Playmaker Films Celebrates Women In Entertainment

Playmaker Films spoke to women in the entertainment world that we feel deserve to be celebrated this International Women’s Day. Playmaker asked them to explain a bit about their significant career moments and talk about something that resonates with them on this day.

Henrie Kwushue - @henrieviii

As a DJ, presenter and broadcaster I’m best known for my work on Spotify’s Who We Be Talks podcast interviewing the likes of Koffee, KSI, Chunkz, Maya Mama, Julie Adenuga and more, KISS FM “Wake Up” weekend show and KISS Fresh evening show.

I also run my own production company, HTK Productions, and have produced two shows, the acclaimed ‘Is Your Area Changing’ - a docu-series focused on the topic of gentrification in London neighbourhoods, and ‘Untold Stories’ a web series about personal stories where guests discuss what has made them who they are today.

A highlight in my career was being the resident host of No Signal Radio's famed NS10V10 clashes. In 2020 and 2021, not only did I triumph when representing T-Pain, but I also continued to host a majority of the clashes including Vybz Kartel & Wizkid, which had a staggering 579,000 people locked in worldwide, with Vybz Kartel tweeting about it, Wizkid locked in and Burna Boy streaming the entire clash with his mum on Instagram!

I would tell my younger self to chill out and trust God haha.

My faith plays a massive part of my life now so I think I would definitely tell myself to let go of whatever I thought I wanted for myself and just let God lead cause He has taken me places that I couldn’t have even imagined for myself .

Jasmin John - @_jasminjxo

I’m a film and TV editor but I am also passionate about increasing diversity in the industry and I can proudly say  that I am the founder of Black Women In Post Production (BWIPP), a network which aims to create access and opportunity for Black and Black Mixed heritage women working or aspiring to work in Film and TV Post Production.

One piece of advice I would tell my younger self would be to Know your worth and take up space. If you're not being invited to take a seat at the table, build a brand new one!

Isa Perez - @isaperezx

I serve as the label manager at The Orchard/Sony Music. With a keen focus on independent labels, I adeptly oversee a diverse roster of labels and manage the release process of all their rosters. Beyond my role in distribution, I am the visionary Founder of PRZ Collective—an agency specialising in creative direction, design, events, and campaign activations by combining my passion for music & creative entrepreneurship to make a significant impact in the ever-evolving landscape of the entertainment industry.

I've been fortunate enough to experience several career milestones, ranging from contributing to successful campaigns and activations like Russ Millions, Ndubz & Offset, launching emerging artists like Pip Millet to my most recent role as a Label Manager at the Orchard managing versatile labels which is extremely rewarding.

One of my proudest accomplishments is being a pivotal member behind NSG’s debut album. What started off as just a conversation on the state of Afroswing in relation to the project, turned into bold cultural movement through NSG’s campaign to "Make Afroswing Great Again." It brought much needed attention to the African community in the diaspora. We chose to emphasise the importance of community here in the UK with moments such as allocating music video and campaign funds to events and community building. As an African deeply committed to giving back, this experience was a profoundly beautiful moment for me to be a part of.

It's crucial for me to recognise the significance of these achievements not only as a woman but of colour who’s faced barriers juggling motherhood as a single parent.

Lou Macnamara - @loumacnamara

I’m a London based camera operator, focus puller and non-binary femme. After leaving art school I began shooting indie documentaries and artist films. Eventually I left my day job in art galleries to work up through the Camera Department. Now I work across TV drama, features, commercials, documentaries and still sometimes shoot artist moving image work. I’ve recently been selected for the ScreenSkills High-End TV Leaders of Tomorrow programme, which will support me stepping up to operate in HETV over the next three years.

A woman I’m endlessly inspired by is my Loader, friend and collaborator, Samara Addai. Of everyone I’ve met working in the film industry she is so fiercely caring, driven by serving her community and passionate about holding space to make the Camera Department a more inclusive and safe space for people from backgrounds currently underrepresented in our industry. She’s the one to whip out a refreshing face spray when you’re on hour 14 of a shoot day, or show up for our camera trainee workshops with an incredible snack selection. And she reminds me regularly that the hype and the workaholic nature of what we do is not the be all and end all.

If you want to find Samara on IG she’s @cinesamara.

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