Speakers

NEW SPEAKERS TO BE ADDED IN SPRING 2017
The London Screenwriters’ Festival features around 150 professional speakers from all aspects of the film and television business. Many have also agreed to intimate Script Chat sessions after their respective events so that you can get face time with them. New speakers are added periodically with the vast majority being confirmed late spring / early summer 2017. Get updates by signing up below.

“

Loved every minute! Made some great new friends and loads of contacts. Just bought my ticket for next year! :)

Joanna Gordon, Screenwirter

Legend

Christopher Vogler – Hero's Journey Story Consultant

Credits include: The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers

Story consultant to the biggest names in Hollywood.

Jeb Stuart – Screenwriter

Credits include: Die Hard, The Fugitive

Jeb has been a motion picture and television screenwriter, director and producer for over 30 years and is considered one of the great action screenwriters in film history.

Nicholas Meyer – Screenwriter and Director

Credits: 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'

plus... 'Time After Time' and 'Star Trek: The Voyage Home'. And now Nicholas is writing the new Star Trek: Discovery. Seriously.

“

An embarrassment of riches, I was like a kid in a candy store

Amanda Harper, Creative

Headliners

Iain Smith – Producer

Credits include: Wanted, The Fountain, The Fifth Element

Iain is an established and award winning international film producer with a credit list as long as your arm!

Pilar Alessandra – Script Consultant and Educator

Credits include: The Coffee Break Screenwriter

Pilar's students and clients have written for Lost, Prison Break, Nip Tuck, House of Lies, CSI and Family Guy.

Scott Myers – Screenwriter, Producer and Educator

Screenwriter of 'K-9' with Jim Belushi and 'Trojan War' with Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Screenwriter and producer, head honcho at 'Go Into The Story' and Black List offical blog scribe.

“

Thank you for the INSPIRATION, thank you for the ENERGY! It was an awesome 3 days!

Susan Larsen, Screenwriter

Screenwriters

Ashley Pharoah – Writer

Credits include: Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes

Ashley is a veteran TV writer who has created and written several long-running series for the BBC and ITV.

Rob Sprackling – Screenwriter & Director

Credits include: Gnomeo & Juliet, Mike Bassett and Mariah Mundi And The Midas Box

Rob has written for the biggest names in film including 'Gnomeo and Juliet' which grossed $200m for Disney!

Jed Mercurio – Screenwriter

Credits include: Line Of Duty, Cardiac Arrest

Jed's most recent credit, 'Line of Duty', is the most watched BBC2 drama series in the multichannel era.

Tony Jordan – Writer and producer

Credits include: Hustle, Life On Mars, Holby Blue

He’s written for and created some of the most iconic and successful British TV series, including Life on Mars and East Enders.

Danny Brocklehurst – Screenwriter

Credits include: The Five, Ordinary Lies, Shameless, Clocking Off

Danny is a BAFTA and International Emmy winning screenwriter who has written on some of the biggest UK dramas of recent years.

Jonathan Ruffle – Writer & Producer

Credits include: Tommies, Never Mind The Buzzcocks

Jonathan created, writes and produces the a four-and-a-half year real-time drama - Tommies which airs on BBC Radio this autumn.

Ol Parker – Screenwriter & Director

Credits include: Imagine Me & You, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,

After making his start on Grange Hill, Ol's career path has led him all the way to the BAFTA nominated 'Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'.

Paul Mayhew-Archer – Screenwriter & Producer

Credits include: The Vicar of Dibley, Miranda

Paul has worked for 35 years in Radio and TV as a comedy writer, producer, script editor and commissioning editor.

Paul Mendelson – Screenwriter

Credits include: My Hero, Losing It

Paul is best known for his work on 'My Hero', 'May to December' and 'Neighbours from Hell'.

Rob Morgan – Game Writer

Credits include: Fallen London, Imago

Rob is a game writer, narrative designer and voice director.

Tom Kerevan – Screenwriter - Producer/Founder of Cannibal Films

Credits include: Tear Me Apart

Tom is a screenwriter and producer. His debut 'Tear Me Apart' premiered at the Austin Film Festival and he is currently working on his second feature ‘Gun’.

Vinay Patel – Screenwriter & Playwright

Credits include: Murdered By My Father

BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, Screenwriter and Playwright Vinay is currently under commission to the Bush Theatre, as well as developing projects for the BBC and the BFI.

“

I have had two script requests and a meeting with a producer and NONE of this would have happened if it wasn't for you and your team

Ndidi Spencer, Writer and Director

People who get stuff made

Yvonne Grace – Television Drama Producer/Script Editor/Writer

Credits include: Eastenders, Holby City

Yvonne has worked in script editing, story development and production for the BBC, Granada, Channel 4 and ITV.

Julian Friedmann – Film, TV and literary agent

Agent and great supporter of emerging talent.

Julian has years of experience as a literary agent and was the founder of ScriptWriter magazine.

Stephen Follows – Writer and producer

Credits include: Baseline, Sign Language

Stephen Follows is an award-winning writer and producer.

David Nicholas Wilkinson – Producer

Credits Include: The First Film, How To Change The World

David has been involved in the production/ distribution of over 100 British feature films with budgets from £20,000 to $16 million.

Gail Hackston – Screenwriter & Director

Credits include: 50 Kisses, Cancer Hair

Gail's short Cancer Hair won 'Best Fiction' and 'Best of Fest' at the Isle of Man Film Festival and won IMDb New Filmmaker of the Year at Bath Film Festival.

Jeff Norton – Writer-Producer & Author

Credits include: MetaWars, Trucktown, Princess Ponies

Jeff is a writer-producer, and author of the award-winning thriller series MetaWars.

John Yorke – MD Angel Station

Credits include: Wolf Hall, Shameless, Life On Mars

John Yorke is Managing Director of Angel Station where he works as a drama producer, consultant and lecturer on all forms of storytelling.

Julia McKenzie – Head of BBC Radio Comedy

Credits include: The Jason Byrne Show, French & Saunders

Julia produces comedies for Radio 2.

Martin Alltimes – CEO/Founder | The Imaginati Studio

Martin and Imaginati Studios are currently focused on creating games based on 'The Planet of Apes' franchise on console and PC.

Nik Powell – Producer and Director of National Film and Television School

Credits include: The Crying Game, Mona Lisa

Virgin co-founder turned Producer, Nik is the man behind some of the most successful and acclaimed British films of all time.

Robyn Slovo – Producer

Credits include: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Former exec at BBC Films and head of film at Company Pictures, Robyn is now an independent producer.

Ruth Kenley-Letts – Producer

Credits include: It's a Wonderful Life

Ruth runs JK Rowling’s Bronte Film and TV and won both an Oscar and BAFTA for 'It's a Wonderful Life' directed by Peter Capaldi

Samantha Horley – Producer

Credits include: Grabbers, Miss You Already

Samantha is a prolific Producer, freelance script and development consultant and a lecturer who creates and runs training courses for emerging filmmakers.

“

An embarrassment of riches, I was like a kid in a candy store

Amanda Harper, Creative

Directors

Martha Fiennes – Director and Screenwriter

Credits include: Onegin, Chromophobia

Award winning, visionary director of sumptuous Russian period piece 'Onegin' and the powerful and contemporary 'Chromophobia'.

“

The kick up the arse in terms of inspiration and the new network I am a part of is invaluable. Just stop reading and invest in your skillset right now.

David Sobell, Screenwriter

Actors

Naomi Cooper-Davis – Actor & Comedian

Credits include: Little Britain, Peep Show, Marcella

Naomi Cooper-Davis is an actor, improviser and comedian and a regular on the improv circuit with her group 'The Petting Zoo'.

“

The kick up the arse in terms of inspiration and the new network I am a part of is invaluable. Just stop reading and invest in your skillset right now.

David Sobell, Screenwriter

People who know stuff

Lucy V Hay – Script editor | Bang2write

Bionic blogger, script editor and the voice of new writers!

Legendary for her enthusiasm and knowledge which she shares with her community at Bang2Write. Core member of the LSF team.

Linda Aronson – Practitioner and screenwriter

Author of: The 21st-Century Screenplay

Linda Aronson returns to dazzle LSF delegates with her game changing explanations of how to construct non-linear and multiple storyline films.

Chris Jones – Filmmaker and author

Credits include: Oscars shortlisted Gone Fishing, the Guerilla Handbooks and a bunch of feature films

Chris has spent his life making movies, writing books and helping others make their movies.

Jean Kitson – Agent - Kitson Press Associates

Founder: Kitson Press Associates

Jean Kitson is an agent representing film, TV, theatre and radio writers and directors.

David Mansell – Producer & Script Editor

Credits include: Doctor Who, Torchwood, Casualty

David is an accomplished Script Editor and Producer who has worked on many of the UK's most popular continuing drama series.

Karol Griffiths – Script Editor & Supervisor

Credits include: How I Met Your Mother, Friends

Karol Griffiths is a successful script editor and development consultant with over twenty years of experience.

Kira-Anne Pelican – Script Consultant and Researcher

Kira-Anne is an independent script consultant, a PhD researcher in Screenwriting, and visiting tutor at the Met Film School, London.

Lucy Raffety – Producer & Script Editor

Credits include: Casualty, Eastenders

Lucy instigated a Writers’ Room system at Casualty which now commissions the majority of its writers in that way.

Ludo Smolski – Development Consultant

Credits include: Filth, Leave To Remain

Ludo is a development consultant and script editor, and is a co-Tutor of the National Film & Television School's Postgraduate Diploma in Script Development.