Shirani Le Mercier
Producer & Founder | Spring Time Films
Shirani Le Mercier has been in the film industry for over 20 years and has worked across various aspects of the business including distribution, production, publicity, event and talent management. She started her career in film in 1997 at Sony Pictures France as Special Events Manager in charge of PR tours, junkets and festivals, for blockbuster films including Men in Black, Black Hawk Down, Erin Brokovich, The Mask of Zorro, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Spiderman.
In 2002, she began her career in production as she launched Sony Pictures’ French co-production branch. In 2003, Shirani was recruited by the highly acclaimed Hollywood veteran John Calley to set up his London production office. During her three years heading John Calley’s European Productions, Shirani worked on a variety of high profile films including Closer by Mike Nichols (in co-production with Avenue Pictures), The Da Vinci Code by Ron Howard (in co-production with Imagine Entertainment) and The Company, a TV mini-series about the history of the CIA (in co-production with Scott Free, for US channel TNT).
In 2007 Shirani started consulting and set up her own company ‘Spring Time Films’ in 2009. She has consulted on a number of independent projects and her clients include French Studio Gaumont (Twelve by Joel Schumacher, Splice by Vicenzo Natali…); French TV and digital production outfit Memo Prod. among others, as well as clients in the UK, Spain and the US. She is currently in production on a TV series and in pre-production on an animated feature. Shirani is a member of BAFTA.
LOOKING FOR Action Adventure, Thriller, Family/Family Fantasy and Animation.
Q: What piece of advice can you give writers who are pitching to you or trying to break into the industry?
A: Pitching to me: do your research/homework, be bold and trust you are here for a reason.
Breaking into the industry: remember networking is a huge part of your job, as well as identifying who it is you want to work with (producers, directors, TV executives…).
