From a successful career in the legal sector, to breaking new ground with his own film production company, De Montfort University (DMU) alumnus Roger Le Tissier has thrived as an innovator.
Graduating from the Leicester De Montfort Law School with an LLB in 1985, he then went to London to train as a barrister before returning to his home of Guernsey to qualify as a Guernsey advocate (a job which combines the duties of a barrister and solicitor).
He began work with a traditional, high-street law firm before moving to Barings Bank to work on larger commercial law projects, eventually overseeing the bank’s legal team. After the collapse of Barings in 1995, he was invited by the Jersey based law firm Ogier to establish a branch in Guernsey, becoming the founding partner in 1998.
Under his stewardship the firm went from strength to strength, becoming the largest offshore law firm in Guernsey, growing to a staff of over fifty individuals and winning three consecutive ‘Offshore Law Firm of the Year’ awards.
Roger retired from practicing law in 2012, but soon became involved in a new project started by his wife Frances Le Tissier, a keen film enthusiast.
Roger said: “I got in touch with some people I knew in the film industry, whom I had met in my years working for Ogier. One thing led to another and we soon found ourselves acting as producers, on a journey to creating a new film which has yet to be released. We are currently casting for roles having just finished the screenplay.
“Since then we have continued to meet more people in the industry through various contacts, which has opened up a plethora of opportunities. We have been able to make the most of these through establishing our own production company, Ivy Gate Films.
“Running Ivy Gate has been an incredible experience and our debut involvement was with a film called ‘Swan’ starring Mark Addy and Sophie King, which was released to fantastic reviews.
“Our latest project was a dark comedy called ‘Say Your Prayers’ featuring Derek Jacobi. Unfortunately, the impact of Covid-19 has necessitated a mainly digital release due to the closure of cinemas, but we are keen for people to have the chance to see the film.
“I’ve always been something of a writer and musician, so it is great to have a new creative outlet and my education and years specialising in finance have been invaluable for securing the kind of funding required for major film projects.
“We’re looking forward to the completion of our upcoming works, ‘Pink’ and ‘Deck the Halls’ and we’ve got our fingers crossed that people will be able to see them in cinemas next year.”
Posted on Wednesday 9 December 2020