Karen Kelly

Chair, Directors UK & Film/TV Showrunner · Director · Exec Producer

Role at Directors UK

  • Chair of the Board of Directors UK, an elected role representing UK directors across film and television .
  • Joined the Directors UK Board in 2016; previously served as Vice-Chair and as the Scotland Representative, stepping down from those roles in 2018 to assume her current responsibilities .

Professional Synopsis

  • Highly experienced, award-winning freelance director with over 50 hours of network television credits across factual, documentary, specialist factual, and drama formats .
  • As a showrunner and executive producer, she works across premium factual and scripted formats, including high-end documentaries and hybrid series for UK and international broadcasters such as Netflix and Sky .
  • Known for exceptional editorial rigour, narrative design, visual ambition and creative leadership, her credits include Flight 149: Hostage of War (Sky), Blood, Sex & Royalty (Netflix), and Prehistoric Park (ITV/Animal Planet) .

Key Skills & Strengths

  • Proficient across genres: Factual, long-form documentary, unscripted and scripted drama/reconstruction formats.
  • Experienced in self-shooting, high-end CGI/VFX integration, live-action stunts, challenging locations, and high production scale across international environments .
  • Extensive leadership and mentoring: led the WFTV mentoring programme in Scotland, advocates for creative talent and champions industry access and diversity .

Selected Credits

From sources including Directors UK profile and talent representation:

  • Dramas: Chips (writer/director), BBC’s Casualty, Hollyoaks, EastEnders, Doctors .
  • Factual & Specialist Factual: First Civilisation (PBS), See No Evil (Discovery ID), Panorama (BBC), Teen Canteen, Guinea Pig Club (RTS-awarded) .
  • High-end hybrid/documentary series: Blood, Sex & Royalty (Netflix), Flight 149: Hostage of War (Sky), Prehistoric Park (ITV/Animal Planet) .

Leadership & Industry Advocacy

  • As Chair, represents directors’ rights and professional interests across policy, diversity, pay, training and regional representation at Directors UK .
  • Instrumental in lobbying for nations and regions production equity, giving evidence to Ofcom reviews, organising events, and strengthening Scottish production representation .
  • Actively mentors emerging talent, particularly through Women in Film & TV (WFTV) Scotland programming .

Noteworthy Achievements

  • Royal Television Society award for The Guinea Pig Club (BBC Four) .
  • Leadership roles and campaigns for diversity, pay equity, and networking across the UK’s nations and regions.
  • Continues to combine board-level governance responsibilities with hands-on showrunning and producing on high-end projects.

Jonathan Whittaker

Filmmaker & NYFA Faculty

Current Role & Affiliations

  • Chair of Short-Term Filmmaking Programs at the New York Film Academy (NYFA), where he leads intensive workshops and short-form filmmaking training at locations including New York City .
  • Partner and founding member of ManInHat, an independent New York–based production company specializing in narrative and branded content across formats such as short films, music videos, commercials, live concerts, TV shows, documentaries, features, and 3D special projects .

 Professional Experience

  • Over 15 years of industry experience, spanning producing, directing, cinematography, and editing .
  • Clients include major brands and media companies such as Nissan, Sony Pictures, DirecTV, Gillette, Hyundai, and Sports Illustrated .
  • Directed projects:
    • Emilia (2014)
    • Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: The 3D Experience (2011)
    • The 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Selection Show (2011) .
  • Produced:
    • Train Baby (2015)
    • People We Meet (2014)
    • America, Here We Come (2014)
    • Trophy Wife (2010).
  • Additionally worked across documentaries, branded storytelling, and 3D media formats .

 Teaching & Educational Outreach

  • More than a decade as faculty at NYFA, including global guest lectures and workshops reaching international audiences .
  • Favored course topics include:
    • Introduction to the Language of Cinema – exploring why cinematic techniques affect audience perception.
    • Directing Actors – focusing on human performance and narrative nuance .
  • Known for a caring, patient, and inspirational teaching style, using questioning to guide students toward their own realizations 

Zetha Asafu-Adjaye

ZTA Management, Co-Founder & Agent 

Zetha Asafu-Adjaye is an agent for acting, screenwriting and directing, as well as the creative force and founder behind ZTA. Here, talent management & development is rethought in a holistic approach by combining the areas of film and PR. 

After gaining work experience in a classic acting agency, film distribution, casting and public relations, she founded ZTA Management in 2020. Since then, she has been committed to structural change in the industry. 

Be it through guest lectureships at the MET Film School and Cours Florent, various panel talks at Seriencamp Cologne, Berlin TV Series Festival, Filmfest Munich, Tallin Black Nights Film Festival, for Black at L’Oréal and workshops for the Berlinale Talent programme or a jury activity at the Filmfest Braunschweig.
 
Her core topics are equal opportunities, creative empowerment and fair working conditions. In 2023, she was recognized by Screen Daily alongside 31 international colleagues as a “Future Leader 2023: Talent Agents and Managers to Watch” by Screen Daily. She has also been a member of the European Film Academy since March 2024and of WIFT Germany since 2021.

David Grossman

Television & Film Director | Producer

David Grossman is an acclaimed television and film director with a career spanning over three decades. Known for his versatility across genres, he has directed and produced some of the most celebrated shows in television history.

He has helmed episodes of Desperate Housewives (where he also served as Producer/Director for multiple seasons), 12 Monkeys, The Expanse, Queen of the South, Magnum P.I., Bones, Scorpion, Revenge, Arrow, Nashville, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost, CSI, and Ally McBeal, among many others.

Grossman has also directed pilots including Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (Disney) and One for the Money (UPN), as well as the feature film George of the Jungle II for Walt Disney. In recognition of his outstanding work, he received a Directors Guild of America Award nomination for Achievement in Comedy in 2007.

Most recently, his credits include directing multiple episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer, Disney’s Goosebumps, and several of Dick Wolf’s hit dramas. Grossman’s deep understanding of storytelling and production has made him one of the industry’s most trusted directors, consistently bringing creativity, precision, and excellence to the screen.

Pedro Butcher

Film Critic & Journalist

Pedro Butcher is an accomplished film critic, journalist, and academic whose career spans across leading film festivals, academic research, and international industry programs. He is a curator for the Mostra Cine BH – Belo Horizonte International Film Festival and serves on the team of Brasil CineMundi, one of Latin America’s most prominent co-production markets. Pedro also contributes to the Talent Press program at the Berlin International Film Festival, nurturing emerging voices in film criticism worldwide.
 
He holds a doctorate from the Universidade Federal Fluminense, where his research focused on “Hollywood and the Film Market in Brazil: Principles of a Hegemony.” He currently teaches film studies and curating at ESPM-RJ (Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing), bringing both critical and practical expertise to the next generation of filmmakers.
 
As a journalist and film critic, Pedro has written for leading Brazilian newspapers and today contributes to Valor Econômico, one of Brazil’s most respected publications. Since 2016, he has coordinated Talent Press Rio, a program dedicated to training emerging Portuguese-speaking film critics. He is also a member of the selection committee for the Works-in-Progress (WIP) section of the Tiradentes Film Festival and continues to collaborate with Brasil CineMundi’s co-production meetings.
 
Pedro’s wealth of experience across journalism, academia, and international film festivals makes him a respected and trusted voice in the global film industry.

Bina Daigeler

International | Costume Designer 

Renowned for her visual storytelling and cross-cultural artistry, Bina Daigeler is one of the most respected costume designers working in global cinema today. Since relocating to Spain in the 1990s, her career has bridged continents and cinematic traditions.
 
Daigeler received her first Academy Award nomination for Mulan (dir. Niki Caro, 2020), and the German Film Award for Manifesto (dir. Julian Rosefeldt, 2015). She is a five-time Goya Award nominee, including three nods for her collaborations with Pedro Almodóvar—All About My Mother (1999), Volver (2006), and The Room Next Door (2024).
 
Her extensive international credits include TÁR (Todd Field, 2022), 7 Days in Entebbe (José Padilha, 2018), Submergence (Wim Wenders, 2017), Snowden (Oliver Stone, 2016), Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch, 2013), The Limits of Control (Jim Jarmusch, 2009), and Che (Steven Soderbergh, 2008).
 
Her recent works, including Rosebush Pruning (Karim Aïnouz) and Mother Mary (David Lowery), continue to affirm her influence and artistry in shaping cinematic worlds.

Karim Aïnouz

Director · Filmmaker · Visual Artist 

Karim Aïnouz is a visionary Brazilian-Algerian director whose films are celebrated for their bold emotional depth, poetic imagery, and fearless storytelling.

His body of work spans over two decades and includes some of the most acclaimed titles in contemporary cinema. Aïnouz made his international breakthrough with Madame Satã (2002), which premiered at Cannes and established him as a distinctive voice in world filmmaking.

He went on to direct Suely in the Sky (2006), Futuro Beach (2014), and The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão (2019) — winner of the Un Certain Regard Award at the Cannes Film Festival. His later works, Mariner of the Mountains (2021), Firebrand (2023), and Motel Destino (2024), further affirm his mastery of cinematic language and his commitment to stories that bridge identity, politics, and emotion.

Aïnouz’s films embody courage, sensuality, and empathy — redefining how personal narratives can speak to universal truths.

More to follow...