The Team

Tim Sparke, Chief Executive

Tim founded MercuryMedia in 2000 and has been focusing the company solely on documentary since 2005. Prior to Mercury, Tim amassed 15 years experience working for Disney, Thames, BBC and the AP rising to senior executive roles. He contributes at a strategic level to Ofcom, the BBC Trust and EDN, (European Documentary Network). Tim founded joiningthedocs.tv in 2008 in order to increase the availability of documentary films, which he believes are under-served by traditional channels and deserve a wider audience.

“I’ve found MercuryMedia very friendly, helpful and supportive. They have a knowledgeable and well connected team that go the extra mile for the producers they represent”
- Steve Humphries, MD Testimony Films

Ben Wharton, Content Director

Ben has enjoyed moving between TV, post-production, feature writing, web producing and festival programming for over 10 years. Ben has produced TV/online shows covering independent filmmaking, the video game industry and written articles on the animation and visual effects community. A keen film enthusiast across all genres, Ben is passionate about the power of visual storytelling.

Helena G. Martinez, Sales Executive

With more than five years of experience in film financing and funding in Barcelona, Madrid and NY, Helena has settled down in London, representing the company’s catalogue in Southern Europe, Africa, Latin America and Inflight markets.

“Mercury Media took on a tough film and made some decent sales. Tim is always available for a chat – which is more than you can say of most sales agents! They really fight for their producers.”
- Chris Atkins, Director

Mark Navarrete, Marketing Executive

Mark is responsible for the development and execution of Mercury’s marketing activity. He comes from a theatrical and TV distribution background with previous roles at Optimum Releasing, MTV Networks and The Works UK.

Ben Taylor, Sales Coordinator

A graduate from the University of Kent, Ben joined Mercury in June 2010. He provides administrative support to the sales department and contributes content to Joining the Docs.