Jemma Last
Hello!
I'm currently the Freelance Families Programmer for the wonderful venue JW3 in London. I have been a Producer and Director, specialising in Children and Family content across stage, screen, and audio. I was the Co-Creative Director of Fly High Stories, where we made content for families with a focus on Learning through Laughing.
At the beginnning of 2025 I directed The Pea and The Princess, a brand new musical for 3-7 year olds, for Polka Theatre. In 2024 I produced the children's audio series Unpacked at Camp: Kids Talk Israel and have worked as a consultant on Childrens' Animations and books for multiple production and publishing houses.
I was previously Creative Executive for Moonbug on the 3d animation Little Baby Bum, overseeing 104 2min episodes on Youtube.
Since 2019 I have been expanding my practice digitally and am a recipient of a DYCP from the Arts Council to bring my digital and live work together. I have over 40 productions (stage, screen, audio) under my belt. I direct with passion and wit and I specialise in working with new writing and developing writers.
My previous work has been commended for my keen eye for visual style and energy flow both through individual scenes and pieces as a whole. I am an expert dramaturg and craft narratives both through text and visuals. At the helm of a team, I lead by putting kindness and common sense at the heart of everything I do.
I take huge pride in that I was a founding board member of Stage Directors UK and I was a trustee for the Director’s Charitable Foundation for two years.
I am driven by socio-political new writing and the need to make the world a better place for my child. What we need right now is joy and hope and anarchy.
How can I help?
I offer guidance to help you strengthen your creative work, drawing on over 20 years in theatre, animation, film, and audio.
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Project & Idea Development: Refine concepts, get feedback on scripts, and map out your creative projects.
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Pitching & Interview Prep: Craft compelling pitches and confidently prepare for interviews.
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The Business of Directing: Understand the financial, logistical, and strategic sides of directing.
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Self-Employment & Business Support: Structure your creative venture and build a sustainable career.
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Team & Collaboration: Foster effective teamwork and optimize production workflows.
Anita Parry
Head of Creative Producing East 15 Acting School
Jemma came in to East 15 to lead a masterclass for our Creative Producers on Industry preperation. This session was universally well received with comments like "...incredibly useful and brilliantly delivered." We would have her back in a heartbeat.
Matthew Ainsworth
-Director & Producer | Documentary | Science & history | Embracing #IMMERSIVE #VP #VR #XR
I took part in an excellent session led by Jemma about pitching and presenting ideas. It was a really well thought-through (and delivered!) webinar with lots of insight and helpful advice from Jemma's experience and expertise.
Alan Robinson
Head of Development, Series Director and Animation Showrunner
She has in-depth knowledge of preschoolers and their interests and behaviour and used this to identify and develop exciting new themes and topic areas across the brand, making a whole new slate of engaging and impactful content for the channel.