Gavin Poolman
- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Actor
Gavin is a content and tech entrepreneur who has produced/ executive produced/ financed 27 films with an aggregate production value of over $500M.
Gavin graduated with an Honours B.A. in French Language and Literature from Trinity College, University of Toronto. After 3 years as a software developer working on government and private sector contracts, he moved to the UK to attend the London Film School.
After graduating, he worked as an Acquisitions and Finance executive with Jeremy Thomas's Film Trustees/ Glinwood group, where he was involved in the financing and licensing of The Sheltering Sky, Naked Lunch, A Rage In Harlem, Howard's End and The Crying Game, among others. In 1994, he was appointed Head of Development at sales agent Mayfair Entertainment International (Jefferson In Paris, Vanya On 42nd Street, Richard Iii).
In 1996, together with investment banker Mark Beilby, Gavin founded London-based production and finance company Apollo Media Ltd. Films he has produced/ executive produced for Apollo include:
The Zookeeper, directed by Ralph Ziman (w Sam Neill) (Grand Prize at the Taos Film Festival) Festival Express, directed by Bob Smeaton (w Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, and The Band) Chelsea On The Rocks, directed by Abel Ferrara (w Ethan Hawke)
From 2006 - 2008, working together with LA-based Grand Army Entertainment, he structured investment of over $350M from Bank of America and Wachovia Bank into 18 TV movies and 11 feature films, including: Five Dollars A Day (Christopher Walken, Sharon Stone); Hachiko (Richard Gere, directed by Lasse Hallstrom); Lies And Deception (Christian Slater, Cuba Gooding Jr); The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond (Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Evans, Ann Margret); Mad Money (Katie Holmes, Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton); Major Movie Star (Jessica Simpson): New York I Love You (Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Orlando Bloom); Not Forgotten (Paz Vega); Smother (Liv Tyler, Diane Keaton); Streets Of Blood (Val Kilmer, Sharon Stone); The Year Of Getting To Know Us (Jimmy Fallon, Lucy Liu, Tom Arnold).
In 2008, also together with Mark Beilby, he co-founded mobile tech company Auga Technologies Ltd, a global market leader in mobile insight and engagement, providing services to market research and education through its subsidiary Vevox. Shareholders include advertising giant WPP and Chris Morris, the founder of Computershare. Clients include Molson Coors, Jimmy Choo, eBay, KPMG, PWC, WPP, Vodaphone, Coventry University, University of Southampton, AIG, Ipsos, Mediaset, SVT, YLE, EMI, Teliasonera, YouGov, and the NYPD. In 2014, Auga was selected as one of the first pathfinder tech growth companies under the UK Government's Future 50 program. In April 2017, Auga arranged a successfully exit for its subsidiary IML, selling it to private equity group Vespa Capital. Gavin remains an Auga shareholder.
In 2014, Gavin developed, co-founded and co-launched the Ingenious Senior Film Fund, a 50:50 joint venture partnership with Ingenious Media (the UK's largest media finance group). This was a $25M data-driven film investment fund which Gavin co-managed, set up to finance independent films budgeted between $10M - $30M.
Film investments led by Apollo include the following (all of which were executive produced by Gavin):
Released in 2016
The Dressmaker, directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse (starring Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, Judy Davis and Hugo Weaving)
Released in 2017
The Secret Scripture, directed by Jim Sheridan (w Rooney Mara, Vanessa Redgrave and Eric Bana) Hunter's Prayer, directed by Jonathan Mostow (w Sam Worthington) Winter, directed by Heidi Greensmith (w Tommy Flanagan)
Released in 2018
6 Days, directed by Toa Fraser (w Jamie Bell, Mark Strong and Abbie Cornish)
Released in 2019
The Kindness Of Strangers, directed by Lone Scherfig (w Caleb Landry Jones, Andrea Riseborough, Jay Baruchel, Zoe Kazan)
Released in 2020
Hope Gap, written and directed by Bill Nicholson (w Annette Benning, Bill Nighy, and Josh O'Connor)
From 2015-2017, Gavin served on the UK's influential British Screen Advisory Council Committee as a full member.
He is a full voting member of BAFTA.
Gavin graduated with an Honours B.A. in French Language and Literature from Trinity College, University of Toronto. After 3 years as a software developer working on government and private sector contracts, he moved to the UK to attend the London Film School.
After graduating, he worked as an Acquisitions and Finance executive with Jeremy Thomas's Film Trustees/ Glinwood group, where he was involved in the financing and licensing of The Sheltering Sky, Naked Lunch, A Rage In Harlem, Howard's End and The Crying Game, among others. In 1994, he was appointed Head of Development at sales agent Mayfair Entertainment International (Jefferson In Paris, Vanya On 42nd Street, Richard Iii).
In 1996, together with investment banker Mark Beilby, Gavin founded London-based production and finance company Apollo Media Ltd. Films he has produced/ executive produced for Apollo include:
The Zookeeper, directed by Ralph Ziman (w Sam Neill) (Grand Prize at the Taos Film Festival) Festival Express, directed by Bob Smeaton (w Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, and The Band) Chelsea On The Rocks, directed by Abel Ferrara (w Ethan Hawke)
From 2006 - 2008, working together with LA-based Grand Army Entertainment, he structured investment of over $350M from Bank of America and Wachovia Bank into 18 TV movies and 11 feature films, including: Five Dollars A Day (Christopher Walken, Sharon Stone); Hachiko (Richard Gere, directed by Lasse Hallstrom); Lies And Deception (Christian Slater, Cuba Gooding Jr); The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond (Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Evans, Ann Margret); Mad Money (Katie Holmes, Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton); Major Movie Star (Jessica Simpson): New York I Love You (Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Orlando Bloom); Not Forgotten (Paz Vega); Smother (Liv Tyler, Diane Keaton); Streets Of Blood (Val Kilmer, Sharon Stone); The Year Of Getting To Know Us (Jimmy Fallon, Lucy Liu, Tom Arnold).
In 2008, also together with Mark Beilby, he co-founded mobile tech company Auga Technologies Ltd, a global market leader in mobile insight and engagement, providing services to market research and education through its subsidiary Vevox. Shareholders include advertising giant WPP and Chris Morris, the founder of Computershare. Clients include Molson Coors, Jimmy Choo, eBay, KPMG, PWC, WPP, Vodaphone, Coventry University, University of Southampton, AIG, Ipsos, Mediaset, SVT, YLE, EMI, Teliasonera, YouGov, and the NYPD. In 2014, Auga was selected as one of the first pathfinder tech growth companies under the UK Government's Future 50 program. In April 2017, Auga arranged a successfully exit for its subsidiary IML, selling it to private equity group Vespa Capital. Gavin remains an Auga shareholder.
In 2014, Gavin developed, co-founded and co-launched the Ingenious Senior Film Fund, a 50:50 joint venture partnership with Ingenious Media (the UK's largest media finance group). This was a $25M data-driven film investment fund which Gavin co-managed, set up to finance independent films budgeted between $10M - $30M.
Film investments led by Apollo include the following (all of which were executive produced by Gavin):
Released in 2016
The Dressmaker, directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse (starring Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, Judy Davis and Hugo Weaving)
Released in 2017
The Secret Scripture, directed by Jim Sheridan (w Rooney Mara, Vanessa Redgrave and Eric Bana) Hunter's Prayer, directed by Jonathan Mostow (w Sam Worthington) Winter, directed by Heidi Greensmith (w Tommy Flanagan)
Released in 2018
6 Days, directed by Toa Fraser (w Jamie Bell, Mark Strong and Abbie Cornish)
Released in 2019
The Kindness Of Strangers, directed by Lone Scherfig (w Caleb Landry Jones, Andrea Riseborough, Jay Baruchel, Zoe Kazan)
Released in 2020
Hope Gap, written and directed by Bill Nicholson (w Annette Benning, Bill Nighy, and Josh O'Connor)
From 2015-2017, Gavin served on the UK's influential British Screen Advisory Council Committee as a full member.
He is a full voting member of BAFTA.
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