About Us
We’re an independent theatre and film production company, founded as Simon Friend Entertainment in 2015, rebranded as Melting Pot in 2025. We develop, produce and manage all of our own productions, which have won multiple Academy Awards, BAFTAs, Tony Awards and Olivier Awards.
We get excited by any good story, and we are particularly honoured to have been entrusted with the exclusive rights to adapt some of this century's most enduring and popular fiction for the stage.
Simon Friend
Director
Simon founded the company in 2015. Before that he was Producer for Theatre Royal Bath. Simon was named in The Stage 100 most influential people in British theatre, and has recently expanded into producing film and television.
Hanna Osmolska
Director
Hanna and Simon have been working together since 2017.
Previous roles include at Playful Productions, ETT, Mark Rubinstein Ltd, Shared Experience and Cheek by Jowl, and representing Independent Producers on the Old Vic New Voices T.S. Eliot US/UK Exchange. Hanna also lectured at City Lit in Arts Administration.
Hanna is on the Board of the League of Independent Producers.
Sophie Visscher-Lubinizki
General Manager
Sophie (She/They) is a producer and general manager working between London and New York, specializing in interdisciplinary queer storytelling across theatre, dance, and comedy. Sophie is the co-founder of Speakerphone Productions, where she develops and produces new work.
Sophie previously worked as Production Coordinator for National Theatre Productions (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, The Lehman Trilogy) and as the Production Assistant at Runaway Entertainment (2:22 A Ghost Story, Newsies). With a BA in Dance and Education from Barnard College, Columbia University, Sophie’s career began in New York, where she worked as the Company Manager at Second Stage Theater (Take Me Out, To My Girls), as the Assistant Company Manager on Jersey Boys (New World Stages), and on the Ticketing and Operations Team of the 74th Tony Awards.
Oli Branton
Associate General Manager
Oli’s background is in national touring, audience development, and learning and engagement. At the National Theatre, he was a leading member of the Theatre Nation Partnerships programme, collaborating with venues across England for over six years. He also led the National Theatre’s schools touring programme, developing and overseeing new productions for nationwide tours. Oli has also worked as a freelance producer across theatre, film and live events across the UK.
Mia Franey
Production Coordinator
After graduating from the University of Leeds, Mia began working at Melting Pot in 2023 as the Production Assistant and Office Administrator, before taking on the role of Production Coordinator. She has also independently produced small scale shows around the UK and at Edinburgh Fringe.
Poppy Maxwell
Production Coordinator
Whilst at the University of Cambridge Poppy directed the 2023 Footlights International Tour Show. Since graduating in 2024 she has produced PARATROOPERS, a political satire, at The Edinburgh Fringe and secured a London transfer.
In her spare time in 2026, she is working on Squidge (a one-woman show).
George Bradley
Finance Director
Francesca Oldnall
Payroll Manager
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