Founder

Production Executive, FILM4

Breakthrough Leader Freemantle UK 2023

Qualified Life Coach & Goal Facilitator, Harley Street Renaissance Training Academy 2020.

I often found myself daydreaming as a child about pursuing a career within TV and film and here I am. A far cry away from organizing under- wear in Manchester’s finest bargain store as I once did. I have worked across Theatre, Documentaries, News and Current Affairs, Alternative arts, High end TV Drama, and Film. Nearly a decade in and now my eyes are really open to what works and what doesn’t. We were crying out for a refined platform to help elevate young women into this highly competitive sector. Ebony Elite is strictly fuelled by hard work and passion and ignited by likeminded professionals, who want to offer their free time to help the next generation get ahead.

Producer

Passionate about the industry, Maria Ogunyale has worked as a Production Coordinator before embarking on a career as a freelance Associate Producer on TV and Film productions. Maria began her career as a production runner on various dramas including Top Boy S1 and BBC drama Bert and Dickie before moving in-house to work for Eleventh Hour Films (EHF) in 2012, as an Executive Producer’s Assistant. Whilst there Maria worked with script development, completed script reports and assisted the script editors as well as assisting in the pre-production stages of Foyle’s War S9 and Vexed S2. Ready to cut her teeth in production in 2014 Maria left EHF and worked on various productions including comedy You, Me & Them (2014), Mr Selfridge S4 (2015), National Treasure (2016) and Sky One drama Guerilla (2016).

Film Producer

Senior Production Executive at Working Title

Angela Moneke is a producer & curator from South London. She started as a researcher for factual television programmes, before moving on to Working Title Films where she currently works as Senior Production Executive, with credits such as Nida Manzoor’s POLITE SOCIETY and Dolly Alderton’s EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LOVE. Her previous short film projects, which have screened at a number of venues including BFI

Southbank, Somerset House and Barbican, include “0.5%” directed by Yero Timi-Biu for BBC Arts & Screen South, which premiered on BBC4/iPlayer in March 2022, and BORN FRUIT for Dazed x Gucci, the short directorial debut of Bukky Bakray (ROCKS). She is currently in post-production on short films for BFI and BBC Film. Angela is also the co-founder of T A P E, a curatorial film collective with an especial focus on

identity, heritage and culture, platforming shorts and under-represented feature films with cross-arts events. She was featured in Forbes’ 30 under 30 – Europe – Entertainment 2022 list and T A P E Collective were named on the Film London Lodestar 2022 list.

Post-Production Coordinator Kudos Film and Television

People forget about the wonders of Post-Production, but I’ve always been fascinated by it! After graduating from university, I worked in hospitality for several years – struggling to break into the industry.

I believe that if I’d had a mentor when I was younger, my journey would have been completely different. Thanks to a scheme called Hatch, I did eventually land a role as a Runner. I started my career as a Postproduction Coordinator at Holby City and now work for one of the top drama production companies in the UK. There are very few women of colour in the world of Postproduction and I believe platforms like this will make an important difference. I’m really excited to be a Mentor for Ebony Elite and feel honoured to be a part of this amazing platform!

Junior Video Editor at Blacklist Creative

After graduating university in 2018, I could never have guessed the challenges I would come across getting my career up and running. I would also never have imagined all the avenues I could have gone down, or the many encounters I’d have with people who had such interesting roles.

I knew I always wanted a career where building narrative and emotion was a strong component, and I find myself very fulfilled as an Editor. In my current job I work in English and French, any assets you have are a big plus!

Post production is a dynamic, exciting industry but it can be challenging to break into which is where platforms like Ebony Elite are so important. I hope to offer a guide, advise, and celebrate anyone who is starting out in Post Production!

Executive Assistant to Managing directors Kudos Film and Television International Drama/ High End TV When I graduated from University, I had no idea what I wanted to do, I panicked and took the first job I was offered... Pensions Transfer Specialist! A few years on and my soul almost destroyed I looked to a friend and so, I, like many, got my first job in TV because I knew someone who knew someone. I am aware that not everyone is afforded this opportunity, but mentoring is a great way to connect, share advice and build your network.

As an Executive Assistant to Managing Directors at Kudos Film & Television I have the privilege of being able to stay across a whole range of work and am consistently on the go. Being an Assistant is often seen as a stepping stone in the industry, but for the right person it can be a fantastic, long-term career whereby you’re able to interact with Senior Management, Production, Talent, Operations, Finance, Legal (the list is endless) as well as staying across the entire Production process from Development to TX. As a mentor I hope to be able to forge strong relationships and also learn from my mentees, I don’t know it all but what I do know I am more than willing to share.