Mike spent 6 years heading up acquisitions for Kaleidoscope, one of the UK’s leading independent film studios and entertainment content distributors. During his time he sourced and acquired a number of titles ranging from the award winning The Wolfpack, through to breaking the company into animation with Top Cat Begins (sold to Warner Bros in the UK).

Working across the UK and International sides of the business, Mike has a very strong understanding of the industry and a wealth of experience on the frontline of distribution and sales.

Mike has served on the judging panel for the short animation award for BAFTA, and spoken on panels for Raindance, Ffilm Wales and the BFI amongst others.

Abbey oversees business affairs, rights & royalties managements, and accounts for Blue Finch Films. With 12 years of experience, she has a strong background in this sector of the film industry. She has vast experience in managing contract negotiation and leading royalties management at Edko Films – one of the leading Chinese-language film studios in Asia and an indie film powerhouse distributor in Hong Kong. She has played a pivotal role in local distribution, international sales and bringing films to renowned international film festivals. Prominent titles she has worked on include Palme d’Or and OSCARS winner Parasyte (local distribution) and box office hit biopic ANITA (sold to Disney worldwide).

At Blue Finch, Elena works across business affairs and rights management, while also supporting the company’s sales and distribution activities. An MA Producing graduate of the National Film and Television School, she previously worked in film production in the UK and internationally. She later completed a postgraduate legal conversion course with Distinction and gained some legal experience at Channel 4, the Film and TV Charity and specialist media law firms. She is passionate about bridging the creative, legal and commercial sides of the film industry.

Kseniia is a Commercial and Finance Specialist with over seven years of experience supporting executive decision-making across multi-country operations. An ACCA student, she brings expertise in budgeting, forecasting, cost analysis, and financial reporting. At Blue Finch Films, Kseniia ensures smooth financial operations and data-driven insights that strengthen the company’s commercial strategy.

Before joining Blue Finch, she managed HR and operational budgets across multiple international entities and developed cost-control processes that improved efficiency and reduced overheads.

Fatima Hayward is currently Director Of Distribution at Blue Finch Films, where she has been working since its inception. Fatima works across various sectors of the company including marketing, acquisitions and development. Recently foraying into executive producing, her credits include Dolly from acclaimed director Rod Blackhurst, UK sci-fi thriller and festival favourite Hostile Dimensions, and Shudder documentary Sharksploitation.

Alex currently manages digital sales and operations at Blue Finch Films. While earning her undergraduate degree in English and Film Studies, Alex was a member of the BFI Future Film Programming Group and volunteered at numerous films festivals including Underwire and FrightFest. Prior to joining Blue Finch, Alex worked in Non-Theatrical Sales at United International Pictures and subsequently worked her way up from Junior to Senior Box Office Analyst at Gower Street Analytics.

Simon is one of the most respected names in the film sales industry. Founder of Velvet Octopus and formerly Head of Sales at Mel Gibson’s Icon Entertainment International and Capitol Films (Gabor Csupo’s The Secret Of Moonacre, Sony’s Legion, George Clooney’s Sand and Sorrow, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ). Simon has a wealth of experience in the International sales, production and distribution business.

In November 2008 Simon decided to go solo and formed SC Films International with financier Matthew Joynes. SC Films is an international sales and production company with recent titles including: Monkey King: Hero is Back (No.1 Chinese animation film of all time: $155,000,000 BO), The Reef animation franchise, Yellowbird from TeamTo, and cult hit Cockneys Vs Zombies.

Simon is currently Chairman of Film Export UK.

Matthew was called to the Bar in 1993 and completed his legal training at 1 Crown Office Row, before working in the banking and entertainment sector. Matthew has extensive legal experience of corporate finance transactions and entertainment law.

Matthew is currently based in LA and is involved extensively in new tech businesses and film production. Recent successes include: Apple gaming tool Gamevice, tablet Wikipad and the recently launched Gaming Hall of Fame for gamers and VR. Matthew has produced titles such as Stolen starring Nicolas Cage, and Bullet starring Danny Trejo.