SAFE SETS INTIMACY COORDINATORS
Intimacy Coordination, Consultation and Education
Safe Sets provides intimacy coordinators globally for film, television and theatre. Safe Sets Intimacy have certified and trained intimacy coordinators across South Africa, the UK, Italy, the EU and the Middle East, and have a pool of collaborators across America, Brazil, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Safe Sets Intimacy has offices in London and Johannesburg, and intimacy coordinators in South Africa, London, Madrid, Rome, Berlin and Egypt. Safe Sets Intimacy have worked for all the major platforms and streaming services globally including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, CBS and Paramount.
Safe Sets was established as an intimacy coordination company in February 2020 in South Africa. Safe Sets is a qualified SAG-AFTRA accredited training program for Intimacy Coordinators and has met the minimum requirements for curriculum and trainer experience. Safe Sets also has Intimacy Coordinators that have met the requirements for the SAG-AFTRA Registry list.
If you require an intimacy coordinator (sometimes called intimacy coach in South Africa), or an Intimacy Director for either local or international productions, large or small scale, please do get in touch.
Companies We've Worked For:
Intimacy Coordination
Safe Sets is a global intimacy coordination company and are the leading intimacy coordination company in South Africa. Established in 2020, with highly experienced intimacy coordinators, Safe Sets are your first choice If you want to hire an intimacy coordinator in South Africa, The United Kingdom or Europe. Safe Sets will be able to give you an intimacy coordinator to suit your project. Safe Sets have intimacy Coordinators in London, Cape Town, Jo'burg, Eastern Cape, Pretoria, Madrid, Rome, Berlin and Egypt. Safe Sets Intimacy Coordinators offer ICs for Film & Television and Intimacy Directors for Theatre. Safe Sets work following both local and international protocols keeping your Sets Safe! We also work with global partners so can coordinate between practitioners based in the UK, South Africa, the EU, USA, South America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Consultation
Safe Sets intimacy coordinators can also consult with you on your project. Safe Sets intimacy coordinators can break down the intimate content in your scripts, assess risk, and help you come up with a plan for your intimate content. Safe Sets can run intimacy workshops for cast and crew to help them navigate the intimate content, so you can create a safe framework to tackle challenging content. So, whether you're an experienced film maker, established production company or young actor looking at how to navigate scenes with intimate content - we're happy to discuss your needs.
Safe Sets is now working in non-scripted and reality TV. If you would like to talk to us about principles we've developed to keep your cast and crew safe and manage safe and consensual encounters, we'd love to talk to you.
International Best Practice
Many Safe Sets Intimacy Coordinators are SAG-AFTRA accredited Intimacy Coordinators and Intimacy Coordinator Trainers.
Safe Sets Intimacy Coordinators keep up to date with international best practice as well as following local guidelines and protocols for working with intimate content. All Safe Sets ICs have Mental Health First Aid as standard, and practice annual continued professional development to keep up to date with all changes in this newly emerging field.
Safe Sets are variously aligned/accredited by SAG-AFTRA, BECTU, The IPG and IPSA. More details can be found on each ICs profile pages.
Safe Sets' IC training course is recognised and accredited by SAG-AFTRA.
Education
Safe Sets offer education packages and workshops on working with intimate content to both academic institutions, production companies and film and tv professionals alike.
In 2021 Safe Sets were the Intimacy Coordinator training provider for Netflix EMEA, training 12 ICs globally, and in 2022 a joint funding venture between Netflix Grow Creative and the NFVF and the IPO saw them train 5 South African Intimacy Coordinators and 1 candidate from the Middle East. The trainees are now either certified or under mentorship and available working across Europe, South America, India, South Africa and the Middle East. Most recently Safe Sets trained a cohort of ICs in Italy, with Anica Academy, and Netflix Poland, with ICs joining the workforce in January 2024.
Intimacy Coordination, Consent Consultant on Unscripted TV
Safe Sets Intimacy can provide intimacy coordinators or consent consultants on your unscripted TV productions.
With the world of unscripted pushing the boundaries, how do you make sure that everyone involved stays safe from harassment? Although this is a new field, Safe Sets Intimacy have developed strategies to help support productions working in unscripted television. We collaborate with the production as a whole joining the team during pre production, and supporting throughout the process. We work with the production team, the psychologists and cast and crew to keep the work environment respectful.
Please reach out if you'd like to work with us.
Chat to us...
The Safe Sets team of intimacy coordinators can help you to navigate and plan for intimate scenes from pre production to post production when creating film, tv and theatre in the post #metoo #timesup era -
Safe Sets - Keeping Sets Safe since 2020, while collaborating and creating with you and your cast with respect and consent.
"The absolute best creatives to work with. Thank you!" - Director on Wyfie, talking about the Safe Sets IC team - 2024
If you want to know more about our Italian training, and our Intimacy Coordinators we have working in Italy, please don't hesitate to reach out to us, or find out more at Anica Academy or Intimitalia
Are you looking for an Intimacy Coordinator in Italy? Do you need to book an intimacy coordinator in South Africa? Do you need an Intimacy Coordinator in Madrid? Would you like to hire an intimacy coordinator who can work in South Africa and America? Do you need an Intimacy Coordinator in London or in the United Kingdom? If you do - please do get in touch.
Kate Lush & Sara Blecher - Founders of Safe Sets Intimacy Coordinators
The Intimacy Coordinators Kate Lush and Sara Blecher met at the Durban International Film Festival in 2019, and formed Safe Sets in 2020.
Since Safe Sets launched, they took on additional Intimacy Coordinators, founded the not for profit IPSA (Intimacy Practitioners South Africa), with the rest of the South African film industry launched the South African Protocols for Working with Intimate Content in TV, Film and Associated Media, and with Netflix EMEA created and delivered an Intimacy Coordinator training program in 2021, and then in 2022 Kate, Sara and the Safe Sets team in association with Netflix, the NFVF and the IPO trained the first cohort of South African Intimacy Coordinators.
Positive Testimonials from Industry Professionals for Intimacy Coordinators from Safe Sets Intimacy
"Kate Lush was the first Intimacy Coordinator I worked with and she became the gold standard for me. We were on the series Brave New World, which features several scenes of intimacy, many with very large groups of people. Kate's calm, straight-forward manner and communication made our cast feel safe and confident. Directors relied on her knowledge of the physicality of human inter-action, and both directors and cast relied on her frankness and practical tips on how to make something look real. She was integral to the successful portrayal of "New London" a place where "everyone belongs to everyone else".
Kim Todd
Executive Producer -
Brave New World
Kate Cheeseman,
Director - Outlander S6
"Far from being the fun-police, Èmil Haarhoff elevated the execution of the intimate scenes I was directing and presented me with a toolkit of language and techniques that I personally didn't have. His calm presence and 'how can we play' approach meant that he made us all feel safe while also feeling that the vision of the film was being serviced in the best way possible."
Brett Michael Innes
Director - Daryn's Gym
"Kate Lush is astonishingly good at her job. I worked with her on an R&D and both myself and the cast learnt so much. I can truly say that the 4 days I spent working with Kate have changed my process forever. She is intuitive, great with actors, and really brilliant at understanding what a director is after. She makes everyone feel incredibly safe and relaxed. I wholeheartedly recommend her. She is a wonderful practitioner.
Mary Franklin
Artistic Director
Rough Haired Pointer Theatre Company
Adam Pursey
Production Coordinator
""I was very nervous going into this film. I had shot sex scenes before but never of this nature, never this explicit, never this intense and never so integral to the narrative of the film. My number one concern was for my actors because both had never done sex scenes before and I just wanted them to feel safe enough to express their creativity and their characters effectively. And so I knew that I would need to get help and that help came in the form of the incredible Èmil Haarhoff. From our very first telephonic conversation I instantly relaxed into the recognition of his clear knowledge and I just knew that he was the right man for the job. From there on we had a wonderful, positive and fun time of co-creating together in the most magnificent manner. I would recommend Èmil a million times over. I've said this repeatedly to him, but I'll say it again, I would never have been able to pull off those scenes without his guidance and expertise. And to add to his unwavering professionalism he's also just a fantastic human being with the most amazing energy, that just radiates. I know that both my actors adored working with him and so did I. I cannot wait to co-create and play safely with him again."
Carmen Sangion
Director - Blurred Lines
"Having Kate Lush as Intimacy Director on The Censor was an amazing experience. I was keen that the sexual content in the play was handled sensitively and that the actors felt safe. Having now experienced working with Kate, I'd never try to direct another intimate scene without an intimacy director! Kate was such a great presence in the room and she's incredibly skilled at what she does. Not only did she make everyone feel really comfortable handling difficult content, but she was also incredibly creative with how she approached scenes, resulting in some of my favourite moments in the piece! She was a joy to work with, a real support throughout the rehearsal process and someone I'd love to work with again.
Imogen Beech
Director - The Censor
Anna Russell-Martin
Actor
Hannah van der Westhuysen
"Samantha Murray has an incredible manner with Directors, Actors and the entire crew. Her knowledge of
the industry and sensitivity of her training is incomparable. Confident in her approach but with the greatest respect to the
process she was crucial for our production. There were many moments that Sam was integral to our actors ability to feel comfortable and give fantastic performances.
In addition to this she also navigated crews needs and supported SA's through very risky situations.
On a personal note, having never met Sam before our production, she is a great human being and was able to balance professionalism but also kept the set fun.
This is what makes her my first call every time. I cannot recommend Samantha highly enough for your production.."
Leopold Hughes
Producer, T-Street Films - Fair Play
"Hello Sara. Team is so blown away by your session! So sad we could not be there. Thanks a ton and well done. Clive. ."
Clive Morris
CEO Clive Morris Productions
"Vanessa Coffey was fantastic to work with. She helped me and the cast openly discuss all the intimate scenes we were filming and relate the actions back to the characters and script. This made it easier for the actors to feel comfortable with what they were doing and ensured that these scenes were relevant to their characters at that point in the story. She helped us accurately choreograph the more detailed scenes and made sure everyone had the right costumes and garments. She ensured that every performer always felt safe, both in rehearsal and on set which further enhanced the final performances the actors gave. Her presence took away a lot of stress for everyone involved."
Bjorn Hanson
Producer
""Sara Blecher, thank you sooo much for the work you did on set! Crew and cast have been raving! So glad."
Khayelihle Gumede
Chief Creative Officer Clive Morris Productions - Isono
Working with Vanessa was my first experience of working with an intimacy coordinator, and what a wonderful learning experience it was!
Through pre-production and production, Vanessa worked closely with the director, myself and the actors to understand the scene in question and develop a specific choreography that ensured everyone felt safe and comfortable while still telling a beautiful and intimate story.
Vanessa was sensitive to all our needs and did a fantastic job of explaining her processes to everyone involved. We couldn't be happier with the intimate scene that we produced thanks to all of Vanessa's nuanced and wonderfully creative work. We cannot wait to work with her again!"
Adam Pursey
Production Coordinator
"Vanessa is a brilliant presence on any set and makes, what can be an awkward intimate moment seem as relaxed, calm and simple as possible. A great ability to build confidence of cast and crew and excellent before and aftercare."
Anna Russell-Martin
(Actor)
'Samantha - I felt really comfortable the whole time- a credit to you and the production, which allowed me to feel really safe to express creatively and as truthfully as possible. Your approach as IC in particular Sam was fab for me; I never felt pressured and you were very sensitive of the atmosphere in the room ie. whether I needed you or I was ok to have some space. So thank you for that, I really appreciated it!'
Liv Hill
(Actor)
Whatever the budget or whatever your project....
Intimacy Coordinators near me
We have intimacy coordinators available for work in the UK - London, Cardiff, Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Brighton, Worthing, Portsmouth, Hastings, France - Brittany, Paris, Toulouse, Spain - Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante, Italy - Rome, Sardinia, Poland - Warsaw, Wrocław, Krakow, Hungary - Budapest, Czech Republic - Praha, Prague, Germany - Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Egypt - Cairo, Middle East, Dubai, Portugal - Lisbon, Porto, South Africa - Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Makhanda, America - New York and many other towns and countries. Please do reach out and see if we can assist you with your project. Safe Sets Intimacy have worked for all major streaming providers on both large and small scale productions.