About Us

           2020 was a hard year for all of us. COVID-19 took away our loved ones and our freedom. The one benefit that came from this torrid time was the connection I made with Alex Quinn. When starting out on the Filmmaking and Creative Technologies course at Liverpool Insitute for Perfoming Arts who would have thought that such a deep creative partnership would be formed between my self and Mr. Quinn.



Our first creative endeavour together was ‘Clean Barry’. Inspired by the constraints on our freedom imposed by the pandemic laws this film represented the birth of what would become No Cash Value Productions. While this was not a perfect film by any stretch of the imagination it gave us a first taste of the synergy in our relationship.

Since then we have worked on three more projects together and our skills have improved dramatically. Alex was always a phenomenal editor being able to make something fantastic from the most basic source material. Whereas I have developed my skills in planning and communication which help to  envision the end product from the very begining of a project. At the heart of my process is developing an environment where everyone feels heard and safe. At the start of a project it is paramount to “Get on the same page, and dont keep everything in your head”. (Abushwesha, 2019, p105)


My experience lies more in the writing, directing and producing side of filmmaking. Producing is a particular area I excel in. Conjuring a creative team and running them smoothly is my forte. I also possess an knack for commissioning and producing work that is on the money and relevent to the contemporary zeitgeist. Evidence of this can be seen in our upcoming play Olivera by Jacklyn Jeffries which is set to tour theatres 2023.


Speaking as a one-time theatre actor I know how performers receive information and how best to communicate with them to get the most out of their performance. When giving notes to an actor I know they need something tangible, “something... to play.” as Ken Kwapis notes (Kwapis, 2020, p151). 

My time as an actor has informed our casting process as well. First and foremost it is important that an actor or performer “respect me, enjoy my direction, know a little about me and are interested in the project” as Hester Schell reccounts (Schell, 2010, p14).

Writing for film and television is a very serious passion of mine. As Sigmund Freud suggests writers “...create a world of phantasy which he takes very seriously - that is, which he invests with large amounts of emotion.” (Storr/Freud, 1972, p113). Indeed, even the most crazy ideas I come up with are considered very carefully. For instance; when writing for film or music video I make sure to thoroughly research the subject matter. As William Goldman notes “the make or break work is done before the writing actually begins”. (Goldman, 1983, p311).  I write mostly on instinct, focussing on making the stories that I want to watch. The story behind my section of Four Stops (Nice Time) is heavily inspired by Quadrophenia, one of my favourite films. As a part of my research I not only re-watched the film itself ten times but also read Absolute Beginners (Macinnes, 1959), a mod cult classic novel. I also gained first hand accounts from Cloud-9 Mod group, who still ride their mopeds and wear their carrington jackets today. Fundamentally I wanted to see a modern day adaptation of Quandrophenia, so I made one. As Moira Buffini notes “pick the projects you are in tune with” (Buffini & Abushwesha, 2014, p25). Research is equally important in Music Videos and branded content as one must ingratiate onself with the artist/brand to effectively visualise them onscreen.

Ultimately the key to our success as a team lies in our complimentary skillset. We each know each other very well stopping short at finishing each other’s sentences. Our individual weaknesses are counteracted by the others strengths. Alone we are capable, together we are a force to be reckoned with. We very much look forward to working with you. 

Sam Vivian