His fame factory keeps making new stars of young people, and shows no signs of stopping
Mark Jermin has been teaching acting for over three decades, and is responsible for getting hundreds of children on TV screens(Image: John Myers)
When you think about the world of movies, Netflix, BAFTAs, or Hollywood—you probably don’t think a huge amount about Wales, but casting directors do, especially when they are in the market for a new child star.
In fact, their eyes often turn to Swansea and one man in particular. In his more than three decade career, which began when he was just 15, Mark Jermin, 47, from Swansea, has taken both Wales and the Welsh to screens small and large. What began as a simple after school teaching class for his sister and her classmates, has now turned into a star-making factory catering to people across the country.
Mark’s most successful students are known far and wide, including Leo Harris, from Swansea who appeared in the critically acclaimed series, Lost Boys and Faires, Iona Bell, set to feature in a leading role in the new Hunger Games movie, and many more. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here
Mark standing with portraits of some of the children he’s trained (Image: John Myers)
One of Mark’s students, a young girl from Cardiff, is now set to appear in a significant role in HBO’s Harry Potter, along with six other students.
However, it wasn’t always teaching acting that Mark was expected to do.
“I got a scholarship to go to St. Paul’s Cathedral to be a chorister, but I wouldn’t leave home. I was too much of a mummy’s boy,” he said.
Instead, it was a friend who took up the opportunity.
“I’ve never regretted it, but I’ve also always thought that children should have opportunities, and it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, whether you’re in Wales or Scotland or any part of the the whole world, you should be open to these opportunities, and there’s more opportunities now than ever.”
Mark’s sister worked exclusively as a child star, and under Mark’s tutelage quickly racked up a number of roles.
“She got picked up by a London agent, and they were like, ‘Wow, this little girl’s talented. How is she so good?’ I said it’s because I teach her and they asked if I have any more like her? I said, ‘I’ve actually got a little school that I teach in in Swansea’,” Mark recounted.
Mark Jermin’s business not only offers acting classes but also acts a management agency for the stars he produces (Image: John Myers)
This gave way for more opportunities, eventually leading up to Mark getting headhunted by a London theatre school for a job as a theatrical agent.
But this didn’t mean Mark had left Wales completely as he would work as an agent and teacher in London from Monday to Friday, while working teaching his students in Wales over the weekend.
Then, Mark was made subject of a BBC Wales documentary that centred around him and his students. The subsequent publicity from the documentary was what finally convinced the drama teacher to come home.
Starting in the attic of his home in Swansea, Mark’s venture soon expanded into a stage school and agency with branches in Carmarthen, Port Talbot, Swansea and Bridgend.
“I was lucky because I had a strong reputation before because I was a London agent,” Mark said. “Most of my contacts knew me and remembered me.
“I just lifted up my contacts book, my diary of everyone I know and set it up in Wales. I wanted to be home in Wales. I wanted to be where my family was, I wanted to be around the sea, and I just didn’t think everything needed to be so London centric.”
Leo Harris has not just appeared in Lost Boys and Fairies, but also handed out an award at BAFTA Cymru(Image: Fay Summerfield)
Leo Harris, 12, the Lost Boys and Fairies star who was one of the hosts at this year’s BAFTA Cymru, is just one of the Welsh children who has shot to fame thanks to Mark and his acting school.
“I just started before the Covid pandemic because I did my first school Christmas concert and I really wanted to do more,” said Leo, who was then just six-years-old. “And then my grandfather surprised me to go into Mark’s in person classes and I was really happy.”
Through the years, Mark and his fellow teachers at his acting school coached Leo to hone his arts, while keeping the lessons “fun”.
“Mark has a great style, he knows how to bring out the best in you,” Leo said. “All of Mark’s coaches are special.
“My first real coach was Andrew from Mark Jermin. When I was so young, he just kept it fun, but also taught great skills at the same time and they prepare you for the first time on the set of stage perfectly for any age.”
Leo’s audition for Lost Boys and Fairies was a surprise for him, as he and his parents thought he was just going into another practice session.
Though he has had a taste of stardom, not much has changed in young Leo’s life(Image: Fay Summerfield)
“It was really fun because I really wanted to get the part of Jake and I was really happy once I got the part,” Leo said. “I love landing any role because you just put a lot of time in studying, auditions, and script.
“So, when you land a role it’s just the best feeling. I just love being on set. Lost Boys and Fairies was a special experience I’ll never forget.”
Despite his moving performance in the BBC series, Leo said his life hadn’t changed a lot. He still goes to Morriston Comprehensive School in Swansea, and still needs to get up in time for the dreaded first bell!
“It hasn’t changed really. I just love becoming a character on set or stage,” Leo said. “When I’m at school with friends and teachers, I’m just Leo.
“I do get asked questions now and then about things I’ve been in, or some people pay lovely compliments, which is nice but I always want to stay as myself around everyone.
“It was quite funny though when I got to present at the BAFTA Cymru Awards. At 9pm on Sunday I was in a suit on stage handing out a BAFTA. Only a few hours later in the morning, I was in my school uniform, running to the school gate before the bell went off.”
Another of Mark’s students, Iona Bell, 14 has been steadily making a name for herself having already secured leading roles in Fing! and Hunger Games.
Iona Bell, from Cambridgeshire, has shot to fame after appearing in major worldwide films(Image: Elizabeth Griffiths)
“I’ve been training with Mark for about two years and I’ve really invested in it,” Iona said. “My mum originally heard about Mark on social media and we immediately wanted to be with him. He was definitely the goal.
“We went to a couple of his online classes and then we went to one of his pop-ups and his in-person meeting groups in London and they recognised me and my brother and the agency asked me and my brother if we wanted to join and we said yes.”
Soon after joining the classes Iona noticed an immediate improvement, and said all the teachers at Mark Jermin dedicated themselves into making sure everyone grew.
“Mark’s the funniest person I’ve ever met and I think he really puts down his teaching,” Iona said. “He makes sure that you’re not nervous and you’re not uncomfortable.
“He makes sure that you feel so welcome. With his teaching, I’d say that he really invests himself in it.
“If he’s giving you advice or giving you tips, he’s not just saying it, he’s doing it in front of you. He would put on a whole act, he’d play out in front of you, showing what he wants or what he thinks is going to make it better so that you can see visually and I think that really helps.”
Just last year, in 2024, Iona landed the role of Myrtle in Fing!, and when she was given the news, she couldn’t help herself from crying in front of her peers
“But I don’t regret it because landing that role as my first lead role in a movie so early on into what my career is now turning out to be, was just such a big opportunity and like I think it really felt real,” Iona said.
She has since landed a role in Hunger Games, as Lou Lou.
“I was a massive, massive fan of the Hunger Games,” she said. “We had it in school actually, so we had the book and then shortly after I got offered the role.
“I think it was just insane and obviously watching it growing up and then realising you’re gonna do the next one. It’s just crazy and it’s such an insane feeling.”
Iona Bell, from Cambridgeshire, has shot to fame after appearing in major worldwide films(Image: Elizabeth Griffiths)
Her mum, Yvette Bell said the Mark Jermin agency had helped her navigate the world of children in showbiz in ways she couldn’t alone.
“Some of the roles that come can come from outside of the agency, so people reach out and I always put everything through the agency because I know they will go and check out the company, they’ll make sure that the safeguarding’s in place,” she said.
“I feel like they really do their due diligence to check every company. They’ll always check in with me when I’m on set, if I’ve got anything that I’m a bit concerned about, I can always reach out to them and then they’ll talk to production on our behalf.”
Though Mark is confident he will keep making more children stars through his acting school and agency, he does have a small ask of the parents of those children.
“Make sure that they really want to do it and make sure that they enjoy it, that it’s there for the child, not the mum and dad, because we often see situations where they say the child wants to do it, but maybe the child doesn’t want to do it,” he said.
“Also, there’s different elements. You can come and be part of Mark Jermin and just come and do shows and performances, they can come for confidence building, they can come for experience and meeting friends, and then other parents come because it’s their first step into stardom or their first taste of what it’s going to be like.
“It’s a fantastic industry, it’s amazing. But I also say to parents, you know your children better than I do. There’s a lot of rejection, there’s a lot of getting very, very close to a job… and often we don’t get reasons why they didn’t go for your child.”
He added: “I always say to students, whatever you do in life, whether you go into the industry or not, you’ll always have to do interviews, you’ll always have to do presentations, you’ll always have to do chats and eye contact and children who do this generally are more rounded and more capable and have done it from an early age.”
If your child is interested in learning acting, you can find out more about Mark Jermin on their website here.