BAFTA Breakthrough Brits 2018 – Press Bios Paapa Essiedu – Actor Paapa Essiedu, 28, grew up in Walthamstow, London, where he still lives. Meeting like-minded people at the National Youth Theatre changed Paapa’s life. He was ready to take up a prestigious place to study Medicine at UCL, but turned it down at the last minute to train as an actor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. After graduating, Paapa took on classical roles at the National Theatre, starring in Sam Mendes’ production of King Lear, and the RSC, where he played Hamlet. Recently a string of high-profile television roles have propelled his career: Otto in BBC’s The Miniaturist, Nate in Channel 4’s acclaimed drama Kiri opposite Sarah Lancashire and ruthless reporter Ed in Mike Bartlett’s BBC series Press. Paapa also featured in Kenneth Branagh’s major film adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express. Paapa said: ‘It feels amazing to be named a Breakthrough Brit, it’s so surreal. My agent’s office is just round the corner from BAFTA, so I’ve been walking past it for years without knowing it was here! BAFTA is such an amazing academy for recognising British talent – all of your favourite writers, directors and actors have been involved with BAFTA at some stage, so to join that list feels mad. I’m really excited to meet people who have done amazing work, and to talk to them about the challenges they’ve overcome in their careers.’ Luisa Omielan – Comedian Luisa Omielan, 36, grew up in Farnborough in Hampshire and then moved to London, where she lived for 10 years. She now lives in Birmingham. Luisa realised she wanted to be a stand-up comedian at the age of four, but didn’t quite know how to make it happen. After auditioning for countless drama schools and struggling to get an agent, she realised Salford University taught a stand-up comedy module as part of its Performing Arts course, and she graduated not just with a First, but with the highest mark the institution had ever given. Luisa started gigging, working as everything from a postwoman to a nursery teacher to pay for her travel to five-minute comedy spots, before taking her first solo show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She put down £50 to reserve a room in a pub, sent out press releases herself and hoped audiences would find her. The show was What Would Beyonce Do? and it was a smash hit, which went on to tour internationally and be shown on BBC iPlayer. Luisa’s next tour, Am I Right Ladies? featured a thigh gap joke that went viral, receiving more than 45 million views on YouTube. Luisa is now touring again, performing Politics for Bitches with her 1-year old Bernese Mountain Dog, Bernie by her side. Luisa said: ‘It feels incredible to be a Breakthrough Brit, it’s such a privilege and I’m so excited to be the first stand-up comedian on the scheme. Stand-up never gets credit as an art-form, but it’s changed my life and my shows tackle subjects from body dysmorphia to euthanasia. It’s so wrong that it’s not taken seriously, you can’t get Arts Council funding for it but it makes such an impact. I’ve done it my way for so long and now to get this acknowledgement from BAFTA is a dream.’ Vanessa Whyte – Cinematographer Vanessa Whyte, 35, grew up in Ladbroke Grove, London and now lives in Camberwell. Vanessa Whyte initially wanted to be a make-up artist, and then an actress. However, at the age of 14, her dad gave her a camera, and she became hooked on photography. Using a cupboard in the family home as her darkroom, she developed her skills before getting her first job as a camera trainee on TV show NCS: Manhunt with a young Michael Fassbender. Vanessa gained experience on commercials and music videos, and worked as the second unit DoP on TV shows including series three of Broadchurch and Strangers, both for ITV. Her ambition was to make the jump to main unit, and since achieving that with BAFTA- winning BBC drama Murdered for Being Different she hasn’t stopped working. Vanessa’s recent projects include BBC Four comedy There She Goes with David Tennant and BBC Three comedy series Enterprice. Vanessa said: ‘It feels fantastic to be named as a Breakthrough Brit, I’ve always been very admiring of the people on the scheme, so I’m delighted to be included. I applied last year too, but this year has definitely felt like more of a breakthrough year for me – I have defeated more obstacles and barriers and I’m on an amazing run of work at the moment. I’ve always been really impressed by how BAFTA supports talent, and as a DoP a lot of it is about validation, it feels amazing to be taken seriously. I’m really excited to meet the other people from different disciplines.’ Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly – Producer Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly, 32, grew up in County Kerry in Ireland and has been living in Chiswick, London since she was 18. BAFTA nominee Fodhla always knew she wanted to work in film, but it took her a while to realise she wanted to produce. Her first taste of the industry was work shadowing with Irish special effects company Team FX, visiting the set of The Tudors. After moving to London to study film, Fodhla started gaining experience making commercials, before gaining a Masters in Producing at the prestigious National Film and Television School. Fodhla’s Oscar-nominated animated short Head Over Heels won the Cartoon D’Or and an RTS award in 2013, but it wasn’t until 2016 that her first feature was released. The BAFTA-nominated Lady Macbeth was made on a micro budget, which is precisely the reason Fodhla wanted to do it – she was told a period film couldn’t be made for such a small amount, but she proved people wrong. Fodhla followed this success withMy Generation, a documentary film starring Sir Michael Caine that took six years to make. Fodhla said: ‘It is a huge honour to be a Breakthrough Brit; what a beautiful present to get. My producing career started here and I owe a huge amount to this country. Being a producer can be quite isolating – everyone’s dispersed across the country, sitting in their home offices talking on Skype, so the fact that BAFTA is pulling us together should never be underestimated. It’s really important to me to access a new community, meet new people and exchange ideas. How wonderful to connect with others at a similar stage in their career and to be able to go for a cup of tea with them.’ Michael Pearce – Director Michael Pearce, 37, grew up on Jersey and now lives in Hackney, London. Michael was determined to be a film director since he watched Seven Samurai at the age of 17. But it took him the best part of two decades to make his first feature, Beast starring Johnny Flynn and Jessie Buckley. He was confident it would happen, but wanted to wait for the perfect story. In the meantime, Michael learned his craft, earning his MA in Film Direction with Distinction from the prestigious National Film and Television School, before making a name for himself with a string of successful shorts. Among them both Rite and Keeping Up With the Joneses earned Michael BAFTA nominations. Beast, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, was filmed on Jersey, where Michael spent his childhood. He describes the experience of finally making his film as more exhausting and more exhilarating than he could have imagined, and notes how strange it was to be the only crew member on the project who had never made a film before! Michael said: ‘BAFTA is one of the most renowned film organisations in the world, so to get recognition from them is huge. It tells me I’m doing something right, anyway! So much of the film industry is about networks and getting to know people, so what BAFTA provides in terms of mentorship and creating connections is really great, particularly for directors who are often the least experienced person on set. I look forward to spending time with established directors and asking them questions.’ Annie Price – Presenter Annie Price, 32, grew up in London and now lives in Weybridge, Surrey. Annie loved her job as a personal trainer and had no ambitions of working in television. One of her friends spotted her talent though, and convinced her to take a meeting with an agent, who introduced her to a production company. It took three years before they found an idea compelling enough to coax Annie away from her fitness career. In 2017, Annie: Out of the Ashes for BBC Three told Annie’s story as a childhood burns survivor, and researched her family history. It also helped Annie to fall in love with the process of documentary making. Two more programmes followed in quick succession, both on BBC Three: Plastic Surgery Capital of the World saw Annie explore the trend for cosmetic surgery in South Korea, while Tiredness, Tears and Tantrums: Diary of a New Mum followed her journey into motherhood with baby Sonny. Annie said: ‘To be a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit feels really special, I feel like I’ve been welcomed into the industry. I’m working hard and this is a really nice, encouraging nudge, like someone telling me it’s going well and I can do this, so I’m really grateful.