When it comes to hiring and promotion, Mission has always been a company that values a person’s potential over their experience. We have found that experience can be helpful, but it can also stop people from considering new perspectives.
What we're seeing now is such rapid and significant technological change in the film and TV industry, that it's an advantage to have people who aren’t hung up on how things have always been done before and constantly seek new ways of doing things better and faster by asking, ‘what if we did it this way?’.
The recent promotion of Mission’s Data IO Technician, Jake Bentley, to the role of Head of Technology is a perfect example of this.
Jake came to us 5 years ago, straight out of university having been introduced to our CEO, Mark Purvis, by the Mark Milsome Foundation. Here they tell the story of how that introduction has led to success for both Mission Digital and Jake.
Mark’s Story
Since joining us in 2020, Jake has risen to every challenge we have given him and has found innovative solutions to all our client’s technical issues. It was obvious to us from the outset that his capabilities and potential in the company were far beyond the role he joined us in.
Jake was introduced to me by the Mark Milsome Foundation, the charity founded in memory of Mark Milsome, a highly respected British cameraman who tragically lost his life in 2017 while filming a stunt in Ghana.
The foundation is dedicated to honouring his legacy with a mission to advocate for safer practices on set and to nurture the next generation of film and cinematography professionals.
I’ve been involved with the foundation for the last 4 years, working with Mark’s widow, my dear friend Andra Milsome, as an advisor and initiating their annual fundraising calendar 'Prints for Mark'.
A Foot in the Door
Jake was coming to the end of a degree in Film Production at the University of Hertfordshire when he was nominated by his tutors for the MMF’s ‘Foot in the Door’ programme, a one-year mentorship programme for graduating students with a genuine and passionate interest in the camera department.
Jake’s interest was more the technology behind film production than cinematography, so whilst he wasn’t the right fit for that programme, his insatiable curiosity and passion for technical problem solving made him the ideal fit for Mission Digital.
Building Careers
MMF continued to support Jake in those early days of employment, helping him with financial support to relocate from Nottingham to London.
Getting on the first rung of the career ladder in the film industry isn’t easy, especially over the last few years which have been particularly challenging with Covid and the strikes. The Mark Milsome Foundation helps to get the right young people into the right roles and gives them the practical, emotional and financial support they need to flourish and when that happens, everybody wins.
Jake has had a big impact on Mission and its success, and we see a bright future and a leadership role for him within the company in the next few years. We are forever grateful to Andra and the MMF for introducing him to us and we will continue to support the Foundation so that other young movie professionals and companies can also benefit from their work.
Jake’s Story
The Uni Years
Over the course of my Film Production degree at the University of Hertfordshire I made hundreds of short films and a feature film in my own time. I relentlessly made the most of all the gear and tech available to me as a student, finding different ways of using it, from doing my own VFX to building a computer to support my work.
I believe I still hold the record for the most equipment borrowed by a student!
The Mark Milsome Foundation
Towards the end of my course, I was put forward to the Mark Milsome Foundation for their Foot in the Door programme that helps graduates into camera and cinematography roles. Around 200 young people are nominated and around seven are selected for an interview, of which I was lucky enough to be one.
The interview was quite intense, with a panel of people from the charity asking lots of different questions. I talked about all the short films I had created and they were keen to know how I'd made my own workflows, figured out the technical codex and stuff.
As it turned out, with my technical skills and experience they thought that it would be a bit of a waste if I went into the camera department and they suggested speaking to someone called Mark Purvis at Mission Digital, a cutting-edge, tech-led company in the film and post-production industry.
Meeting Mission
So, I met with Mark in 2019 and told him about all the things I had been doing in my time at uni. I’m not sure he knew quite what they would do with me to begin with, but he offered me work experience and said that he could see how I could be a very useful addition to the team at Mission.
For my part, Mission and what it did for film production clients sounded very cool. I love tinkering with computers, software and technology, but I probably would have been bored doing it in a more corporate environment. Using my problem-solving skills and love of technology to help make movies is far more exciting!
Then Covid arrived…
After the work experience placement, Mark wanted to take me on full time but negotiations hit a bit of a delay thanks to the Covid pandemic and I ended up working briefly as a junior camera operator at a video agency in Nottingham, working on NHS adverts and such projects.
Then in late 2020, Mark came back to me and said they had a role for me at Mission and I joined the team as a trainee Data IO Technician. They are responsible for managing, organising, transferring and storing the media assets, computer files and data for film and TV productions and projects, so it was right up my street!
I got the job!
To begin with, I was on a 3-month trial and needed to relocate from the East Midlands to London. That’s quite a big undertaking and a risk when you are still on a trial and with no guarantees of continued employment. But the Mark Milsome Foundation was super helpful and supportive, helping me with rent and relocation expenses. They also offered me driving lessons and supported me with ongoing mentoring and advice when I needed it.
Around the time that I joined, Mission was setting up their site at Shepperton Studios and partly due to the Covid pandemic, they were doing a lot more remote labs for clients.
I took on more and more responsibility for the tech side, soaking up knowledge like a sponge, learning and problem-solving with every new project and technical issue that arose.
Mission had also started developing their VFX pulls automation technology, Origami, and that was taking up a lot of their CTO’s time, so when things went wrong or labs broke, I became the go-to guy for all hardware and software issues.
There’s a lot of pressure when things go wrong, dailies need to run every evening after a day of filming on set and I didn’t want to disappoint clients, so I would figure out how to fix things and make them run more smoothly, learning as I went.
That built and built and now after 4 years, I’ve been promoted to Head of Technology!
Next Steps
A lot of my peers joined the film industry as runners and it’s not uncommon to be in a junior role like that for 10 years or more before the next step presents itself. That’s one of the things I love about Mission and how it differs from other larger companies. You learn quickly on your feet and if you do well, they accelerate your career and development more rapidly.
The wider team is so supportive at all levels of management, always available for a chat or advice when needed and willing to explain things in detail to help you learn by sharing their knowledge and expertise.
The technology is developing so rapidly, both in filming on set and in post-production, so there’s really no manual or training that can prepare you. Things are becoming more and more decentralised and being carried out remotely.
You have to be able to think on your feet and, to a certain extent, make it up as you go along based on your understanding of the available technology. Especially when the movie set is in a far-flung location with little to no infrastructure and internet.
The latest Paddington movie for example was largely shot in the jungles of Peru!
Thanks MMF and Mission!
All in all, I don’t think I would be where I am today, in a Head of Technology role, 5 years out of university without the support of the Mark Milsome Foundation and without the opportunities that working at Mission has given me to play to my strengths, develop my skills and continue learning at pace as the technology develops.
Now things are bouncing back post-strike, these are really exciting times to be part of the film and TV industry and as technology rapidly develops, it’s great to be part of a forward-thinking, cutting-edge, problem-solving team like Mission Digital. I’m excited for the future!
The Mark Milsome Foundation
The Mark Milsome Foundation was founded in memory of Mark Milsome, the British cameraman who died in 2017 in Ghana while filming a stunt.
The Foundation's mission is to advocate for safer practices on set and to support the next generation of film and cinematography professionals. In a demanding and often precarious industry, the Foundation serves as both a support network and a source of inspiration for emerging talent.
By fostering a culture of safety, professionalism, and mentorship, it plays a pivotal role in guiding young filmmakers and technicians toward successful careers while emphasizing the importance of integrity and care in every aspect of their work.
A Foot in the Door
The Foot in the Door initiative is MMF’s mentorship programme. It invites CILECT Film and Television schools in the UK to nominate two graduating students each year that have a genuine and passionate interest in the camera department to be considered for a one-year mentorship programme, bridging the gap between full-time education and employment in the film and television industry.
The programme is not an easy pass or fast track; it is an opportunity for students who may not otherwise have the chance to access training, work experience and mentorship.
Jake was one of the first to apply for the Foot in the Door scheme when it was launched in 2019. He impressed the panel of eight Foundation members with his self-motivation, innovation and problem-solving, but he wasn’t the right candidate for the camera department role being offered.
At that time, he was shooting a film every two weeks in his own time with a team of friends and fellow filmmakers. He delivered examples of his work that impressed the panel with enthusiasm and a work ethic that was impossible to ignore.
The Foundation has enjoyed a strong relationship with Mark Purvis at Mission Digital and Mark agreed to offer Jake work experience. Mark soon offered Jake a permanent job and the Foundation helped him financially by covering an initial period of rent as he moved to London and set up home.
Jake was also awarded the first ‘Mark’s Gift’ a financial award made to a young person each year on Mark’s birthday.
Andra Milsome, Mark’s widow and MMF founder says, “Jake’s promotion is well deserved and it’s great to see how Mark’s legacy and our work as a charity is making a real difference to young film professionals and the industry as a whole.”
You can support the Mark Milsome Foundation through the purchase of their ‘Prints for Mark’ calendar. It’s available for pre-order here:
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