Film and television production company, Footprint Films (established 1994), embarked on a new chapter of story telling and filmmaking in 2007. Under joint managing directors and producers Mark Blaney (original co-founder of Footprint) and Jackie Sheppard, Footprint is developing and producing films for a broad mainstream audience which combine commercial appeal and viability with inspiring, entertaining and engaging storylines.

Over thirteen years of collaboration with fellow Footprint founders and filmschool graduates Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, The Full Monty) and Bille Eltringham (Mrs Ratcliffes Revolution, The Long Firm), Africa United producer Mark Blaney produced [amongst others] Footprint Films' productions of Simon and Bille's award winning co-directing feature debut The Darkest Light (Pathé Pictures, BBC Films, Studio Canal, Yorkshire Media) as well as their critically acclaimed drama short Yellow.
They also produced the documentary film Shattered Dream (BBC 40 Minutes) which marked Mark and Simon's professional debut, Bille's groundbreaking and award winning DV/35mm feature This is Not a Love Song (UK Film Council, Footprint), Fran Lea's much acclaimed, Everyone's Happy (Footprint/ Yorkshire Media) and Kim Hopkins' native American cop feature, WANTED (UK Film Council, A&E [USA], WDR [Germany], Soros Documentary Fund [USA]). Footprint's films have screened at major International Film Festivals including Berlin, Toronto, Rotterdam, London, Edinburgh and Dublin.
Most recently, Mark and fellow-Africa United producer Jackie Sheppard executive produced four short films commissioned by the UK Film Council & Screen South, including the multi-award winning documentary film Hammer and Flame. Through 2007-2009, alongside developing a slate of feature projects, they produced Home, an award-winning film by writer/director Debs Gardner-Paterson, Curfew by director Kate Aidley (UK Film Council, Screen South), Supraman and the School of Necessity (director Debs Gardner-Paterson), Unscripted (Jackie Sheppard producer, directed by Paul Burbridge) and associate produced Debs Gardner-Paterson's films Aimé and Time.