PRIVACY POLICY
Last updated: 3 November 2026
Who we are
First Step Films (“we”, “us”) is a trading name used by Garry David Frost, who is responsible for how your data is used. We are based in London, England. We plan to form a limited company, and when we do, this policy will be updated and responsibility for your data will pass to that company.
For any question about your data, contact us at info@firststepfilms.co.uk.
Who this policy covers
This policy applies to everyone whose information we collect through our website or related contact with us, including:
Artists and crew who complete our artist and crew form
Writers and others who enter our competitions or send us scripts, treatments or ideas
Clients and potential clients who make an enquiry
Visitors to our website
What we collect
Artists and crew. When you complete our artist and crew form, we collect:
Contact details: name, email, phone, location, pronouns
Professional details: role, skills, experience, credits, showreel or portfolio links, software and licences, kit and insurance information
Availability, working preferences, travel distance, driving and transport information
Your CV and any additional information you choose to give us, including any adjustments you need
How you heard about us
Equal opportunities monitoring. If you complete our optional equal opportunities form, we also collect your age range, gender, ethnic group, sexual orientation, disability or health condition, and religion or belief. This is “special category” data. It is entirely voluntary, is not linked to your name or email, and has no effect on whether we contact you about work.
Competition entries. If you enter a competition, we collect your name, contact details, the work you submit, and any other information the competition rules ask for.
Unsolicited submissions. If you send us a script, treatment or idea outside a competition, we collect your name, contact details and the work itself.
Client enquiries. If you contact us about work, we collect your name, company, contact details and the information you give us about your project, including any briefs, scripts, footage or music you send.
Website visitors. We collect limited technical information through cookies (see “Cookies” below).
Why we use your information, and our lawful basis
We only use your information where the law allows us to. Here is what we use it for and why.
Artists and crew
Matching you with suitable projects and contacting you about work. We do this with your consent.
Monitoring and improving how inclusive we are. We do this with your explicit consent. This applies to the optional equal opportunities form, which collects special category data.
Understanding how you found us. We do this with your consent.
Competition entrants
Running competitions, including reading, judging and announcing results. We do this to carry out the agreement you enter into when you submit your entry.
Writers sending unsolicited work
Reading and considering scripts, treatments and ideas. We do this with your consent, given when you submit.
Clients and enquiries
Responding to your enquiry and taking steps towards an agreement. We do this because you asked us to, before any contract is made, and because we have a legitimate interest in running our business.
Understanding how you found us. We do this because of our legitimate interest in knowing how people discover our work.
Everyone using our website
Keeping the website secure and working. We do this because of our legitimate interest in running a safe, reliable site.
The “legitimate interests” basis means we have a genuine business reason to use your information, and we have checked that it doesn’t override your rights. You can object to this at any time (see “Your rights”).
Who sees it
Our team. Only members of the First Step Films team can see your details.
Productions, clients and insurers. We will not share your details or CV with any client, production, insurer or other third party without asking you first. If we are working on a project and need to share your name and contact details for the purposes of that job, we will ask for your agreement beforehand.
Competition judges and readers. [If readers or judges outside our team assess entries, they will see your entry and will be asked to keep it confidential.] If you win or are shortlisted, we will publish your name and a short extract or title only where the competition rules say so or you agree separately.
Service providers. We use Squarespace to host our website and collect form responses, and Google Sheets to store them. These providers process your data on our behalf and may store it outside the UK under appropriate safeguards.
Legal requirements. We may share information where the law requires it, for example with the police or a regulator.
We do not sell your data.
How long we keep it
Artist and crew details and CVs: 12 months after you submit them. After that we will delete them, or ask you to confirm they are still current.
Equal opportunities answers: used only as anonymous totals.
Competition entries: unsuccessful entries are deleted 6 months after the results are announced. Winners’ and shortlisted entries are kept for as long as the competition rules or any separate agreement with you say.
Unsolicited submissions: deleted 12 months after we receive them, unless we have agreed with you in writing to keep them for longer.
Client enquiries: 12 months after our last contact. If we go on to work together, we keep the records we need for the project and for legal, tax and accounting purposes, which can be up to six years.
You can ask us to delete your data sooner at any time.
Your rights
You can ask us at any time to:
See the data we hold about you
Correct anything that is wrong
Delete your data
Restrict how we use it, or object to our use of it, including where we rely on legitimate interests
Receive a copy of the data you gave us in a portable format
Email info@firststepfilms.co.uk and we will respond within one month.
You can withdraw your consent at any time by emailing us, and we will delete your details. Withdrawing consent does not affect anything we did before you withdrew it.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk, 0303 123 1113).
Age
Our forms and competitions are for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18, and will delete it if we find we have.
Security
Your data is stored in password-protected accounts with two-step verification, and access is limited to the people who need it.
Cookies
Our website is hosted by Squarespace and uses cookies. Essential cookies make the site work and do not need your consent. Where we use other cookies, such as analytics or video embeds, we will ask for your consent first through our cookie banner, and you can change your choice at any time. You can also block cookies in your browser settings.
Changes
We will update this page if our practices change, including when we become a company. The date at the top shows when it was last changed.