Team

Prior to founding Salon, Nick Taussig headed up distribution at Revolver. He acquired, and oversaw the release of, some of the most important films of the last decade, including Alex Gibney’s Oscar-winning doc Taxi to the Dark Side, Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York, Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man, and Justin Kurzel’s Snowtown. He also ran the production arm of Revolver, financing and producing four films with Paul Van Carter including Offender, Anuvahood, Shank and Sket. In addition, Nick is the author of four novels, his most recent, The Distinguished Assassin. With Paul, Nick has produced 19 feature films including Ian Bonhote & Peter Ettedgui’s double BAFTA-nominated McQueen, Jonathan Teplitzky’s Churchill, and auteur Andrew Kotting’s most recent film, Lek & The Dogs, which premiered at the BFI London Film Festival 2017. Before his career in book and film, Nick studied literature and philosophy at Durham University, where he obtained a First, then went on to acquire a Master’s in Russian literature from the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies. He is also co-founder of Mtaala Foundation, an education partnership and sponsorship programme to create and support a school for vulnerable children and at-risk youth in Uganda; and a trustee of Harrison’s Fund, which fights Duchenne muscular dystrophy, getting as much money as possible into the hands of the world’s best researchers, who are working to find a cure for this fatal genetic disease.

Before founding Salon Pictures in 2013, Paul Van Carter produced commercials for ten years, and was associate producer on Nicolas Winding Refn’s Bronson, starring Tom Hardy and winner of best film at Sydney Film Festival. Paul then moved to Revolver Entertainment to produce features with Nick Taussig, overseeing a stable of directors and writers and a development slate, he produced four films there, and wrote two of these. Paul has also published two books, including one on the subject of 20^th century art history entitled Oil on Canvas. He has also written My name is Lenny for Salon and directed The Guv’nor, and more recently Fred, both nominated for best documentary at East End Film Festival. With Nick, Paul has produced 19 feature films to date, including Ian Bonhote & Peter Ettedgui’s double BAFTA-nominated McQueen, Jonathan Teplitzky’s Churchill, and auteur Andrew Kotting’s most recent film, Lek & The Dogs, which premiered at the BFI London Film Festival 2017.

Annabel is Head of Development at Salon, and has also taken on a producing role within the company, producing The Billion Dollar Game, a feature documentary on the record-breaking video game franchise Grand Theft Auto. In 2019 she will produce Audrey, the definitive biopic on Hollywood icon Audrey Hepburn. Before joining Salon, Annabel worked as Development Executive on feature films including Quartet and The Invisible Woman, and TV series including The Man In The High Castle for Headline Pictures, and as a script reader for UK production companies including Film4, BBC Writers Room and Focus Features. Annabel has produced short films and music promos in a freelance capacity, and branded content under the Endemol Beyond production banner. She has a degree in English Literature from the University of Leeds, a Masters degree in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester, and is a produced playwright: her comedy musical toured the UK and Australia, playing the West End, the Southbank Centre and the Sydney Opera House. She was chosen as ‘One to Watch’ by the Edinburgh International TV Festival.

Sophie Harmer joined the production team at Salon in 2019. Her prior experience encompasses working in house at Lightbox Media, on the documentary series ‘Captive’, for Netflix, and ‘Grand Prix Driver’, for Amazon Prime, as well as Coordinator on the acclaimed feature documentaries ‘Louis Theroux: My Scientolgoy Movie’, and ‘Bolshoi Babylon’. She has also worked on feature dramas including Andrew Hulme’s ‘Snow in Paradise’ nominated for the Palme D’Or at Cannes. Sophie has a Bachelor’s Degree in Film from King’s College London.

Tom has a rich history in international real estate and finance, as a broker and serial-entrepreneur; along with production and finance experience in the film industry.  Prior to joining Salon in 2017 to help raise development and production finance, Tom has set up, grown, and managed multiple corporations from start up to multi-million turnover businesses across three continents and seventeen jurisdictions. Tom’s managerial roles have put him at the helm of companies that have successfully sold, acquired or financed over 1 billion euros worth of global real estate over that period, and has given Tom an intimate knowledge of equity and debt financing through a wealth of global investment models.

Alex started his career at M&C Saatchi, working as Account Director on integrated brand campaigns for RBS, NatWest, Peroni and Currys PC World. He left in 2014 to head up  branded content at The Wagon, a comedy production company. Under his leadership, they won the Fitbit content account and worked on projects for Innocent Smoothies, Laphroaig, EA Games and Comic Relief. He spends any spare time he has writing comedy as part of sketch duo Mid-Brow, and working on pro bono charity projects.

Neil has a rich history in cutting edge technologies originally with Microsoft and Google. The last three years Neil has worked in Big Data, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (AI), creating 100+ hardcore data science projects and working with 300+ PhD Data Scientists. In that time Neil help start a Blockchain startup, Electron that combines blockchain and machine learning for transforming the energy sector. Recently Neil started Crypton Fund Management, applying AI + Crypto + Quant investment strategies for trading crypto-assets. Neil most recently boarded Salon to architect the company’s move into blockchain and securities.

Ian is an acknowledged business coach and serial entrepreneur, having helped start-ups, and rapidly grown and globalized a range of diverse businesses, creating distinctive, innovative, highly regarded and market leading organizations – from global blue chip players to SMEs as well as across the venture capital community. Highly experienced in international business, turnarounds, TV and film, private equity environments and market listings, Ian is also a change consultant to central government, as well as across the wider public and private sectors.  A professionally qualified Human Resource practitioner and NED, educated both in the UK and at INSEAD business school and has held a range of Board level appointments for leading global companies. Ian has been involved in film for over twenty years, and first partnered with Salon in 2014 to help develop the films Churchill and My name is Lenny as Executive Producer.