The Visionaries

Deniz Yıldız is a London based producer and co-founder of Sea Star Productions, a film company focused on creating cinematic and engaging stories across both traditional and modern formats. He started his career in the camera department, where he built a strong understanding of visual storytelling and production craft. This experience now shapes his clear and practical approach as a producer. Deniz has worked on international projects for Netflix, BBC, and Sky TV, Paramount, as well as feature films like Charlie’s Angels. Today, he leads Sea Star Productions, developing story led projects that combine quality, creativity, and innovation.

Since 2013, Zeynep has worked across feature films, television series, and commercial projects as a production and costume designer. In recent years, she has focused on the vertical drama format, delivering standout projects within this emerging space. At Sea Star Productions, Zeynep leads the casting process, drawing on her worldwide network of talented performers. She also collaborates closely with creative departments throughout development, ensuring every vertical production meets the company’s high standards. Passionate about innovative storytelling and digital platforms, Zeynep’s goal is to produce high quality vertical content while continually raising the standard for this new generation of media, particularly within the talent and creative departments.

After specialising in theatre production and art during high school in the U.S., Defne moved to the UK to study film and has since worked across short films, HETV, and feature productions before moving into vertical dramas. With extensive experience in vertical video and assistant directing, she brings a distinctive mix of creativity and logistical expertise to every project, offering a skill set uniquely aligned with the demands of the vertical world. Defne also leads on location management at Sea Star Productions, collaborating with directors and production teams to ensure seamless shoots across all environments. Passionate about creative collaboration and vertical storytelling, she continues to play a key role in shaping the future of microdramas, one production at a time.

Bethany Thomson is the Creative Lead at Sea Star Productions, where she pioneers storytelling in the emerging microdrama world and works to progress the industry in the UK. With a background spanning across locations, short films, marketing, and music videos, she now leads the business and marketing side of Sea Star Productions as well as supporting production processes that are reshaping how audiences engage with stories on mobile platforms. Passionate about the future of vertical dramas, she works to inspire the next generation of filmmakers to think beyond the traditional screen and instead, into an industry that is constantly growing and looking for new creatives. She also has a great insight into how vertical storytelling is integral to a brand's successful digital marketing strategy.