The No Strings Founders

Johnie McGlade,
Founder of No Strings.
Irish-born Johnie has a background of 14 years in aid around the world as emergency coordinator and field director, working first for the Irish aid organisation GOAL and then War Child in countries such as Angola, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Kosovo, and East Timor. He set up No Strings after realising the potential of puppets, having used them on many occasions at feeding camps, etc, to get out essential messages in ways that were often lost or ignored through more usual processes.

Kathy Mullen, Co-Founder.
As No Strings' Artistic Director, Kathy is a puppeteer with a vast range of experience, including Principal Performer with The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock, and with major credits in Sesame Street and the Muppet Movie series. Kathy has worked with children and puppets for decades, and writes all the No Strings scripts. She also takes the lead role in building our puppets, and directing and producing the films with Michael and the rest of the creative team.

Michael Frith, Co-Founder.
Former Executive Vice President of Jim Henson Productions and Director of Creative Services, Michael has played a pivotal role in the creation of The Muppet Show, five Muppet movies, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and many other productions. Michael draws and designs the No Strings puppets, and works alongside Kathy in the film production process.

Our Patrons

Neil Morrissey, Patron.
One of the UK's best known television actors, Neil has long been interested in aid work and has made extensive field visits to countries like Rwanda, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Albania, Sudan, Ethiopia, etc. Neil is a keen supporter of No Strings' work.




Hugo Speer, Patron.
Another highly acclaimed actor, Hugo has made many field visits to emergency zones around the world, and more recently was in Kabul with Johnie and the team for the official launch of the No Strings landmine-awareness programme. Like Neil, he has been involved with the organisation right from the start.





George Hurford-Jones, Patron.
Now Simon Cowell's executive producer at Syco (X Factor, etc), Georgie has won a stream of awards for her television work producing hit shows like Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, and is a big fan of No Strings' work.