Creatives

Omar began his writing career in theatre in 2006. From 2006 – 2018 he’s had five plays staged, two of which went on national tour.

In 2016, he wrote his own sitcom pilot, Love, Sex and Side Effects. With the acting talents of Rakhee Thakrar and Naomi Ackie and directed by Sarmad Masud, the pilot was developed with BBC Comedy. This pilot won two Best Comedy Awards at international film festivals in 2018 and was selected for the prestigious Catalyst TV Festival.

His co-written play Bring on the Bollywood had Arts Council funding and went on a national tour in 2018 with 72 performances, delighting crowds of more than 20,000.

Short Film, The Plunge starring Lydia Wilson, premiered at Palm Springs ShortFest in 2019 and was selected for several prestigious festivals including Chicago International, Aesthetica and London Short Film Festival. In 2020, it was long-listed for a BAFTA and continued its outstanding festival run, being selected for over 60.

In 2021 he was selected for a year-long BBC Children’s In-House Scripted Development mentorship which led to a podcast for the CBBC show Malory Towers, an episode of the CBBC show Princess Mirror-Belle and the CBeebies show Biff and Chip.

Omar has since gone on to write for The Dumping Ground, Odd Squad and HollyOaks.

Accolades:

A finalist in BBC talent searches on three occasions; 

BBC Films Screenplay First Award 2016, 

BBC TV Drama Writer’s Programme 2021, 

BBC Writers’ Academy 2022.

Currently in development with Eldubfilms and Aston Productions with a feature film set to shoot in 2025.

Cameron Tharmaratnam is a South Asian-Irish actor and writer from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is an acting graduate of The Neighbourhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. His short comedy, French Picnic (2021), was an official selection at Art Of Brooklyn Film Festival, Athens International Film Festival and Atlanta Shortsfest. His short documentary, Where You Really From? (2022), premiered at Belfast Film Festival as an official New Irish Short. His debut play, The Worst Person I Know, was selected for The New York Theatre Festival, in which it premiered in 2022. Most recently, he was named as one of The Lyric Theatre Belfast’s New Playwrights for 2022/23 for his full-length play, The Apple Orchard. Since then, the play has had readings in London (London Irish Centre), New York City (The Irish Repertory Theatre, The Neighbourhood Playhouse) and Belfast (Lyric Theatre Belfast). He is currently developing new writing for stage and screen, including the Short Horror,Runner, which is in pre-production with East St.

As a Playwright and Actor, Subika regularly fuses both artistic platforms to perform her own writing which explores the complexities of identity and socio-political landscapes of her cultural heritage.
Growing up as a second generation British Pakistani has used her writing to highlight contemporary issues, most recently choosing non-conventional ways to critique stereotypes, flat representations and assumptions. She is interested in giving audiences an experience that is more compelling and
theatrically engaging; an environment that encourages raising questions as well awareness in more effective ways. As theatre begins to move away from ‘preaching to the converted’ styles, it is important her work reflects the notion that the arts may not be able to change the world but can
perhaps nurture a changing world.
As a Playwright Subika has developed scripts with various theatre companies, including Paines Plough, Curve Theatre, Kali Theatre, Royal and Derngate, New Perspectives, Tamasha Theatre, The Belgrade Theatre, Birmingham Rep, The Roundhouse, Nabokov Theatre and DryWrite.
She was part of The Royal Court’s writers group and most recently a member of the Inspire writers programme at Hampstead Theatre. Her plays include Stateless (Kali Theatre), Princess Suffragette
(Vault Festival), Divided (Camden People’s Theatre & Northampton tour) and Echo (MK Gallery). She was also published in Hear Me Now Vol.2 (Methuen).
As a writer for film, TV and audio Subika contributed to Soci Circle, a web series designed for young audiences that won the Dances with Kids award in Los Angeles. She wrote an episode of audio drama Beneath Our Feet (Spotify, Apple podcast), developed her first short film Buddha, Baby after
being selected by the BFI Network writing programme and is the contributing writer for a new short film Hello, Somebody, with Director Abid Khan.

“A pitch perfect script”
THE INDEPENDENT ON STATELESS ★★★★
“A powerful play. More than just a gripping thriller.”
BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE ON STATELESS
“A intriguing narrative about the risks and challenges of Feminism […] Beautifully written.”
LONDON THEATRE 1 ON PRINCESS SUFFRAGETTE ★★★★
“Excited by Anwar-Khan’s bravery and motivation in telling these stories.”
SOUTH ASIAN SISTERS SPEAK ON DIVIDED

Jo is an innovative filmmaker working in TV and Film. Having trained in continuing drama, shooting up to 21 pages a day and always meeting the schedule; I bring a problem solving approach to my work. Open to new tech, ideas and collaboration, I seek to find the most efficient, creative and original means to direct a story that feels authentic and impactful for
the audience.

Jo has worked with both new and established actors from India Mullen in
Deirdre to Jenny Agutter in Call the Midwife. Her work exposes the human condition on screen through performance, cinematography and world building.

Mentors: Jon East, Jennie Darnell and Catherine Morshead.

“Director and writer Jo Southwells’ poignant and emotional fantasy Echo is one that will pull on your emotions and leave you wanting more. It’s a captivating story that draws you in and delivers a powerful message in such a way that’s both original and emotive.”

★★★★★

The team at Aston Management truly cares about their clients. They go above and beyond to ensure success.