About - Thread

Our skills are needed more than ever. Traditional broadcast channels are being marginalised. Audiences are consuming content in different ways and their trust’s being eroded – we can’t rely on 20th century forms of media to tell 21st century stories.

Technology provides more opportunity, access and democratises content capture and storytelling, but the nuance, complexity and sensitivity of each story needs careful handling and interpretation. Because of this, seeing stories as part of their wider context – and having the innovative experience to tell them well – is more important than ever.

Thread’s global network of operators can change perceptions and deliver impact in every story told.

Thread thrives in the grey spaces between conflict, issues and challenges. Our global network of media veterans – often with actual veteran combat experience – see the grey in technicolour. We operate confidently in any environment. We approach human stories from all angles, sympathetic to the wider context. We are tenacious in distilling powerful simplicity from a world of complexity. By deploying the right type of production value, we aim to meet each brief strategically – asking ‘what’s the effect you need to achieve?’ not ‘what’s the content you want?’

We can deliver across any platform, have experts on the ground in any context, and cover any issue or story. We’ve reported from the shrapnel-scarred frontlines of Ukraine, interviewed Mexican gang members and followed troops into battle in Iraq and Afghanistan. But we take as much pride in telling a CEO’s vision, creating a medical training video, or interviewing military veterans.

Mauricio Gris

Creative Director & Co-Founder

Mau is a multidisciplinary storyteller, his work having appeared on Netflix, Channel 4, the BBC and PBS as well as Radio 1 and 4. His directorial debut Frontline Fighting: The Brits Battling Isis, was long-listed for a BAFTA. He directed one of the most watched episodes of Unreported World ever.

Mau has been a High Risk advisor for the BBC as well as guest lecturer on filmmaking in hostile environments for the Fondazione Prada. He cut his directorial teeth in the Combat Camera Team of the British Military. He served 7 years in the military and did three tours of Afghanistan.

Alex Farquharson

Managing Director & Co-Founder

Alex started her career in financial PR telling the stories of some of the biggest companies in the world, before she fell in love with documentary and co-founded Thread Studios.

Alex has led the Thread team through projects across four continents, covering everything from tattoos in the British military to Ukrainian EOD volunteers to Afghan Special Forces. She is Thread’s unofficial translator from military jargon to civvy speak (and speaks French and Spanish too).

Alex was selected for the prestigious Creative England Female Founders Scale Up Programme, 2021-2022. She has a Masters in International Relations from the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China and is currently serving on the Skills East Sussex Creative, Cultural, Digital and Media Task Group.

Siobhan Rae

Senior Producer

Siobhan is a senior producer and creative project manager with 15 years’ experience working for global broadcasters, youth brands and non-profits. Siobhan started her career at MTV Networks International developing integrated mass-media campaigns for the organization’s social and behavior change charity. She was then Global Production Director for the Nike Foundation’s ‘Girl Effect’ developing branded media programming for adolescent girls across East Africa and India. Siobhan has also worked agency-side producing marketing, brand and digital products for the BBC, BBC Worldwide, Fremantle Media, and Sony Music.

Lucie McInerney

Editorial Producer and Channel Manager

Lucie has held senior editorial roles at The Telegraph, The Independent and Sky News. She has 10+ years’ in news & corporate production, change management and team leadership.

Chris Jones

Junior Producer

Chris has had a career in both the British Army and the Royal Navy, in that time he served in Afghanistan and on UN peacekeeping operation as well as deploying on a number of large overseas exercises. He joined Thread having gone through the BFBS Production Managers course, during which he filmed with migrants in Calais, endurance athletes and those who helped with the evacuation of Afghanistan. Since joining Thread he’s worked with some of their biggest clients including the Royal British Legion, The Oxford Union and GI-TOC. Chris is multi skilled and brings with him experience not just producing but also operating.

Ash Alexander-Cooper OBE

Advisory Board

Ash Alexander-Cooper OBE is a former specialist military unit Colonel in the British Army, world-championship athlete and award-winning international musician. During a diverse 22-year regular career, Ash worked as an airborne and jungle warfare specialist with the Gurkhas, an operational helicopter pilot and a counter-terrorist specialist, having spent 82 months deployed leading British and NATO forces. Wounded both in Iraq and Afghanistan, Ash is passionate about ‘giving back’ and is proud to support a number of international charities. Since retirement, Ash has been a Senior Partner at McChrystal Group, led strategic partnerships at Palantir, is now Chief Commercial Officer at a cutting-edge technology firm and advises several technology companies. Recognising that companies today experience parallels to what he and his colleagues faced in combat, Ash helps businesses and leaders develop the necessary mindset, behaviours and skills to adapt and win in today’s increasingly complex world.

Fiona Sibley

Advisory Board

Fiona started her career as a consultant at EY working with global banks to solve their compliance and financial crime concerns. She found her passion for startups and has spent the last 4yrs working with early stage businesses to help them scale. Fiona is now the Global Head of Customer Success at an high-growth start-up working with mid-size and enterprise customers, whilst developing a high-performing, rapidly scaling team. Fiona’s focus is on delivering customer value and acting as their advocate with the ultimate aim of driving revenue growth and retention.

Fiona is a qualified accountant (ACCA) and completed her MBA at the University of Manchester where she was awarded a Forte Women in Leadership scholarship.

Laura Petch

Advisory Board

Laura Petch started her legal career in 2009 at Bray & Krais, a niche media and entertainment firm in Chelsea, with an outstanding reputation in music, sports and entertainment.

Laura is now Head of Legal for Commercial, Brands & Entertainment at Global, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment groups, which is home to many well-known commercial radio stations such as Heart, Capital, Capital Xtra, LBC, Classic FM, Smooth, Gold and Radio X. Laura leads a sub-team to provide day-to-day advice to Global’s commercial and branded events businesses and manages its portfolio of brands.

Laura is an experienced leader who specialises in finding creative solutions to difficult problems.

Simon Berthon

Advisory Board

Simon was a founding partner and Chief Executive of 3BM Television and is former Vice-Chair of Directors UK.

Among his award-winning television productions are Nuremberg: Goering’s Last Stand (BAFTA Huw Wheldon award winner), The Ascent of Money (International Emmy winner for Documentary), Age of Terror (Broadcast Award), The Big Story (Premier Ondas, Barcelona) and World in Action (Gold Hugo, Chicago). His programmes have crossed many genres – history, science, religion, current affairs, arts and drama-documentary.

At 3BM Television, where he was Chief Executive (2001-2004) and Executive Chair (2004-2007), Simon doubled 3BM’s turnover during his tenure as CE and oversaw its successful sale in 2004 to Ten Alps plc.

As Vice-Chair of Directors UK from 2007-2011, Simon was the key architect in changing it from a purely rights collecting society to a dynamic membership body for British screen directors.

Simon has written three non-fiction books to tie in with his award-winning television programmes and has published three novels.