From a kitchen table in 2006 to becoming the UK’s largest production service company, Marie Owen’s LS Productions has grown into a global powerhouse. With hubs across the UK and Europe, the company has delivered campaigns for some of the world’s biggest brands, including Nike and Burberry, while working with high-profile talent from Zendaya to Harry Styles

The big idea

My husband, who’s a fashion photographer, was travelling all over the world for work. We initially started the business to try and bring more fashion shoots up north, because no one was really showcasing Scotland for fashion and stills photography in the way it deserved. As more clients started coming, it grew into a proper business, but the foundations have never changed – find the right locations, bring together the right people, spend budgets wisely and look after everyone brilliantly.

People matter

I was an air hostess for a big corporate airline, where I was frontline dealing with passengers and their needs every day. The biggest skill I took from that was communication. Whether it’s customer service or working in productions, you’re still building relationships, managing expectations and making things happen. That’s something businesses can lose as they grow – maintaining that personal connection and remembering that relationships are at the heart of everything.

Star moments 

There have been so many over the years, from hanging out with people like Cristiano Ronaldo to working on incredible productions. One that stands out was when we received a last minute request that sounded like a student fashion shoot. It turned out to be a campaign that Karl Lagerfeld was shooting following the Chanel show at Linlithgow Palace in 2012. We pulled the whole thing together in a few days, and the moral of the story – treat everyone as if they’re VIPs from the beginning.

Championing creativity 

I was lucky enough to be awarded an OBE recently, which was a huge honour. What’s really important to me is that it recognises the wider value of the creative industries and their economic impact. Sometimes people see it as just doing fun things with A-listers, but there’s a much bigger picture – the investment in local communities, the jobs and training opportunities created, and the way productions can put Scotland and the UK on the map.