Claire Mundell

A multi award-winning producer with over 16 years experience at single camera director, creative producer and executive producer level, Claire’s feature film, Crying with Laughter – a darkly comedic revenge thriller, directed by Justin Molotnikov and funded by Scottish Screen, EM Media and BBC – won the BAFTA Scotland Best Film Award 2009, alongside nominations for Best Performance and Best Writing. The film premiered at The Edinburgh International Film Festival ’09 and was nominated for The Michael Powell Award. Claire developed the project as Lead Producer with Justin before securing production funding in partnership with producers Rachel Robey and Al Clark of Wellington Films (London to Brighton, Better Things). Claire has recently secured UK Distribution and a US distribution deal is also pending. The film has played in competition at film festivals in Cambridge, Moscow and Dinard and will play at the Rotterdam Film Festival 2010.

As Co-Creative Director of Synchronicity, Claire creates, develops and writes film and TV drama properties for the UK and International market with business and creative partner Justin Molotnikov. Projects include Happy Endings a romantic comedy written by David Solomons, director John McKay; The Devil’s Staircase a thriller adaptation of the book of the same name to be directed by Justin Molotnikov; and The Brotherhood of the Book a high-end live action/ CGI animation family feature film supported by Scottish Screen and BBC, the first in a franchise of family feature films based on the multi-award winning family series, Shoebox Zoo, an £8.5m international UK-Canada co-production which Claire co-created and made for the BBC, taking the dual roles of Showrunner and Executive Producer.

Having fulfilled the role of Showrunner on set in North America on Shoebox Zoo, (long before the role became commonly used within the UK) Claire has excellent story and script editing skills. She has experience of leading writing teams and also working on an individual basis with writers. Recently Claire has extended her story skills and started to write herself. She is currently co-writing with Justin a contemporary live action / CGI adaptation and family TV movie of the Jack London classic White Fang, commissioned by CBC and due for production in winter 2010.

Before independent and freelance life, Claire spent 10 years in network production at the BBC, where she moved quickly up the ranks to from researcher to eventually Head of Department of Children’s BBC Scotland. In her time at the BBC Claire gained a thorough understanding of network production, working across a range of genre including live studio entertainment, factual entertainment and drama.

As producer/director of The Fame Game, a documentary series examining the impact of fame on children, Claire which won Best Children’s Programme at both the Royal Television Society Awards and the Broadcast Production Awards and was short-listed for a BAFTA. Shortly after this, Claire was promoted to Editor, then Creative Director of the BBC’s Children’s (CBBC) department, taking responsibility for network production at and CBBC Scotland’s creative, financial and strategic direction. In January 2002, she was promoted to Head of CBBC Scotland, responsible for over £13 million worth of programming. Under Claire’s leadership, CBBC Scotland became a sustainable centre of excellence for children’s programming, winning commissions such as the mould breaking Balamory and Raven as well as Shoebox Zoo.

Before joining the BBC, Claire was a production Manager and Researcher working in the independent sector. She sits on the Board of Independent cinema, Glasgow Film Theatre and is also a regular External Assessor for the Lottery Panel of Scottish Screen. In 2004 Claire won a BAFTA in recognition of her services to Children’s Programming with special recognition for Shoebox Zoo. She enjoys doing yoga and drinking wine.