Gusto Film & Creative Mentor Network
Gusto Film shared their experience of being a part of Break the Wall, and how their Founder and Creative Directory got on over the programme with his mentee, Khadijah.
At Gusto, we’re all about championing creativity and giving new voices in the industry the support they deserve. That’s why we teamed up with Creative Mentor Network (CMN) - a partnership focused on developing socioeconomic diversity in the creative world of work through mentoring, training, and community.
Over 4 months, mentee Khadijah Mahmood, a young aspiring director from Milton Keynes, and mentor, Tom Staniford (with the support of the Gusto team), worked together to craft a film that would provide real-world experience in the journey to becoming a director.
Khadijah stepped into the director’s role with plenty of passion but also faced some real challenges breaking into the industry. Limited professional opportunities and societal expectations were big hurdles, so this mentorship wasn’t just about career advice, it was about helping her push past those boundaries.
Determined to give Khadijah hands-on experience, Tom and the team set up a project that took her through the full filmmaking journey - from choosing the script to the final edit. They found a short film script called “Becoming Unseen”, which Khadijah adapted to fit the locations and production constraints, eventually renaming it “To Be Veiled”.
Khadijah put together a small, dedicated crew in Brighton - not far from Gusto HQ - and dove straight into the production process. The team spent the weekend bringing the film to life: blocking rehearsals on Saturday, a full shoot on Sunday, and post-production on Monday. With Tom as Director of Photography, Jasmine Shalkoie as Producer, Zac Thorpe handling lighting as Gaffer, Isabel Egan on sound, and Mitch Hall as the Editor, the whole team brought Khadijah’s vision to life.
The result? A beautifully crafted short film that highlights Khadijah’s storytelling talent.
Why We Got Involved
At Gusto, diversity and inclusion are at the core of what we do. Tom Staniford, Gusto’s Creative Director, shared his thoughts:
“Diversity on set is a real issue in our industry, so working with a young Muslim woman, a demographic we see so little of on set, really fired me up to move mountains for her. It was bags of fun working with Khadijah – she was free-flowing with ideas, unapologetically authentic, and her willingness to jump into the deep end opened my eyes to what we could achieve together. It really was a two-way street – for every lesson in production and directing, I learned something new about Gen Z and the future of our industry.”
CMN’s Senior Programme Manager, Luca Hussain, added:
“Tom and his mentee Khadijah formed such a strong mentoring relationship, and it was great to see this blossom over the 16 weeks. Tom helped Khadijah find her unique style and connect with other directors, achieving incredible things in a short space of time. Having passionate mentors like Tom on board is crucial for our work, and we’ve loved collaborating with Gusto!”
And Khadijah herself couldn’t have been happier:
“It was a really important opportunity for me because I gained such valuable experience on how to be a director. I really enjoyed it, and the outcome was amazing. Tom and I got along really well – he gave me the resources and insight that pushed my career forward.”
Moving Forward
At Gusto, we believe that supporting diverse talent today leads to a more creative and inclusive industry tomorrow. Our partnership with CMN isn’t just a one-off project – it’s part of our commitment to shaping the future of film.
Well done, Khadijah!
Watch the final film, "To Be Veiled" below.
