Kirsty Bell
Kirsty Bell is a sensational human. She is also a producer, artist, director, and CEO of Goldfinch Entertainment, a production and finance house based in the UK.
Throughout all of her childhood and teenage years Kirsty wanted to be an artist but growing up in Newcastle in a blue-collar environment meant a different vocation may have been ahead of her.
Thirty years later, she launched Goldfinch Entertainment to prove that investment in independent filmmaking was viable and opened up new possibilities within the arena for creative visionaries. She has funded over 200 Film and TV projects in the last four years. She has helped many first-time directors bring their films to life.
In February 2019 she launched an online art gallery to encourage new talent to express themselves. By the end of that year, she opened a physical gallery in her hometown of Newcastle. This allowed Kirsty to pick up her drawing tools once more and reignited her love for painting, which got her through lockdown.
Whilst creating an ongoing study of the bird, she came up with the concept of A BIRD FLEW IN (previously titled ALONE). It’s a work of art –not only by her but by the team around her –to create a study into a new experience of the human condition, something that we as social creatures are not akin with-social distancing ourselves from our loved ones. What is the outcome of such unnatural actions?
There’s hardly enough that can be said about Kirsty. She’s a pioneer that continues to raise the bar for producers and artists around the world. Her tireless effort in shepherding and supporting emerging filmmakers is exemplary.
Most recently Goldfinch launched their First Flights Features program and their Short Film Fund. Both programs perpetuate their ethos of discovering emerging filmmakers with bold and daring voices. Be sure to check it out!
Show Quotes:
“I just thought, I'm not going to save the independent film industry at all, I don't have anything grandiose like that in mind. But if I could help, if I could help in any way, shape, or form, then that might be something that people might want to listen to and reference themselves.” 08:21
“Because now I know what can go wrong, will go wrong. And I think the one lesson that I would teach any new producer, somebody who says they want to be a producer, do you actually know what goes on in the process, because it is a bit of a thankless task, especially in independent filmmaking. It will take your soul, it will rinse it, and it'll give you back in a different form. It's got to be something that you really, really want to do.” 20:55
“Your gut instinct is one of the most important litmus tests that you have. If you like it, if you really like it, or trust in it, or think it's worthy, then that is a massive tick in the box.” 33:03