About us.
Mustard Studio was built on a passion for cinema, film, hospitality and brand. Co-founder Mandy Kean ran the revered Electric Cinema Portobello in London (pictured), and Kate Gerova managed the Curzon Cinemas’ brand. Using their expertise and skills, they offer business development and sustainability, audience growth, and brand development services to companies.
If you want to build your employee branding or internal culture and are unsure where to start, or you have an audience or cinema project and need creative thinking, Mustard will help you deliver on your objectives.
To read more about the way Mustard Studio works and its commitment to people and the planet, read our manifesto here.
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Co-founder & CEO
Pioneer of cinema’s wow factor, Mandy Kean, knows about personalised experiences. Previously International Director of Cinema for Soho House & Co, including the world-renowned Electric Cinema brand, Mandy is well-versed in elevated hospitality and cinema value. Her approach and vision were echoed in her international operations from Berlin to Hong Kong ensuring complete consistency from brand to programme to delivery. Mandy’s fundamental understanding of cinema is unique. Her ambition to create experiential events fusing music, film and food and her attention to detail has resulted in unique and memorable experiences in the cinemascape.
In 2023 Mandy completed the Oxford Leading Sustainable Organisations Programme, developed by the Said Business School at the University of Oxford, to channel her love for nature, humanity, and entertainment into Mustard's mission to be a business for good and elevate cinema experiences accessible to everyone.
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Co-founder & Strategic Creative Director
Kate Gerova has spent years in cultural cinema developing her understanding of audience behaviour from distribution to engaging membership programmes. She started her career at the award-winning Soda Pictures working on internationally renowned films before taking over Birds Eye View Film Festival as Creative Director, where she established Filmonomics, a training programme for under-represented filmmakers.
In 2015 she joined the boutique cinema circuit, Curzon, and eventually became Group Director of Brand and Marketing, developing the overall brand architecture across the group as well as focusing on strategic customer-centric marketing campaigns overseeing audience development, membership growth and working with the home cinema team on the on-demand platform.
IN 2020 she completed a 10-month UX and UI strategy and design programme to enhance her understanding of customer behaviour and implement better digital experiences.
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Strategic Cinema Development
Oliver Meek is a cinema consultant with 18 years of experience and was formerly the Executive Director of the Rio Cinema in Dalston and the Phoenix in East Finchley. He joined the Rio in 2015, where he managed a successful fundraising campaign to build a second screen and fully renovate the exterior. The Rio went on to win two Screen Awards, including Best UK Cinema.
Oliver has lectured on fundraising for cinemas and attended events for Europa Cinemas at the Sofia Film Festival, CICAE at the Venice Film Festival, and Crowdfund London at City Hall. He has also acted as a cinema advisor and is the chief consultant and co-creator of Act One, which opened in the old library building in Acton in 2022.
Oliver specialises in strategic planning, site development, financial management, fundraising and event programming, and his expertise will contribute to Mustard’s portfolio of services.
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F&B and Operations Strategist + Entrepreneur
Jordan Heflin is a classically trained chef with a degree from Le Cordon Bleu and hospitality entrepreneur with 15+ years of experience in fine dining, luxury hotels and restaurant openings across the U.S. and U.K and in all levels of management. He was part of the launch team for Electric Cinema, House and Diner and, more recently, the General Manager of Kingdom in Kent and founding partner of The Old Auction House in Tunbridge Wells.
With broad experience across many hospitality sectors, Jordan's operational skillset allows Mustard to offer solutions across operational management and training, menu and recipe development from initial concept to delivery, financial targets and stock management.
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Cinema Feasibility Development
James Rice brings to Mustard Studio rich experience delivering artistic, operational and business success for independent cinemas. He developed his core skills over many years, leading the delivery of the intricate programming at Edinburgh Filmhouse and the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
More recently, he’s held senior operational and development roles at INDY Cinema Group, supporting INDY’s rapid growth in providing operational services to 70+ independent cinemas across the UK, USA and ANZ. He is a director of a new charitable entity working to re-open Edinburgh Filmhouse after the previous operator folded. He also has a parallel career as a partner in The White Horse Press, an academic publisher dedicated to cutting-edge scholarship on environment and society.
His focus with Mustard Studio is developing cinema business and feasibility studies for property developers, councils, private investors and community cinemas to deliver effectively on their mission and business goals.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY.
“Working with Mustard was such a pleasure - their deep understanding of independent cinema meant that they understood both our needs as an organisation, and the context we’re working in. Every conversation with them feels like speaking to a colleague who just happens to be exceptionally well informed about what’s going on in the sector. The campaign they developed for us was exactly what we needed, and the insights they offered throughout have led us to completely change our approach to digital marketing.”
“In their bespoke workshop and on-going support, Mustard Studio were able to help Regent Street Cinema refine our brand proposition to better fit the ever changing cinema landscape. Mandy and Kate’s extensive experience of the industry was generously shared and has helped steer us on a clear, strategic path. Mustard Studio’s thoughtful, fun and creative approach brought out the very best from the whole Regent Street Cinema team. ”
“Film Hub NI were delighted to work with Mustard given their flexible and welcoming approach to engaging with often quite disparate members. The positivity and attention to detail Mustard demonstrated gave us confidence that the session would be positively received and that the legacy would be a fruitful one. We would look to Mustard in the future, to ensure that our members were strategically thinking about issues of values, brand and identity. ”
“Mustard Studio, in their capacity as The Cinema Collective, provided us with a detailed feasibility assessment for a boutique cinema in one of our commercial properties. The team developed a full concept and vision for the site and a detailed build budget, and then undertook in depth business modelling including local market analysis. They provided a very thorough prospectus of likely business performance and ROI – much more nuanced than a simple ‘yea or nay’ to commercial viability. We’re now in a strong position to understand the potential. They have a huge depth of experience and were able to call on additional cinema specialists where needed. A professional job from start to finish.”
“It exceeded our expectations! I can’t really say what our expectations were, but the programme supported us in planning for the long term, something we’d struggled to do in a comprehensive or strategic way on our own.”
“We were delighted with the approach, undertaking and results Mustard achieved. Both Kate and Mandy used their industry knowledge to achieve the goals we set and they helped us make key decisions for our businesses. We look forward to working with them on the next project!”
“Would thoroughly recommend the work of James, Kate and the rest of the team who undertook a feasibility study for the Belmont Cinema, presenting options for a sustainable business model. Working to a tight timeline they produced an impressive piece of work, incorporating market analysis, financial modeling and detailed costings matched with a strong set of guiding principles and vision for what the cinema could be. The team took the time to really understand the context and constraints we were working within to provide a bespoke piece of work, demonstrating their commitment and passion for cinema within their approach and attention to detail.”
“Mandy and Kate are the best of consultants simply because they have been in the industry, done the hard practical work and learnt by successes and mistakes. We were introduced to Mustard by a trusted Lexi Ambassador, and for that, we are most grateful. This means they can get to grips with the key issues and, in our case, were able to roll up their sleeves and jump in to help. They bring an invaluable mix of empathy, enthusiasm and knowledge to the task. They worked well with our teams, engaging people and building trust and imparting skills and knowledge throughout. They have complimentary skills and experiences, and we have dipped into both pots to great advantage AND with a huge degree of relief!”
“Mandy is a pleasure to work with. Clear communication, delivers exactly the service required and more. I needed a screening room at short notice, within a budget and Mandy had me three great options in two hours. I will DEFINITELY use Mustard Studio again.”
“I’ve worked with both Mandy and Kate on different projects involving general business planning and green business planning for Campbeltown Picture House. They brought not only expertise but also pragmatism, practicality and good humour to make the daunting projects I needed help with feel manageable. The resources I was provided with were extremely useful and easy to navigate. Although I knew it was essential, I was nervous about tackling CPH’s green planning but Mandy was incredible for helping me organise my thoughts, pointing out things we were doing already and resources to do more in the future. I’d recommend Mustard to anyone, particularly in the cinema or arts industries where they really come into their own. Thanks Mustard!”
“Mandy & Kate have been instrumental in our business development over the last two years, as we came out of the pandemic. They helped us to launch The Yard, our new outdoor dining space in April 2021, refresh our brand identity, tell our story in a compelling way, relaunch our membership and worked on our digital strategy including the revamped website. They have supported us through difficult times, and continue to support us, with an ‘always on’ approach and are part of the Genesis family.”
“The brand day with Mustard Studio helped to unite the team, consolidate thinking and gave us the foundation to think about our audience and offer.”