Freya is one of the UK’s leading filmmaking educators. A Fulbright Scholar and a Fellow of Syracuse University, NY, she holds an MFA in Fine Art Film and has been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship by the HEA. Her expertise goes far beyond the classroom – she’s consulted for the National Film and Television School, Aardman Animations and Edinburgh College of Art. She also sits on the Directors Board of the International Filmmaking Academy (Bologna) and the Encounters Film Festival (Bristol).

With a background in drama, Freya founded boyandbear films to create original work. Her credits include Bread and Butter, Terminated: Teeth and Tinder (Channel 4), How Lucky, and the short films Not Waving (iShorts) and Services (BFI Network).

David is a full BAFTA member. His work spans major broadcasters and platforms, with credits for the BBC (Around Alone, Click, Media Brief), ITV, Channel 4, E4, and Channel 5 (Game Ranger Diaries). He has also worked on feature films (High Speed, The Ride), music videos (for Delirious and the Goo Goo Dolls), TV adverts, and blue-chip corporate projects for clients including Vodafone, BT, Balfour Beatty and the Ministry of Defence.

His portfolio includes charity campaigns and promotional content for the Royal Television Society, VITA Modern Slavery Network and Media Trust.

David specialises in all aspects of filmmaking – from directing and lighting, to cinematography, editing, colour grading and post-production workflows. With experience as an ARRI-accredited trainer for education, he also actively contributes to industry research into emerging technologies. David is a passionate advocate for inclusive education and a champion for dyslexic students.

With 28 years of industry experience, Mark is a leader in the world of post production. He co-founded Bristol’s Doghouse Post Production, a top-tier post facility known for delivering high-end television content. There, he designed and implemented all infrastructure and technology and developed successful, efficient workflow paths.

Mark also launched Colour Me In Post, a bespoke post-production and finishing company, along with a YouTube channel where he shares insider tips and tricks. He also created UniPro, a dedicated YouTube channel for client and student engagement.

In his professional work, Mark is known for his collaborative approach in the edit suite, delivering innovative programming with a clear tone and strong creative storytelling. Over the years, he has not only mastered the technical demands of post production but developed a passion for teaching, bringing his knowledge and love of the craft into the classroom.

Samuel has developed a community-led practice engaging with ideas around political, economic, social and cultural issues that challenge dominant power structures and systems of image distribution.

His work has been shown internationally in the UK, Italy, France, China, Lithuania, Georgia, Latvia and Ireland. His work has won and been selected for awards including Paris Photo Carte Blanche Award, Bloomberg New Contemporaries, Magenta Foundation Flash Forward, AOP Emerging Talent Award, Kaunas Photo Star Award, Production Paradise Emerging Talent Award and the AOP Student Award.

Samuel’s work has been placed in the Government Art Collection and has been featured in publications including e-flux, The British Journal of Photography, Fisheye, Creativeboom, Rolling Stone Italia, The Royal Photographic Society Journal, The Royal Photographic Society Contemporary Photographic Journal, and Time Out. Samuel is a permanent studio holder at Spike Island, Bristol.

Dr. Matt Deegan is a highly experienced educator, currently serving as a course lead and lecturer in the field of game design and production. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Bristol and a PhD from the University of Gloucestershire. His doctoral research focuses on the innovative application of Unreal Engine to create interactive and adaptive nonlinear music systems. This innovative work led to him being awarded an Epic MegaGrant to support his studies.

Dr. Deegan is also a published researcher, with his work receiving recognition both academically and within the industry. His research has been adopted by Epic Games as a teaching tool and has been exhibited at major industry events such as the EGX gaming convention. Passionate about game audio and technology, he continues to push the boundaries of interactive media and game development.

Nirmala is a filmmaker, artist and experienced cine camera technician in the Film and TV industry.

She holds a BA (Hons) in Filmmaking, and her award-winning graduate film, Regina, was screened at numerous international film festivals. She produced Lowri Roberts’ grad film Girl, which won the Welsh BAFTA for Best Short Film in 2018.

Nirmala also produced Nakato for BBC New Creatives, which was featured on BBC Four and iPlayer.

Prior to joining Boomsatsuma, Nirmala worked as a Technical Consultant at CVP, one of the leading broadcast and professional video solutions providers in the UK and Europe. At CVP, she managed the equipment in the CVP & ARRI Creative Space Showroom. When it comes to kit, if Nirmala doesn’t know about it, it’s probably not worth knowing.

Sam Curtis is an expert 3D modeller and texture artist, specialising in the high-to-low asset pipeline (including modelling, sculpting, UVs, baking, texturing, integration), digital painting, and environment art. His passion lies in visualising optimised game assets that go beyond a digital object to become and authentic artefact, by emphasising storytelling, attention to detail and careful texture work.

Sam is skilled in stylised asset workflows, using precise sculpting and hand-painted texturing methodologies. Sam uses his advanced skillset to teach the multi disciplined subject of Game Art, from environment and prop art to character art, putting an emphasis on production-ready processes and outcomes as well as visual quality.

Sam holds a master’s in Game Art from the University of Hertfordshire and a bachelor’s from Falmouth University. He draws on this expertise to help students build the practical, critical, and reflective skills essential for success in the games industry.

Jamie Murray’s photographic work centres around storytelling. Drawing on ideas from history, he is interested in the persistence of stories and their relevance to humanity. He also works on commissions with clients such as the Princes Foundation, The Financial Times and Süddeutsche Zeitung and his interest in the craft of photography has led him to work as a printer and frame maker for a range of other artists. His first book, Folly, was released in 2023.

Jamie has received a BA (Hons) in Documentary Photography from University of Newport, South Wales, and an MA in Photography from UWE, Bristol.