the legacy of his friend Mark Milsome.
Patron
Mark Gatiss is an award-winning actor, writer, director and producer whose career spans television, film, theatre and literature.
He is widely recognised for his work on The League of Gentlemen, Doctor Who and Sherlock, which he co-created with Steven Moffat, as well as for his extensive work across British television and film.
Mark knew Mark Milsome through their work together in the film and television industry, including on Sherlock, where Mark Milsome worked as a camera operator.
With a lifelong passion for storytelling and the screen industries, Mark has worked across many aspects of production, giving him a broad understanding of the creativity, collaboration and responsibility involved in bringing productions to life.
As a Patron of the Mark Milsome Foundation, Mark supports its work to improve Health & Safety standards across the film and television industry and to ensure that Mark Milsome’s legacy continues to make a difference to those working behind the scenes.