The story behind HMU Collective

How It Started

Before I was working on set, I spent 18 years behind the scenes—building digital platforms for broadcasters and streaming services, mostly in TV and film. A lot of my work was about fixing messy systems, designing user journeys, and trying to make things easier for people using them.

But the truth is, I’d always had one foot in the creative world. I graduated with a Film Studies degree in 2005—spent years studying stories, characters, and the magic of production—and I always knew deep down that I wanted to be part of it all. Eventually, I decided to do something about it.

So I retrained as a hair and makeup artist. It was scary and exciting and felt completely right. I threw myself into a new industry. And then… the strikes hit. Everything slowed down, or just stopped.

Like a lot of people, I found myself scrambling—hustling for work that didn’t exist, watching my savings drain away, and realising very quickly that freelancing doesn’t come with a safety net. Not unless you build one yourself - and I had no idea what that looked like. 

Something Had to Change

In the absence of active film and tv productions, jobs were especially hard to find as someone new to the industry. and it all seemed to come down to luck ‘right place, right time situations. Paid jobs were even harder. WhatsApp, Instagram, CVs in DMs, posts that disappeared in an hour… it was chaos. And when you did see something promising? You’d already missed it. Someone faster had already replied.

Then came the final straw: A platform charging me to sit on a directory. I paid. I waited. I got nothing in return.

The product was weak. The experience was broken.

And ironically, this was the kind of thing I’d been building for years in my old career.

So I did the thing I knew how to do.

I built something better.

For People Finding Their Feet—and Their Next Gig

I love working in TV, film, and theatre. I’ve been lucky to work on amazing productions—even while the industry’s been in flux. But one thing I’ve learned is that early in your career, or between contracts, you need room to move and feel in control.

You need to pick up little jobs while you build your network.

You need to do a documentary booking on Saturday, then assist on a runway show on Monday.

You need flexibility and structure—not one or the other.

This isn’t just about getting booked.

It’s about building a modular, freelance career that actually works for you.

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Want to Keep Up With What I’m Building?

I share stories, behind-the-scenes thoughts, and more personal updates over on my Substack. It’s a space where I talk about freelancing, creativity, tech, burnout, rebuilding, and figuring it all out—one gig at a time.

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And if you’re further along in your career and ready for a proper portfolio site that books work, I also offer website consultancy for makeup artists. It’s ideal for freelancers who’ve outgrown a link-in-bio and want something polished, strategic, and made by someone who actually gets the industry.

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