Meet the Team
Meet the Somerset Film Team
Deb Richardson, Creative Director
Deb has a background in theatre. She trained in archive film management with Huntley Archives and has worked on a number of archive projects, particularly 9.5mm.
She is a member of Women in Film and Television and Shooting People.
Daniel Birch, Creative Technologist
Daniel spent the first few years of his life in Bridgwater before moving to Nynehead near Wellington. He is an established music composer and sound artist and has collaborated with a variety of creatives such as abstract artist Sandra Beccarelli, Garden Designer Diarmuid Gavin' and Film Director Paul Barbeau.
Daniel relishes unpacking and utilising new technology, his latest passion is exploring sound and the environment using a device called ‘Plantwave’. This device detects slight electrical variations in plants via electrodes placed on the leaves and uses them to create music.
Daniel initially connected with Somerset Film back in 2016 and their support and guidance over the years has played a huge role in his development as a musician and creative practitioner.
Pati Wieczorek, Cafe Assistant
Phil Shepherd, Ambassador
Community Engagement & Company Secretary
Phil was born in Minehead, and trained at Dartington Hall and Bournemouth Film School.
He has worked as an independent film and TV producer, including directing children’s programmes at the BBC and co-producing/directing documentaries for HTV.
Laura Bull, Domestic Support
Laura is from Cali in Colombia and is a qualified Beauty Therapy and Holistic Therapy Practitioner. She joined us in 2009, as our cleaner and has worked with us ever since including sometimes helping to run our café. Laura says that “The Engine Room is like a second home for me, I love the culture and have met lots of lovely people here over the years.”
Kevin Redpath, Producer
Kevin studied film at Salisbury College of Art and gained experience with the BBC at Bristol and Birmingham where he worked on News, Current Affairs, Sport, Drama and Nature Documentaries.
He created his own production business in the 1990s and produced films from an holistic approach to cancer to the impact of climate change on the Somerset coastline. He worked with Coventry University’s Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR) to film stories of local sustainable agricultural schemes.
He has campaigned for the retention of public libraries in Somerset and Glastonbury’s banks.
He loves supporting young people in developing their filmmaking skills and is one of Somerset Film’s cinematography tutors on the British Film Institute’s Alumni course.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, he’s been a Trustee at Somerset Film and is delighted to contribute to the strong creative team here.
Dan Gale, Technical Manager
An established local filmmaker, Dan has worked with the organisation since The Engine Room opened in 2003. He is patient, enjoys a challenge and is detail orientated. Before becoming a freelancer Dan was previously employed as a media technician at Bridgwater College.
Laura, Assistant Producer
After graduating from Kingston University, Laura first worked for Somerset Film as Studio and Design Assistant back in 2010, going on to hone her skills in graphic design and marketing and to gain wider experience in the care and education sectors. Laura returns to the company to take up the role of Assistant Producer. As well as her keen interest in film and digital media, Laura is passionate about the environment and animal welfare.
Meet our Board of Trustees
Pauline Burr, Chair
Somerset born and bred, Pauline has worked mainly in exhibition design, arts administration and regeneration. She took early retirement in 2018 and now enjoy having the time to pursue my own creative endeavours.
Sue Isherwood, Trustee
Sue Isherwood is a freelance cultural consultant/facilitator and Director of the National Leisure and Culture Forum’s Leading Learning Programme, working with senior managers of culture and leisure services across local government.
She was Chair of the National Association of Local Government Arts Officers (which became Arts Development UK) between 2002 and 2007 and before eleven years in local government divided her career between arts and education, working for such bodies as the British Film Institute, The Arts Council, The Royal Photographic Society, the Open University, Bristol University School of Education and Exeter College of Art and Design. She was a trustee of Voluntary Arts for ten years and is currently on their England advisory group. She is also Chair of Arts and Health South West, Vice Chair of Womankind, Bristol and a board member of SW Forum, Western Community Leisure, Somerset Film and Somerset Trust for Arts and Recreation (STAR).
She has toiled in the cracks and fissures of the cultural funding and education worlds and is still an inveterate optimist who believes in the power of art and the brilliance of people.
James Godman, Trustee
James is an Aerospace Executive and RAeS Fellow, CEO and Creator of Climate Film Festival CIC and creative startup SME, Chair of RAFA branch, ex Councillor and Somerset Ambassador.
As well as being a creative innovator, business mentor and filmmaker who has a broad experience within the public and private sector.
Richard Crowe, Trustee
Richard Crowe is a displaced Essex boy who started writing for the stage when he was 17. He had a mini hit with Cock and Bull Story (Lyric, Hammersmith) that has played on every continent since 1985. He also wrote and performed in his one man show, Over the Wall Picking Apples.
His role as a creative producer, he led on a diverse range of projects, including the development of the European Garden Heritage Network; production of Natural Partners, promoting the value of artists working in the environment, and five years (2007-12) as London 2012 Creative Programmer for the South West.
Over lockdown Richard developed his own digital practice, presenting a programme of online theatre nights; a series of podcasts on the future of theatre post-COVID, and producing a film, In Search of Cinderella, honouring Somerset’s pantomime tradition at a time when live panto could not be performed.
Richard is proud to have worked with youth theatres, aspiring writers and actors in community settings; to have danced with The Eggs, a dance troupe for those with mental health problems, and to have performed as a solo artist and as part of a community theatre company in the Wells Theatre Festival. He is currently working on a variety of new projects with artists across the South West.
Rob Franklin (GBCT), Trustee
Rob, is a BAFTA award winning underwater Director of Photography working across a broad range of genres from documentaries to feature films.
His career started with the enthusiasm and help of a film workshop, similar to Somerset Film. Now 30 years on, he feels privileged to be part of the Somerset Film Board of Trustees, and able to help support the Somerset Film team.
Kate Pearce (ARPS), Deputy Chair
Kate Pearce, has a background in finance, photography and journalism. She has always had a keen interest in photography and is member of the Sedgemoor Camera Club and is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society. She has entered Sedgemoor Camera Club competitions, and had photos accepted for the Royal Photographic Society National Print Exhibition on several occasions.
Kate initially connected with Somerset Film back in 2014 for the launch of ‘Capture Burnham’ history project where she met Phil Shepherd, Somerset Film Founder and Ambassador, and Deb Richardson, Somerset Film Creative Director.
Craig Luck , Trustee
Craig began in the winter of 1988. After growing up and initially pursuing a career in aviation, he later u-turned and steadied himself onto his other passion in life: film. An education, several jobs, phone calls, meetings and friendships later he started working as a technician on movie sets. It was during this time that he began writing his first screenplay, a feature film based on a short story he had written some years before... “FINCH”.
Presently, Craig is now based in Somerset with his wife and two kids and is writing several new screenplays — all whilst enjoying his flying lessons.
