Freddie Hutton-Mills. Yellow fish.

It is often the case that when one complaint about a producer or company not paying their workers comes in, it is often followed by a whole lot more. As is the case with Freddie Hutton-Mills, Head of Film at Yellow Fish (“we do things differently”).

The film in question is “Rooted Out”, a “self-penned feature film” with Yellow Fish serving as an associate producer. Since the film wrapped, Hutton-Mills has met requests for payments with the usual dog-ate-my-homework excuses and many (broken) promises that funds were just around the corner, a corner which receded into the distance every time it was reached. Legal threats made and cases won, Hutton-Mills now seems entirely untroubled by the chaos he is causing, brushing off requests for payment with waffle about “false dawns”.

So too Yellow Fish, who washed their hands of any responsibility, happy to retain Hutton-Mills as their Head of Film despite being aware of how he has treated all these freelancers.

And ditto too the co-producer of the film, Georgina Morelle of Smile Casting Talent Agency, who recruited all these freelancers with the promise that it was also being supported by the BBC and the BFI (no evidence that that is true) and who, when asked, felt no obligation to chase up the payments she promised in her role.

Which leaves a whole bunch of freelancers empty of pocket and nowhere to go, all with Christmas approaching.

If you have been caught up in this mess, do feel free to get in touch. Meanwhile Freelancers Beware!