MARTINIQUE THORPE - EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

WHAT IS YOUR NAME, AND WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

My name is Martinique Thorpe and I live in the southeast of England at the moment.


WHERE DID YOU GRAUDATE FROM AND WHAT DID YOU STUDY?

I recently graduated from Arts University Bournemouth studying Film Production specialising in Producing and Directing.


WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AT PRIMETIME AND WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING?

I am the Executive Assistant to our CEO Victoria Emslie, supporting the team with the onboarding of new members and helping support the incredible network already created. Plan events and campaigns within the year and lead outreach to keep the network expanding (some exciting things to come!) I'll be the general touchpoint for members with any queries, don’t be afraid to ask! I'll be on the hunt to populate the platform with some incredible opportunities, new production companies and festivals to create a larger network for the underrepresented.


WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO JOIN US?

Whilst working onset with the television and film industry I have been able to witness first-hand the lack of diversity within a working crew with little to no representation from diverse backgrounds. I could count on one hand the amount of POC creatives I saw on a set and the same went for women in leadership roles, and the women onset weren’t in the technical roles. When I was at university a lecturer stated women were more creative and men were more technical, and this way of thinking is so prominent in the industry still. When I saw the opportunity to be actively part of the change in the industry that is long overdue, I jumped at the opportunity to use my voice to help.


ARE THERE ANY WOMEN YOU LOOK UP TO OR HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY INFLUENCED BY?

My mum. She has and will always be my role model, she taught me to look at the world from different perspectives, my own Atticus Finch. She always wanted to make me a more rounded person, showing me entertainment and arts from all across the world, things most children would be bored by, I was able to explore the art world and want to make my own mark on the world. She told me to be unapologetically myself and always surrounded myself with people with different experiences to learn new stories.


WHAT HAS BEEN ONE OF YOUR GREATEST SUCCESS SO FAR?

As cliché as it might seem, and maybe a cop out, I have not achieved great successes so far, and everything I work on I tend to overthink and over analyse. My greatest success if I had to put it into words would be that I remain hopeful in finding and working in incredible crews that can inspire me in, I won’t give up and I can’t give up because I want my greatest success to be helping others to inspire the next generation.


WHAT IS YOUR BEHIND-THE-SCENES PASSION OUTSIDE OF WORK?

Anything and everything that gives me a slight euphoric feeling of escapism that’s my passion, I am a self-proclaimed voyeur of emotion, I love to listen to people’s random playlists to live a moment in their heads and laughing to myself with my favourite podcasts.


TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF WHICH MANY PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW.

I am an avid collector of comic books, all different types from the 50s onwards, it's become a bit of a problem!


WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING INVOLVED WITH THROUGH PRIMETIME?

I’m most looking forward to meeting likeminded individuals to gain a sense of community within the industry and helping people get their next job!


WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MANTRA OR SAYING?

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results" - Rita Mae Brown not Albert Einstein as many believe.

FATHIMA ABDULLAH - COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT

WHAT IS YOUR NAME AND WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

My name is Fathima and I’m from East London.


WHERE DID YOU GRADUATE FROM AND WHAT DID YOU STUDY?

I graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2021 and studied English Literature.


WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AT PRIMETIME AND WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING?

I will be joining Primetime as the new Communications Assistant and will heading up our social media and features presence and am here to champion you all.


WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO JOIN US?

I wanted to join Primetime because I couldn’t agree more with the company’s aims to increase female representation both on and off screen. I think it makes a huge difference to your life when you see more women on screen and it’s finally time to even the scales!


ARE THERE ANY WOMEN YOU LOOK UP TO OR HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY INFLUENCED BY?

I absolutely love Greta Gerwig. It is so refreshing to watch women’s stories on screen and her writing style in building narrative voices, sustaining a plot as well as her stunning directorial style is what makes her stand out to me.


WHAT HAS BEEN ONE OF YOUR GREATEST SUCCESS SO FAR?

My biggest success is definitely graduating university the past year. Having half of uni online, not having the same interaction with peers and mentors as well as a whole host of other circumstances, I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it to the end but after a lot of hard work, I managed to pull through.


WHAT IS YOUR BEHIND-THE-SCENES PASSION OUTSIDE OF WORK?

I am a big reader and one of my favourite authors is James Baldwin and his novel ‘Go Tell It On The Mountain', I wish he was alive now so I could hear him speak because he's just enchanting. I also love creative writing and am trying to finish my own screenplay which is centred around 4 girls and their friendship whilst juggling family and attending an all girls, Islamic secondary school.


TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF WHICH MANY PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW.

Shockingly, I love cleaning, I binge watch home-organizing/cleaning shows and want to set up my own home cleaning/DIY company some day!


WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING INVOLVED WITH THROUGH PRIMETIME?

I’m looking forward to getting to know more female creators within the industry. Having only done some work experience in the industry, it’s not hard to notice how male-dominated the industry is and hopefully we can bring about some real change.


WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MANTRA OR SAYING?

"Be kind to yourself; it’s too tiring trying to compare yourself to someone else."