Introducing the management and staff
One of the best teams in our industry
Our multi-disciplined and creative teams are some of the best and innovative craftspeople and artists in the industry, with backgrounds in design, film, television, theatre, architecture and fine arts, together with traditional skills such as cabinetmaking, mould making, metalworking and engineering.
These skills are directed by a strong administrative and project management team with many years of experience in estimating, costing, scheduling, procurement, project co-ordination and site management.
All staff are skilled and qualified in their specific roles. They have the necessary experience, background and qualifications to undertake the tasks required of them on all projects. Further staff and freelancers can be brought in at different stages from a substantial database. All freelancers have previous project experience with us. Full team structures are identified specifically for each project.
With a staff of over 60, we provide a wide range of artistic and construction skills: model making, sculpting, engineering, electronics, interactives, prop making, scenic painting, mould making, fibre glass and urethane fabrication, metalwork, display joinery, CNC routing, laser cutting and set dressing.
Mark Pyrah - Sales and Marketing Director
Pete Holdsworth - Managing Director
Stephen Jackson - Production Director
Colin Pyrah - Project Director
Nikki Calam - Office Manager
Denise Priddey - Production Assistant
Natalie Diss - Production Assistant
Carol Fenner - Project Co-ordinator
Richard Thompson - Design Manager
Jon Myers - Workshop Manager Scenic and Theming
Dave Bloodworth - Workshop Manager Scenic and Theming
Chris Nuttall - Workshop Manager Interactives
Alex Clarke - Workshop Manager Models
Paul Keers - Electronics/Maintenance Manager
Aidan Lucas - Interactives Engineer
Jim Wraithmell - Interactives Engineer
David Heron - Senior Carpenter
Chris Clapham - Modelmaker
Dean Kaye - Modelmaker/Prop Maker
Mark Strawson - Prop Maker
Paul Lazenby - Prop Maker
Richard Ison - Sculptor
Harold Cowey - Casting and Moulding Technician
Bim Hopewell - Scenic Artist
Sam Jones - Scenic Artist
Management profiles
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Martyn Wilson, Workshop Manager, Head of Engineering
Jon Myers, Production Manager - Scenic
Chris Nuttall, Production Manager - Interactives
Alex Clarke, Production Manager - Modelmaking
Paul Keers, Production Manager - Electronics
Dave Bloodworth, Construction Manager
Richard Thompson, Design Manager
David Johnson, Project Manager
Carol Fenner, Project Co-ordinator
Niki Calam, Financial Manager, Company Secretary
Alan Eyles, Manager, Paragon South West
Martyn Wilson
Workshop Manager and Head of Engineering
Martyn has over 25 years of metal-working experience, 16 years of which was spent in managing his own company. He has managed the development and equipping of our valuable metal-working and engineering facility, and has wide experience of health and safety issues, and the training of our team. He has attended site safety courses, and has coded welder certification.
Recently Martyn was promoted to workshop manager. He has headed up our site teams in a number of overseas installations, including projects in Norway, Hong Kong and Germany. He will also soon be heading up our installation team in Kuala Lumpur and in Bahrain.
Jon Myers
Workshop Manager - Scenic & Theming
Over five years, Jon achieved a joinery apprenticeship with Heritage Projects Ltd. He gained a wealth of experience and acquired skills in traditional joinery, scenic carpentry, engineering, texturing and theming. Since this time Jon has gained over 20 years experience working with some of the best craftsmen in the industry.
In 1992 Jon first co-ordinated a project at the age 22, by 1996 he was managing the workshop and on-site build co-ordination of SegaWorld at Trocadera in London.
In 1998, Jon was appointed Head of Scenic Route Joinery Department and in 2001, he took on the workshop management and on-site build co-ordination of The Deep, Hull (£1.5 Million Project). Finally in 2003 he was appointed as Construction Manager, forming the link between design, project management, subcontractors, build, logistics and site co-ordination, for Bremen Space Park, Germany (£2.5 Million Project).
Chris Nuttall, BSc (Hons) Industrial Design
Workshop Manager - Interactives
Chris has been working in the interactives industry since 1997. Before joining Paragon in 2005 he spent eight years working at some of London’s top interactives and visual effects companies. During that time Chris gained a wealth of experience not only in the workshop and on site, but also as a project manager.
Chris graduated form Brunel University, London, in 1997 with a BSc Honours in Industrial Design. The four year course covered all aspects of industrial design including, mathematics, mechanics, design history, mechatronics, materials engineering, pic programming, machining, prototype production and product semantics. His degree also enabled him to gain valuable work experience at London visual effects and interactives companies, including “Any Effects” and “The Machine Shop”
Alex Clarke
Workshop Manager - Models
Before joining Paragon in July 2005, Alex worked with various, well established, model making companies, including, Vista Models, The Network Modelmakers, Kandor Model Makers Ltd, Richard Threadgill Associates and Flic Models.
Alex has gained vast and varied experience throughout his time working in the industry. During his employment, he has been responsible for the running and operation of various workshops, delivering extremely high quality work to tight deadlines.
Between 1993 and 1996, Alex studied for two BTEC Higher National Diplomas. One in Design Model Making and one in Graphic Design. He gained Merits for both of these as well as an array of valuable skills and experience.
Alex utilises this experience with a very “hands on” approach to the build of a project; from the initial concept of the model, through the production of laser cut components and subsequent assembly, to the final, painted finish and presentation.
Paul Keers
Electronics Manager
Paul joined Paragon Creative in February 2005 fulfilling a role as maintenance engineer having come to us with a background of working in a public orientated area where health and safety is a priority. Since joining Paul has set up an electronics workshop doing design and build for a vast array of projects.
Paul was apprenticed for four years at a MOD R.E.M.E. workshop where he learnt his mechanical and electronic skills. He was then taken on by the MOD as a telecommunication engineer. Since leaving the MOD Paul has had 12 years working for a company in the Fuel Vending Service industry as a Commissioning/Service engineer.
Since joining Paragon Creative Paul has undertaken maintenance of interactives and A/V equipment for the National Railway Museum at York and Locomotion at Shildon.
Dave Bloodworth
Workshop Manager; Scenic & Theming
Dave joined Scenic Route in 1998 after 10 years as a freelance prop maker/sculpture in Film/TV and theatre based in Manchester and London. Scenic Route offered Dave the opportunity to combine the two great loves of his professional career, travel and making and in the following five years the business took him all over the world. During this period Dave gained experience in running construction sites especially abroad. In 2001 he accepted the post of Production manager for Scenic Route which involved total responsibility for the running of all aspects of production and subcontracting, and build quality for the UK workshops.
Dave completed three years at the college of art in Nottingham, specialising in sculpture between 1980 and 1983 resulting in a BA Hons Degree.
Dave worked for various theatre companies in London and Manchester finally working permanently for The Royal Exchange Theatre Company in 1985. Because of the high standards required by the theatre the experience gained during this time was invaluable to his career and gave him the opportunity to gain experience in many disciplines of production. Eventually becoming deputy head of props and settings David left to become freelance after completing more than eighty shows with company.
Richard Thompson
Head of Design
After qualifying at the Hull College of Art and Leeds College of Art in exhibition and museum design, Richard spent 11 years developing his exhibition design skills whilst working for blue chip clients including Vauxhall, SAAB, and Cadillac. He then went on to work within a multi-disciplinary design consultancy for clients including BNF and Shell on many exhibitions world-wide including Australia and China.
Richard has considerable experience of design and project management gained through more than 23 years in the industry. He has the ability and to take a project from initial brief through to completion using his considerable skills in hand drawn visuals, 3D computer rendering and fly- throughs, CAD, and the production of detailed drawings using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.
Recent clients and projects have included Russian Standard in St Petersberg, National Railway Museum, Royal Armouries, Noilly Prat (France). English Heritage, Space Park Bremen (Germany), Bioscope (France), Wetlands Museum (Hong Kong), Oljemuseum (Norway), and Bank Negara (Malaysia).
David’s creative background began at Medway College of Design where he undertook a degree course in architectural and industrial modelmaking. He began his career in modelmaking and then undertook prop and scenic work for TV and the film industry, and then the heritage industry.
David then worked for Scenic Route as a joiner and prop-maker. He began his management career within the company as a prop co-ordinator and buyer for major projects and was appointed Production Manager. This was a vital role in a then rapidly expanding company, and he was then appointed as a Project Manager.
Major recent projects that David has managed at Paragon Creative include Warwick Castle Dungeon, Wilberforce House, Dover Castle, Khalifa Park in Abu Dhabi, and the Hull and East Riding Museum.
Carol Fenner
Project Co-ordinator
After gaining a Bsc (hons) degree in Archaeological Sciences
Carol worked for Leeds City Council Museums for four years in the visitor services, events and education sections. She then became Visitor Services Manager at Roundhay Park and became a key member of the team involved with the £8.5 million restoration of the park as well as having responsibility for the day to day operational management and the visitor services and retail services teams in both the park and in Tropical World, a very popular tourist destination. After working with us to create a new visitor center in the park, Carol then joined our team and has been involved with such projects as The Istanbul Aquarium, The Bahrain National Monument, and Dover Castle, together with developing our new specialist products venture.
Nik joined Paragon Creative in 2004 in the role of Office Manager dealing with accounts and financial management, office procedures and personnel management. She studied for 4 years to gain an HNC in Building Studies, and her career started in the construction industry as an estimator.
She then gained valuable work experience at a display and exhibition company for 7 years as chief estimator and then joined us in her current accounts and office management role. Nik is the Company Secretary of Paragon Creative.
Alan Eyles
Manager – Paragon (South West Office)
Alan studied Set and Graphic Design in Plymouth before completing a Theatre Arts course in London in the mid 80’s. His training led him into interior design becoming the founding partner in ‘The Business Design Ltd’, a company specialising in period renovation.
In 1992, after completion of the renovation of a 17th centuary farmhouse in Sevrac le Chateau, France, Alan returned to England taking up a post as Building Manager at the Holborn Arts Centre, London.
Alan is also a part-time martial arts teacher and in 1996 was asked to join a ground breaking interpretation project at the newly formed Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. His remit was to demonstrate 15th century fight techniques in full armour.
While at the Royal Armouries he was seconded to become Chief Technician within the Conservation Department. Here he managed the transition of the department into an independent exhibition department responsible for all permanent and temporary displays across the museums’ four sites. Achievements include the US travelling exhibition of Buffalo Bills’ Wild West Show and the Leeds based ‘Shogun’ exhibition.
Alan became Head of Creative Production at the Armouries in 2002 with the delivery of the £2.5 million museum presence in Louisville, Kentucky. Alan was given Honorary Citizenship of Louisville in recognition of his work on the project.
In 2007 Alan became a Project Manager for the Continuum Group based in York. Projects include; the interpretation of HMS Trincomalee in Hartlepool’s Historic Quay. content development and delivery of The Wave, Maryport Cumbria and the project Management of the restoration development of Heugh Gun Battery on Hartlepool’s headland. This project involved a successful ‘Scheduled Monument Application’ to DCMS and English Heritage.
Over the last 10 years, Alan has worked with Paragon Creative on a number of projects in the UK, and on the delivery of the Louisville Royal Armouries Project as well as Hands on History. Alan moved to the South West in 2009 and now heads up Paragon’s development in the region.