Atmósfera Academy Who We Are

WHO WE ARE

EXEC ADMIN & FINANCE CONSULTANTS COMMS & EVENTS CREATIVE IND. COLLABS AMBASSADORS LEGAL

EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE TEAM

Sebastian Hedgecoe

Founder and President

Sebastian graduated from the RCA Film School in 1987. He is a Photographer, Writer and Film Director previously working extensively as an Art Director and Production Designer in stills and the moving image in the USA, Australia and the UK. Surrounded by many highly influential fine artists from birth, notably the Sculptor Henry Moore who was a close family friend, he is the son of two highly prolific and prominent Photographers John and Julia Hedgecoe. Returning from Hollywood in 1993 he established highly successful multi-disciplinary Artist Studio Complexes in North London, running them for 18 years and helping launch many a successful career. Simultaneously working for a long list of clients in Advertising, Design, Publishing and the Fine Art world. Sebastian first conceived of Atmósfera Academy of Inspiration on a Photographic excursion to Andalusia.

Roger Huyton

Executive Director

Roger is a highly experienced Producer, Writer and Director whose career began at LWT and developed through film and video documentaries, drama, and into the current digital age. His broad field of work has included multi-national corporations and highly specialised iconic sporting institutions. He has worked across all of Europe as well as over 25 other countries around the world. He has produced and directed for the BBC, The Discovery Channel, Channel 4 and ESPN covering educational, scientific, adventure, arts and cultural subjects.

Adam Whittaker

Executive Director

Adam is an award - winning Producer and Executive in the television and film industries with a distinguished career in motion pictures. He was one of the founding partners of Limelight Films which became one of the world's leading independent production companies. Among its spectrum of award - winning work were title sequences for three James Bond films, an Emmy winning children's series and hundreds of music videos for leading artists who included The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Peter Gabriel, Dire Straits, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, David Bowie and many others. Adam was chairman of Framestore for ten years and instrumental in making it the largest visual effects and computer animation studio in Europe today.

Elendil Diez

Executive Director

Elendil graduated from Valencia University in 2002 with a degree in sound engineering. He is a highly experienced sound technician and multi talented musician with more than 25 years experience of running recording studios as an engineer, artist and live event producer. Working with international performing artists and musicians his expertise includes composition and recording for TV, Film and Radio. Previously a grand piano repairer and specialist he was also a public relations expert for 15 years for music and performing arts in Southern Spain. His company at that time distributed the weekly newspaper 'The Entertainer'.

Thida Htun

Executive Finance Director

Thida graduated from Mandalay University, Burma in 1994 with B.Sc. (Hons.) Mathematics. She speaks three languages and is highly experienced in financial management. She ran the International Food Department of the Toyota Tsusho Corporation for 12 years in Rangoon, Singapore, Japan and London. Thida masterminded highly successful advances in Toyota's business working practices and product list, increasing their revenues significantly during this time. Thida's extensive experience of working simultaneously in the East and West, is matched by her great personal interest, knowledge and passion for the arts and indigenous crafts of each hemisphere.

Anthony Harrild PhD

Executive Education Director

Anthony Harrild is Ruskin Professor Emeritus of Art at Cambridge School of Art, founder and curator of the Ruskin Gallery Cambridge and the Code Digital Gallery. Educated at Exeter St Andrews and the Slade, he has taught at Arts Schools in Brighton, Cambridge, Farnham, Kingston, London, Newcastle on Tyne and Sheffield and has been awarded Professorial titles at three UK universities. Anthony was editor-in-chief of POINT, the art and design research journal and he founded and edited Film Form magazine.

Regis Cabral PhD

Executive Consultant

Regis is a Swedish historian, a physicist, a specialist in technology and knowledge transfer and evaluations of university / society interfaces. He has published more than 300 books, articles and reports on scientific and technological subjects. He speaks eight languages and is known for the 'Cabral-Dahab Science Park Management Paradigm' used to study, plan and evaluate science parks, business incubators and similar organisations. With an artistic family heritage Regis brings his multi disciplinary expertise to the Atmosfera Academy of Inspiration.

Gabriela Gower

Executive Administration Assistant

Gabriela Gower is a Mexican bi-lingual graduate of Central Saint Martins. Working in advertising, fashion, film and theatre she is as passionate about artistic development as she is about artistic pursuit. With great organisational flair and a champion of emerging artists she was nominated for best Costume Design by the Mexican Academy of Film Arts and Sciences.

ATMÓSFERA ACADEMY CONSULTANTS

Barry van Eupen

Financial Consultant / SPAIN

Barry van Eupen is a senior executive with strategic and commercial experience working for multinational stock exchange quoted corporations and local SMEs in various countries. Operating at board and senior management level as Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer and Financial Director. He gained international management experience working in Western Europe, France, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, Singapore and Indonesia. Barry is a non executive director of a social enterprise Foundation East.

Inma Fernandez

Cultural Liason Consultant / SPAIN

Inma Fernandez's family were originally from Ronda and she has great knowledge and in depth experience of working in her home region and on jobs and productions across all of Spain. For over 20 years she has worked as an administration director and production coordinator for film and photographic shoots, involving highly specialist requirements for several crews and multiple projects at one time. A native Spanish speaker she is fluent in English and highly adept at liason for national and international projects.

Emma Cherry Rolf

Theatre & Performing Arts Consultant / SPAIN

Emma Cherry Rolf lives near Ronda and has over 30 years experience of writing, performing, teaching and facilitating theatre productions in both Spanish and English. She is part of the dynamic Spanish Performing Arts School; Proyecto Platea and is a member of the Resident Theatre Company in Ronda formed by Marcos Marcell. Emma originally trained in Dance and Acting in London at the Bush Davies School of Dance & Dramatic Arts and the Rose Bruford School of Speech & Drama respectively. Founder and Principle of her own company; Moonlight Theatre Company in 1989 she has also worked with the London Arts Council, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Royal Shakespeare Company, Battersea Arts Centre, Saddlers Wells and many small Independent Theatres in London and the UK.

Nicholas Shipley

Research & Development Consultant / SPAIN

Nicholas Shipley has developed projects and funding initiatives in the UK and Internationally for 35 years. A highly awarded Executive Producer, his clients have included the UK and Hong Kong Governments and blue chip corporate clients Cathay Pacific, the BBC and Esso. In the 90's he was Head of Production for Media Asia and Executive Producer for News Corporation (Star TV) in Hong Kong.

Max Baker

Photography Consultant / SPAIN

Max has worked for 35 years in stills photography and multimedia communications. As a Photographer he has worked for mainstream advertising agencies with clients such as British Airways, BskyB, A&M Records and many others. Previously as a Studio and Project Manager for the global publishing company Ziff Davis he managed the team responsible for the photography cycles of the group's magazines, Computer Life, ZDNET, and PCM. Max's great expertise in management has notably included the complete reorganisation of the Bridgeman Art Library and additionally the digitisation of the Stapleton Art Collection with over 10,000 images of historical art.

Zelda Cheatle

Photography Consultant / SPAIN

Zelda Cheatle shared a vision with Professor John Hedgecoe and the RCA, and is renowned for her pioneering work in realising that vision to establish photography as a recognised art form. In 1989 Zelda opened the Zelda Cheatle Gallery and for 16 years exhibited excellence in photography nationally and internationally and published 17 monographs. She established the first Photography Fund in 2005-2012. Her work continues as an expert in Photography, a curator, editor, lecturer and consultant.

Carl Grinter

Film and TV Post Production Consultant / SPAIN

Carl Grinter is a Film Producer with specialist experience of Post Production for over 25 years. Previously Director of Production and Commercial Director at Rushes Postproduction, Carl has worked across feature films, broadcast tv, digital content and commercials.He is currently Executive Producer at the specialist animation, design and interactive company Three Wise Monkeys. Previously for 10 years he was managing director of Red Post Production. His career started at Hibbert Ralph Animation who were specialists of 2d and 3d animation and film visual effects.

COMMUNICATIONS AND EVENTS TEAM

Mike Demsey RDI

Brand Guardian

Design & Image Consultant

Over 5 decades Mike Dempsey has created everything from stamps to film title sequences. He is a writer, photographer, broadcaster, painter and blogger. He is also an elected member of Alliance Graphic International, Past President of D&AD and Master of The Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry. In 2012 he was awarded a special Black Pencil for most awarded designer at British Design & Art Direction's (D&ADS's) 50th anniversary.

James Waudby

Inspiration Events Director

A veteran Creative Lighting Designer and owner of a Stage Set Production Company, James has pioneered his place in the industry for over 35 years. Lighting large-scale rock concerts, notably the Pyramid Stage and Shangri-la at Glastonbury and literally hundreds of other festivals, he has also lit countless architectural projects, corporate events and fashion shows. His unique collaborations both large and small have helped launch some very well known performance artists, musicians and interactive media artists. He currently has projects in Africa, the UK, Australia and the United Arab Emirates.

Mark Aarons

Inspiration Events & Educational Films Editor

Mark Aarons started his career at FCB Publicis where he became a very busy Producer. Becoming an Editor, he has now edited four feature films, fifty film trailers, over two hundred commercials, two hundred music videos and many TV programmes. He has worked with the biggest Artists, Directors and Brands, all with his characteristic smile.