Starting out as an intern in the press department at Sony BMG, Dhanny quickly got a taste and passion for the entertainment business that fuelled his desire to make an impact on the industry, that not even a daily two and half hour commute from his hometown Herne Bay to Sony’s offices in Putney could stop.
Starting Big Deal out of his bedroom as a talent management company, Dhanny got his first major success having been the strategic brains behind public voting campaign for then client Adam Deacon’s victorious bid to win the BAFTA Rising Star Award ahead of Hollywood competition. As well as managing the daily demands of Big Deal Films, Dhanny also manages comedy sensation Humza Arshad, strategizing his transition from being the most viewed British comedian on YouTube with over 85 million views to being a culture defining talent.
Piers is a BAFTA nominated director and has produced and directed a broad range of programs from ob doc to investigative, drama reconstruction to current affairs on platforms such as BBC, Channel 5 and Channel 4 amongst others. Piers has been behind some of Big Deal Films most memorable offerings including Save our Sons, The Lives I Lead and This is My Life: Boys to Men overseeing the entire process from the scheduling, edit producing and delivery.
Ranel Felix is a journalist and assistant producer who has worked for CNN International, London Live and the BBC. Ranel has an International Relations & Economics degree and is a strong Japanese speaker who has produced films for both abroad and for domestic audiences. Ranel’s films have a focus on BAME history and Financial Investigations. Recently, Ranel has recently won a place on the competitive C4 Dispatches investigative trainee programme.
RTS nominated and Broadcast winning director, Mustapha Kseibati, has made films with the UK Film Council, BBC, SKY and the BFI since being named Screen International Star of Tomorrow. He is now Big Deal Films’ scripted development producer, overseeing new comedy and drama projects.
Mustapha’s previous directorial work includes ‘Mohammed’ (Kayvan Novak, Sophie Thompson) and ‘Painkiller’ (Benedict Wong, Franz Drameh).
Mus has also directed Big Deal productions including ‘Coconut’ (BBC3) and ‘Christmas Jumpers’ (Sky Arts) starring Humza Arshad, Mo Gilligan and Emily Atack and a half hour Sky Arts Playhouse, as part of Sky’s Physical Comedy Season starring Vic Reeves and Seann Walsh.
Thomas Stogdon has successfully delivered projects for BBC1, BBC3, C4, ITV2, Sky, Radio 1 and CBBC as an executive producer.
Whether it is a scripted comedy series tackling race and identity, a live action invention format for children or a dramatised documentary from the point of view of someone living with a mental health condition, Thomas’ out of the box thinking has been behind a plethora of credible multi-genre content.
Featuring on the BBC New Talent Hotlist and receiving a debut writer nomination at the Edinburgh TV Festival New Voices Awards are just some of Thomas’ recent professional highlights.
Alex Webster is a writer and film-maker. He began his journalism career working in the Press Gallery of the House of Commons, before moving into television working for respected filmmakers such as Leo Maguire and Louis Theroux. Alex now makes films in the UK and around the world for broadcast television, mostly for the BBC and Channel 4, as well as for corporate and charity clients. Prior to working in the media, Alex worked for the Next Century Foundation think tank, with particular focus on Middle Eastern foreign affairs. He has ghost written several books about Middle Eastern politics and history, as well as published articles for periodicals.