From the sunny shores of South Africa, Nathan knew from an early age that his passion was film. Whether it was getting up at dawn to surf before school or the grand landscapes and vast horizons of the South African countryside, visual inspiration described his early years.
Growing up as part of a new generation of South Africans, Nathan witnessed Nelson Mandela's release and the outpouring of reconciliation, growth and integration that heralded the dawn of Mandela's “Rainbow Nation”. This combined with a motivation to right the injustices of the past and help build a new, truly democratic nation helped foster in him a deep desire to tell the stories of people, place and history.
At college he lived a Jekyll and Hyde existence, studying management, economics and business strategy by day; guerrilla marketing his “Strutt at The Fez” Parties to the young, glamorous and famous by night. Voted best night out South Africa by GQ Magazine for 4 years running, it's no surprise that visiting celebrities such as A-list film star Leo Di Caprio, international music sensation Jay-K from Jamoroquai, boxing champ Lennox Lewis and F1 BAR Honda driver Jensen Button partied at Strutt.
An opportunistic move to London saw him join the high-powered world of international finance, first working with billion-dollar plus global budgets at the French investment bank, BNP Paribas then delving into the secretive and elite world of hedge funds with Belgravia-based CQS Management – one of Europe's top 5 hedge funds with $9.8bilion under management.
All the while, Nathan never lost sight of his dream - to make movies. Over the last 5 years, he did producing courses, studied directing and cinematography and consulted on the launch of a London-based film development fund. When the credit crunch came he took an opportunity to leave the world of finance and pursue his dream. And so Strutt Film was born.