Crossing the Line

Hainsley Lloyd Bennett is a British actor known for his work in shows such as 'Washington', 'Catastrophe' and most recently as Deon 'Bazza' Bashford in Starzplay's 'Pennyworth'.

Hainsley has been acting for over ten years, and discusses his path to success without full-time formal training and how he managed to build a great career on stage and screen.

He reveals what he believes to be the key to his, and anyone’s, success in life.

Ronan McCabe works as an agent assistant at The Curtis Brown group who represent some of the country's most outstanding talent. Here he maps out his unlikely journey from the accounting department up the ladder to the dizzy heights of musical theatre and the big screen.

Founded in 1899 by Albert Curtis Brown, the company has a long and illustrious history as a world renowned literary agency representing many of the most famous figures of the literary and political world throughout the twentieth century including Winston Churchill, John Steinbeck, Samuel Beckett, AA Milne and DH Lawrence. Many great authors have passed through the portal of Curtis Brown at one point or another in their careers, and many of these remain clients to this day.

Ronan takes us through his journey within the creative agency of Curtis Brown Group. Beginning as an accountant and working his way to becoming an agent's assistant, Ronan now enjoys a busy life representing actors and performers within the Musical Theatre industry, watching lots of live theatre, and trying to keep up with movies and television series.

How many emails do they receive daily from actors looking for representation?

What myths can be dispelled?

Who is the most unlikely performer registered on Spotlight?

We find out all this, and more.

Genevieve Gaunt first came to our screens 2004 as Pansy Parkinson in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and has since has appeared as major roles in TV series The Royals and most recently in medieval drama, Knightfall, currently available on Netflix.

Genevieve began acting at age 12 and comes from an acting family - she is the daughter of Dutch actor Frederik de Groot and British actress Fiona Gaunt. Her work spans film, television and also voice overs for bestselling audiobooks and radio dramas and she has aspirations to go further with her own writing.

Genevieve chats to us about the impact of becoming a child actor, and whether her performer parents guided her away from it. We also find out which Harry Potter actors she keeps in touch with, and whether she was a fan of the books growing up.

She talks about the importance of trust in the people around you on set, what she does to keep busy between acting jobs, and what creative outlets she'd like to pursue in the near future.

Kate Saxon discusses her journey to becoming a director as well as how you span the differences between television and video games.

Kate Saxon is a director working in TV, Theatre, Film and Video Games. In 2017, Kate was one of 15 female Film and TV directors chosen for the inaugural BAFTA Elevate group, and was also selected for the Directors UK High End TV Drama Scheme.

We sit down with Kate to discuss how she found her way into directing for screen, having started out in theatre and video game direction.

She explains how she kept actors on track when recording mass lines of dialogue for Witcher 3 so they could recenter their emotions and not let the last line of dialogue influence the way they act the following line, and describes how she decorated the studio with a timeline of all the in-game events to make sense of the story.

Louis Taylor-Baggs is a second unit director's assistant on the James Bond film 'No Time To Die' and has worked as a production assistant on various films including Solo: A Star Wars Story, Guy Richie's King Arthur, Wonder Woman 1984 and Mowlgi. He discusses his experiences and his journey to becoming a producer.

Louis has spent many years working for the worlds largest content creators on different projects. These include Sky, Netflix, Working Title, Disney and Warner Bros. This has given him a huge insight into how some of the worlds largest films are made. Another valuable resource from this experience is the vast contact book that is regularly opened.

Louis manages projects from green light to premiere, implementing incredible attention to detail and leadership skills to ensure the Crunchy Tomatoes crew are allowed to create the best products and films possible. Louis has been awarded Best Producer by the Hollywood Blood Horror Festival and films produced by Louis have been selected for film festivals including Short to the Point, Santiago Independent Film Awards, Hollywood Blood Horror Festival, Back in the Box, Golden Movie Awards and premiered on Film Shortage. All of this has led to the creation of an incredible team and network at Crunchy Tomatoes.

Louis takes us through his journey to becoming a production assistant on films such as Solo: A Star Wars Story, and working as a director's assistant on the new James Bond movie - No Time To Die.

We follow his journey from making cups of tea on set to becoming a body-double on Guy Ritchie's blockbuster movie, and travelling across the city for an interview and finally getting the dream job. We also delve into the process of following a film production from start to finish, and how you can be shooting off emails years later. And as he puts it, if you don't like it there's a hundred people waiting in line behind you - so either get on with it or find something else.

Craig Lapper is Head of Compliance at the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and in this episode discusses how movies are rated, changing attitudes of audiences and dealing with several hours of watching a film about paint drying...

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is an independent regulator and guide with over 100 years’ experience. They exist to help everyone in the UK choose age-appropriate films, videos and websites, wherever and however they watch or use them. Working closely with the film and digital industries, with educators and organisations dedicated to children’s welfare, we are continually evolving the guidance we offer, and are increasingly able to make a bigger difference in helping everyone – children, families and adults - choose well.

Craig Lapper is the principal adviser to the Chief Executive on compliance and classification policy, responsible for its day-to-day management and leading a team of Compliance Officers. Craig joined the BBFC in 1997, and held a number of posts before becoming Senior Examiner in 2006 and Head of Compliance in 2018.

Craig takes us through what the role of an officer at the BBFC entails, and how they rate a movie ready for its theatrical or DVD/Blu-Ray release, and how they may sometimes have to settle a dispute with conflicting interpretations.

Do they watch so many movies and shows that they don't want to watch the television when they get home?

Is true that someone made a 10-hour long movie of paint drying as a protest?

What's one lesser known movie everyone should see?

What's the one iconic movie you're guilty of having not seen?

We find out all this, and more.

Mike Gamarano Singleton from Mixing Networks details his career beginnings as a commercial actor, but how he longed to start his path to being a filmmaker.

Michael created Mixing Networks in 2011 after visiting the New York acting scene and realising how useful workshops are to actors. He was keen to bring the 'American work ethic' to the British acting industry, where actors are constantly sharpening their craft. He believes it is important for actors to be put on tape as much as possible so they can feel more prepared for their real auditions.

Alongside running the successful Mixing Networks, Michael also works as a director and producer.

Michael tells us how he went from being a commercial actor in L.A. to producing his own short film and documentary back in the U.K.

He shares his love of movies and which filmmakers influence him, and tells us about the little moments in movies that people may not consciously notice, but make all the difference.

Caitlin Joseph is a casting associate to Suzanne Smith casting shows such as Outlander and Good Omens. We discuss the highlights and the challenges of finding the right cast.

Caitlin shares her story of becoming a casting assistant and making the decision to step away from being in the limelight herself as an actress - temporarily at least. We discuss her passion and drive for finding the right person for the role, and challenging the norm by casting the net wider and finding a more diverse option.

How on earth do you filter through over 10,000 actor submissions for a handful of roles?

Is it possible to put out a casting brief, receive agent submissions, make actors self-tape, and then cast roles all within 24 hours?