Catherine Raynor and Ben Langdon lead Mile 91, supported by a team of talented and like-minded freelance associates.
All of our associates have extensive experience in photography, film or interviewing and we have previously worked with every single one of them so we can vouch for the quality of their work. But it’s not just about that. We want them to bring the same personal qualities, sensitivity and fun to the shoot that we do.
Ben
Ben has worked in developing countries and emerging economies for more than 16 years, photographing and filming in challenging environments and with vulnerable people. In the UK his work has taken him from hospitals to Buckingham Palace to puppy training camps. His natural friendliness means he gets the best out of his subjects, whether they have two legs or four. He leads our popular smartphone filmmaking course.
Catherine
Catherine’s first taste of storytelling came in 2006 when she established VSO’s story gathering function. Since then she has helped numerous organisations develop their story teams. She is particularly adept at identifying barriers to productivity and helping organisations to break down silos that prevent powerful storytelling. She has managed more than 40 story gathering visits to developing countries and emerging economies, plus numerous shoots in the UK.
Ben
Ben is an award winning filmmaker whose work has been shown on TV and at festivals across Europe. He specialises in campaign films for charities – his films for the homeless charity Crisis have received over a million hits on YouTube. For Mile 91, Ben has worked films for Chestnut Tree House, Centrepoint and the British Red Cross, among others. He also runs our smartphone filmmaking course. He has made films with musicians including Rufus Wainwright and film maker Ken Loach.
Alex
Alex has been writing powerful stories for charities for over a decade. Through Mile 91 she has worked with the British Red Cross, Teenage Cancer Trust, ChildHope, Media Defence and more. Alex’s natural warmth encourages people to open up and she loves digging for the ‘gleaming details’ that make her stories stand out. Her most memorable Mile 91 moment was interviewing Dai Donavon, the trade unionist and former miner whose story inspired Pride – one of Alex’s all-time favourite films.
Helen
Helen spent over ten years working in fundraising and marketing account management roles at Barnardo’s and Breast Cancer Care, before taking time out when she became a mum to two boys. She supports Mile 91 with our marketing, managing our photo and film footage libraries and general logistical wizardry that helps keep the show on the road. She works part-time and spends the rest of the week keeping Ben, their boys, and Barley (the golden retriever!) in line.
Lucy
As a sustainability copywriter, Lucy makes sure brands on a mission have the right words for the job – whether that’s helping an ethical pet food start-up disrupt the status quo, or supporting the world’s biggest fashion brands as they call for change across their industry. Lucy has been a copywriter for over a decade and has supported Mile 91 on several projects. Most recently, she joined us in helping the TUC celebrate their 150th anniversary with 150 stories about the people who have shaped the union movement in this country.
Sarah
Sarah is a compassionate writer, producer and storyteller. Formerly a Sky journalist, she has since worked in story gathering roles at Comic Relief, VSO and Crisis. She now works on a freelance basis, specialising in helping charities find and tell stories that touch people’s hearts and inspire donations and action. Sarah has written and made short films about homelessness, mental health, anorexia, self-harm and poverty in the UK, and travelled to Sierra Leone, Bangladesh, India and Rwanda to investigate bonded labour, violence against women, education, child soldiers, HIV/AIDS and maternal health.