Our People

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  Tim Smith

  Prescience's Managing Director Tim Smith has worked in the marketing, financing, and production of filmed entertainment for over twenty years. He has worked for Twentieth Century Fox and for well over a decade Tim owned and ran Foresight, one of the most successful entertainment agencies in Europe during the 1990's. Foresight represented such film clients as Walt Disney's Buena Vista International, Warner Brothers and PolyGram. After selling Foresight to South Africa's Primedia group in the early 2000's, Tim Smith worked as an independent producer and was joint Managing Director of UK producer/financier Random Harvest before establishing Prescience in 2005.

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  Paul Brett

  Paul is a director of Prescience and has worked in the media industry since leaving university 28 years ago. He has worked at Video Arts, (the world's first audio/visual training company), Catalyst (the world's first audio-visual publishing company backed by Goldcrest), TEN - The Movie Channel (Britain's first PAY TV company), Video Collection International, (the world's first sell through label), Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Pathe. Paul developed and implemented the UK exhibition and distribution strategy over a three year period at the British Film Institute/UK Film Council, leaving to found Prescience with Tim Smith. At the BFI/UKFC, Paul was responsible for the BFI's relationships with exhibitors throughout the UK and Northern Ireland, including both arthouse and commercial cinemas. Prior to this, he worked for Miramax International as Vice President of European Marketing, as well as Pathe/Guild, VCI and CIC (a joint venture between Paramount and Universal).

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  Peter Nichols

  Peter is Chairman of Prescience and has been involved in the film industry for a number of years through his own Tax Practice, The Chancery Group. Peter is heavily involved with legitimate tax mitigation schemes of all kinds including Business Premises Renovation Allowance, geared EIS using film and computer games as the underlying businesses along with other bespoke tax structures and shelters. His tax expertise is across the board and includes Personal and Corporate Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Inheritance Tax, Trusts, Property Tax and Investments, Tax Efficient Business Structures /Advice and Consultancy, Mergers, Acquisitions, Management Buy Outs / Buy Ins, Corporate Finance and Offshore Structures. Peter has a Financial Services Qualification, Cert PFS, although his primary interest is in the financial services arena, it is the tax breaks that such products give and how they interact with tax planning generally and Inheritance Tax in particular.

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  Anne Sheehan

  Anne Sheehan is a UK chartered accountant with specialist experience in film finance, production and distribution. As Director of Film Finance for Prescience she has overall responsibility for the financial assessment and business affairs of all the films that Aegis Film Fund and the Prescience Funds finance. Prior to joining Prescience in 2009, as AS Media Consulting she acted for a number of Film Fund clients. She devised Visible Films; an EIS investment for Ecosse Films, Recorded Picture Company and Samuelson Productions. From 1999 to 2003 she was Director of Finance and Business Affairs at Renaissance Films. She began her film career as an international operational auditor for Warner Bros. and was financial controller for Palace Pictures, BBC Films, PolyGram Film International and FilmFour.

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  James Swarbrick

  James started his career in the City in 2003 moving to Smith & Williamson Investment Management in December 2004. James has raised, structured and managed funds for over 40 productions since 2003. In addition, James has raised funds for a number of AIM, private equity, EIS and VCT transactions in a variety of industry sectors including retail, leisure, media, insurance and technology. Currently James is Commercial Director at Prescience and manages the Aegis Film Fund.

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  Graeme Law

  Graeme joined Prescience as Finance Director in 2010. He trained with Ernst & Young, and has held senior finance roles within a variety of media and entertainment blue chip companies, including HMV, ITV, Live Nation and Channel 5. More recently, he was SVP of planning and finance for International Home Entertainment at DreamWorks and then Paramount.

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  Lee Vandermolen

  Lee Vandermolen started in the City in 1982 on the London Metal Exchange and has traded bonds, warrants and oil futures. Lee now acts as a consultant in the commodities and futures trading world including developing algorithmic trading models. Lee turned his trading and financing skills to the film industry working on short films and musicals before focussing on utilising senior debt instruments to finance larger films. Lee is working with Prescience on developing the business across a number of areas, including a new fund management joint venture called Prescience Film Capital Management.

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  Peter Dale

  Peter Dale is an experienced financial services executive, with experience in risk management, banking, asset management and insurance. He has also long focused on film financing and has several film credits to his name. He is also by training a management consultant focusing on business strategy, risk and turnaround. He is the managing director of a consulting firm and a graduate of London Business School. Peter is working with Prescience on developing the business across a number of areas, including a new fund management joint venture called Prescience Film Capital Management.

For general enquiries please contact Anna Brazinova - Head of Administration.

annab@presciencefilm.com
Head of Administration