the media lunch club was established in 1994, by producer Martin Cahill, as a non-profit making, and politically neutral, networking society and has grown to become the film, tv and media industry's premiere café du commerce.
Monthly lunches are held in London's West End (and a Brighton away-day lunch during the summer), with an invited guest speaker. Some of our previous speakers include:
Producers: Tim Bevan, Stephen Evans, Rebecca O'Brien, Richard Holmes, Jeremy Thomas, Duncan Kenworthy, Michael Kuhn, Nik Powell, Marc Samuelson, Richard Holmes, Michael Deeley, Simon Channing-Williams, Simon Oakes (Hammer films), Paul Brett and Jeremy Bolt.
Directors: Sir Alan Parker, Beeban Kidron, Robert Young, John Irvin, Stuart Baird, Waris Hussein, Roy Ward Baker, Vic Armstrong, Jack Cardiff, Ronnie Neame, Lewis Gilbert, John Glen, Guy Hamilton and Ray Harryhausen.
Executives: Duncan Reid (Ingenious), Greg Dyke (TV), Ian Hutchinson (Silver Reel), Lord Michael Grade, Amanda Nevill (BFI), Stewart Till (former UK Film Council Chairman), Lenny Crooks (formerly of New Cinema Fund, UK Film Council), David Thompson (formerly BBC Films), Steve Christian (Pinewood Films), Peter Bennett-Jones (Tiger Aspect), John Woodward (former CEO, UK Film Council), Jane Lighting (former CEO Channel 5), Simon George (Ealing Studios Productions), Lorraine Heggesey (ITV/BBC), Dr Kim Howells MP & Shaun Woodward MP (former Film Ministers), Sara Geater (all 3 media) and Robert Duval, David Cooke & David Austin (directors of BBFC);
Sales agents: Hilary Davis (Bankside), Mike Goodridge (Protagonist), Martin Myers (Miracle Communications), Andrew Loveday (Carnaby), Maura Ford (7 & 7), Alex Hamilton (former E One, now Pathe), David Grumbach (Juliette Films, Luxembourg), Michael Ryan (formerly J&M, now independent).
Actors: Sir Roger Moore, Britt Ekland, Honor Blackman, Judy Cornwell, Jenny Hanley, Sally Geeson, Virginia McKenna, Ray Brooks, Bruce Montagu, Brian Capron, Victor Spinetti, Richard Kiel, Madeline Smith.
Writers: Dick Clement, Sir Ronald Harwood, Rob Sprackling, Jimmy Perry, Brian Clemens, Raymond Allen, Jimmy Sangster. …. to name but a few!
the media lunch club also hosts occasional evening networking events, from 2009 additional and occasional 'Briefing Lunches', (to focus on a more specialised subject in an intimate board-room setting) and during the Coronavirus pandemic switched to online podcasts, with guests in discussion with committee member and broadcaster Olly Smith.
Membership is inexpensive and open to all in the media business.
On April 19th 2013 Sir Alan Parker joined us for our 200th lunch, and cut the special birthday cake!
NICK MANZI
Friday May 31st 2024
Head of Acquisitions, True Brit Entertainment
Nick Manzi was formerly the highly-respected head of production and acquisitions at Lionsgate UK, and in fact joined the company when it was still known as Redbus (over two decades ago). He was involved in more than 100 films during his time at the company including: Bend It Like Beckham, Oscar winner The Lives Of Others, The Railway Man, Oscar nominee and BAFTA winner Brooklyn, Armando Iannucci's The Personal History Of David Copperfield and Dexter Fletcher's Eddie The Eagle.
His most recent credits include The Father (starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman), Ammonite (starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan), Amazon Originals How To Build A Girl and Made In Italy, Sky Original Six Minutes To Midnight (Judi Dench, Eddie Izzard) and The Courier (starring Benedict Cumberbatch).
Nick is now Head of Acquisitions at Zygi Kamasa’s newly launched distribution and financing outfit, True Brit, which focuses exclusively on British feature films and TV with plans to invest and release between four to eight British films annually. The company has already announced it has picked up The Critic (Ian McKellen, Gemma Arteton, Lesley Manville) for a wide UK theatrical release in Autumn 2024 plus Nick Love’s Marching Powder and Gurinder Chadha’s Christmas Karma. The company’s launch marks the first UK-focused financier and distributor in many years, with ambitious and exciting plans.
