As part of Fast Forward 2026, participants will gain access to a team of experienced mentors, each bringing a distinct area of expertise to help founders navigate growth with confidence. From leadership and recruitment to brand, innovation, governance and investment, our mentors provide tailored support designed around the challenges and opportunities facing ambitious screen businesses today.
This week, we're introducing Martin Backlund, Fast Forward mentor for Content, Distribution Strategies and Investment.
Martin Backlund spent 13 years at Amazon, most recently as Managing Director of Prime Video Nordics, where he built the local business across content, pricing, marketing and partnerships. Prior to this, he led content licensing for Prime Video UK, negotiating licensing deals and developing data-driven content strategies. Alongside his work as an angel investor and with a growth-credit fund, Martin helps founders strengthen their strategy, build sustainable growth plans and prepare for the next stage of their business journey.
Martin's mentoring focuses on product-market fit, commercial strategy, customer insight and helping founders build businesses that can adapt and grow as market demands evolve.
Periods of growth tend to be very busy and full of change. A mentor helps founders step back and prioritise, gives them some reassurance they are focusing on the right things, and helps surface the blind spots that are easy to miss when you are in the thick of it.
It can also be especially valuable to have a mentor act as a sounding board for founders as they come up against new questions or problems, which often surface during periods of rapid growth and change.
Honing in on product-market fit, developing the product in response to customer behaviour, and shaping the overall strategy and business plan as the business grows and those needs shift.
I would want them to take away a tangible, actionable plan, a bit of reassurance, and ideally a sharper awareness of their own strengths and expertise and how to leverage them.
I can also help businesses identify and measure the right metrics so that they stay on track and continue to meet customer needs. In my experience, it is more important to have good instrumentation to help you see what's happening in your business, so that you can course-correct quickly and accurately, than to strive for the perfect plan at the outset.
Fast Forward is Creative Enterprise's six-month growth programme for ambitious screen businesses looking to strengthen their commercial foundations, unlock new opportunities and build long-term resilience. Through tailored mentoring, expert-led workshops and peer learning, participants gain the tools, insight and confidence needed to scale sustainably.
Applications for Fast Forward 2026 are now open.
Find out more and apply: https://creativeenterprise.wearecreative.uk/fast-forward