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 the TV Series Festival, Tallin Black Nights Film Festival 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 2024.

More to follow...