THE TEAM
CEO
Dave Bishop
Prior to becoming CEO in 2017, Dave started his Protagonist adventure five years earlier as Director of sales, before then assuming the position of Head of Worldwide Acquisitions.
Dave’s early career saw him hold senior acquisitions and distribution roles at Sony Pictures Entertainment where he worked for over ten years. This was followed by the role of Head of Acquisitions at Revolver Entertainment.
CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER
George Hamilton
George joined Protagonist in 2013, rising first to the role of Head of Sales before becoming Chief Commercial Officer in 2021. George oversees the Sales, Marketing & Publicity departments and is an integral part of the company’s work as an executive producer, structuring and securing finance for both in house and third party projects, as well as building key strategic partnerships within the industry.
George began his career producing and directing digital content for a wide range of brands and agencies, as well as a number of short films through his own boutique production outfit.
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER
James Pugh
James joined in 2017 from Studiocanal UK.
Prior to that, he worked in business affairs at Curzon Artificial Eye and Revolver Entertainment.
SVP of SALES & DISTRIBUTION
Janina Vilsmaier
Janina joined Protagonist from HanWay Films sales team having previously worked in production on German films.
SVP of GLOBAL MARKETING & PUBLICITY
Mounia Wissinger
Mounia started out her career working in international sales and marketing, before specialising in domestic and international publicity. After leading the international publicity department at Studiocanal, she joined Netflix in Amsterdam, where she managed EMEA and global projects.
She then reconnected with marketing and communication through her own company, Challenge Accepted, before joining Protagonist in 2018.
Head of Sales
Lina Marrone
SALES EXECUTIVE
Alexandra Da Silva
Before joining Protagonist, Alexandra worked in production for film and theatre. She also worked for the BFI as part of the Programme and Guest team for the London Film Festival.
LIBRARY AND FESTIVAL MANAGER
Isabel Ivars
With a background in the Arts (MA Central Saint Martins, MA Research Goldsmiths in London) and Filmmaking (NY Film Academy), Isabel specialised in film marketing and distribution after a few years working at Merrill Lynch, combining her passion and knowledge for the arts with her experience and interest in financing and marketing.
Before joining Protagonist Pictures, Isabel previously worked as a Sales Agent for Wide Management in Paris and Head of Festivals for Films Boutique in Berlin, as well as collaborating with Institutions on financing project reviews, seminars and works in progress to aid on the production, marketing, and distribution process.
Sales Assistant
Max Mepsted
Marketing & Publicity Executive
Leni Jaeger
Before joining Protagonist Pictures, Leni worked on the feature film Alma & Oskar, directed by Dieter Berner and produced by Alexander Glehr and Johanna Scherz at FilmAG (Corsage). Before that, she began her career in publicity at the German broadcasting and entertainment company ProSiebenSat.1 Media, where she focused on US and global titles. Originally from Austria, Leni holds an MA in Filmmaking from Goldsmiths, University of London, as well as BAs in Journalism & Communication Studies and Film, Theatre, and Media Studies from the University of Vienna, where her academic research focused on the intersection of marketing, publicity, and fan culture in the online space.
Director of Acquisitions & Development
Alice Vail
Before joining Protagonist, Alice was the Development Editor at Number 9 Films for both their Film & TV projects. She began her career at Casarotto Ramsay & Associates, working with a broad list of writers and directors.
Creative Executive
Emilie Szemraj
Emilie works across Acquisitions and Development at Protagonist, where she supports the company’s film slate with a focus on nurturing new talent. Prior to joining Protagonist in 2021, Emilie gained experience in Acquisitions at Focus Features in Los Angeles, and then Development at London-based production company Normal Life Pictures. Her background includes an MPhil in Film and Screen Studies from the University of Cambridge.
Executive Assistant to the CEO and CCO
Axelle Ava
Axelle joined Protagonist after obtaining her MA in Film-producing from Goldsmiths, University of London. Prior to this, she worked in UK Film Production & Live Event Production. Her background also includes a BA and MA in Economics from Ghent University and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
TECHNICAL OPERATIONS MANAGER
Katie McGovern
Katie started her career in operations at Protagonist in 2019, after gaining technical experience in roles at Studiocanal and Warner Bros.
Business Affairs Manager
Tania Cepi
Before joining Protagonist in 2022, Tania worked in sales and business affairs at Mediapro Distribution SRL and Vertical Entertainment SRL.
Legal and Business Affairs Executive
Lani Kovacevic
Lani joined Protagonist team in 2021, after working for a year at STX Entertainment as a consultant in business affairs.
HEAD OF FINANCE
Anita Kerai
Anita is a qualified FCCA and has worked in television and media for over 20 years. She produced and presented a lifestyle TV series Return to Kenya which has been aired on Amazon Prime, Sony TV, Shorts TV and other online platforms. Anita has also written a cookery book Flavours of Kenya and ran her own cookery school Anita’s Kitchen.
She is a keen environmentalist, loves cycling, cricket, music , cooking Kenyan food and having fun.
Credit Controller
Ceri Davies
Ceri comes from a senior credit control background having worked in the recruitment industry at Venn Group and prior to that in the world of media advertising at JCDecaux.