The Essential List: Anissa Payne
Anissa Payne founded NM Productions in 2017, when she saw a gap in the market for a company that championed a more streamlined, non-traditional approach to production. This stemmed from a frustration of having to follow outdated and overcomplicated workflows that often lost sight of goals and consequently diluted the finished product.
Starting off her career working for a modelling agency in Hamburg, Anissa collaborated with clients such as Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, Kenzo and Balenciaga to name a few. With that experience, she soon found herself immersed in the world of production, freelancing for some of London’s most wellknown production companies.
Her proud northern roots and values run right through NM, including her no b*llshit, get things done but have fun attitude, earning her business with household names such as Citibank, Range Rover, Bank of America, Nike, Jaguar, Vogue and Omega Watches, to name a few. Like her, her values are echoed throughout her team, to work hard, get the job done but always have fun in the process. This approach has helped her and NM Productions grow year on year, producing outstanding work spanning across moving image and stills for automotive, sports, celebrity and fashion brands globally.
Lifestyle
o Place of birth: Leeds
o Hometown: Leeds
o Staycation: At home in my bed as I barely get to see it!
o Vacation: Tough one. I love the beach so want to say St Lucia, but one of my best trips was to Chicago!
o Pet: Dog. Specifically a demanding Cocker spaniel
o Place of work: Anywhere and everywhere
o Place of workout: Rouge one but I like to Kayak or play tennis
o Side project: Everything. I can’t sit still. Planning friends weddings, flipping houses.
o Mode of transport: Car
o Bonus travel essential: Noise cancelling headphones!
Culture
o Musician: UB40. My dad used to play on repeat. I couldn’t dislike them if I wanted to!
o Commercials / music video director: All the ones I work with, especially Citibank
o Film director: Taika Waititi
o Photographer: I might lose some clients if I pick a favourite!
o Film: Jo Jo Rabbit
o Series: Motherhood
o Commercial: I know I am on a Taika Waititi hype here but that new Belvedere Ad was pretty good.
o Music video: This is America, Childish Gambino
o Video game: Mario Kart every time.
o Board game: Cards against humanity.
o Book: The Da Vinci code
o Graphic novel:
o Podcast: Mike Tindall, The Good, The Bad and the Rugby. As he told me on a shoot “The best podcast you will ever listen to”. I am a league fan however.
o Newspaper (off or online): BBC News
o Magazine: Noise
Food and Drink
o Breakfast: Chicken and Waffles
o Restaurant: Thai Diner, New York!
o Cheap bite: Itsu, those little sushi triangles. Great for on the go if you can figure out how to open them!
o Working lunch: Leon
o Favourite dish: True northerner. I love a slow roast.
o Signature dish: Slow Roasted Peppers with Chilli, Lemon and Garlic Beans
o Snack: Kinder Bueno Bar
o Guilty pleasure: Coco pops with hot milk!
o Bar: I like a good pub!
o Booze: Lager or Cider
o Not booze: Ginger cordial with sparkling water
Kit
o Phone: Iphone
o Computer: Imac
o TV: LG
o Headphones: Sony
o Camera: Fuji
o Soundsystem: Sonos
o Pen / pencil: NM Branded Stationary all the way
o Where you document an idea: To Do Its App
o Casual clothing: Sweatpants
o Smart clothing: Sweatpants (if only!)
o Footwear: Trainers. I need comfort (yes I know I sound like an old lady!)
o App: Slack
o Website: www.nm-productions.com
o Favourite social media feed: tough one. I like a meme!
o Work program:
o Digital work tool: To Do Ist
o Analogue work tool: Sticky Notes
o Morning grooming / makeup essential: A good moisturiser !
