“This is exactly what we need” Jasmin John explains how Screen LaunchPad solidified Nuevox Post
After spending years developing her craft as a post production specialist, Jasmin John noticed a problem with her sector - and like any good creative founder, she set out to try and fix it. “In my early days, I was really conscious that I was often the only black woman in cutting rooms,” she tells us, speaking about her career journey. “As I was rising up the ranks, it was still the case. I started to think ‘Why is that - and what can I do about it?’”
Answering this question led her to create Black Women in Post Production, a place where creatives with shared experiences could form a community, network and swap knowledge. Soon, the urge to take this idea a step further arrived, leading to an entire business dedicated to the same ethos. "I wanted to see what things looked like in businesses and the ownership of post-production companies," continues John. "I couldn't find any in London or in the regions so that's how Nuevox Post came about."
Created with her colleague Valery Akpojiyovwi, a creative with a more production-heavy background, Nuevox Post - or NVP for short - aims to provide a space for people from under-represented groups to both learn and work. "It was born from this idea of a lack of access, closed doors and an absence of spaces that felt built for people like us," explains John. "We wanted to create something different than what we'd experienced. We didn't want to fit into the industry's outdated mold. We wanted to build something better."
A boutique production studio, John says this new venture hopes to “open doors for global majority talent” by offering “training, mentorship and work-based learning.” To help them on their journey, John and Akpojiyovwi applied for Creative Enterprise Screen Launchpad, a programme that empowers screen-based creatives from under-represented areas. “We’re both creatives and we didn’t have that business knowledge and acumen,” says John of their decision to apply. “When this Creative UK scheme appeared, we thought ‘this is exactly what we need.’”
Based half in London and half in the West Midlands, the scheme’s decision to host some of its sessions in the capital and others in the regions fit the duo nicely. “I’m based just outside Birmingham and I’ve never seen any other programme take the kind of hybrid approach that Creative UK has,” she says. “It made things so much more manageable and it reflects the equity that the programme represents. You don’t have to just be London-based to access these types of opportunities.”
Working with their scheme-assigned mentor helped them gain additional focus surrounding their place in the market. “As far as we were aware, we were the UK’s first and only black women-led post production company and that could be part of our USP,” explains John. “Our mentor suggested we set out to see if that was true and as far as we could find from our research, we were. Obviously, we don’t want to be the only one,” she adds, “but we’re happy to be the first and to be an inspiration to others. It just builds DEI further.”
Despite each cohort member getting access to their own bespoke expert, the scheme’s fluid approach provided key opportunities for John and Akpojiyovwi’s growing skill sets. “Even though some mentors weren’t allocated to us, they wanted us to reach out to them and they were happy to help,” recalls John. “It was invaluable to have access to them all - and for them to be so open.” Days dedicated to important founder-related topics also helped: “We had incredible sessions,” she adds. “Creative UK brought professionals from all areas of the industry - from the financial side and collaboration, to founder well-being.”
Having come through the Screen Launchpad process, John feels ready to solidify Nuevox Post’s future as a disruptor that sets a new tone and levels the playing field. “‘Confidence’ and ‘validation’ are the two perfect words to describe how I feel for our vision going forward,” smiles John. “Off the back of this program, we feel like a lot of our knowledge gaps have been closed. We feel like we’re able to put actions in place based on what we’ve learned and we feel more confident in how we’re approaching the business as well.”
