Who we are

Chair of Create Central

Ed Shedd runs Deloitte’s North & South Europe (NSE) Technology, Media & Telecoms (TMT) Practice, which generates more than £1bn revenue annually. Ed has deep experience in supporting CEO led Growth & Digital Transformation programmes, be it in TV, film, gaming and publishing sectors.

Vice-Chair of Create Central

Alison Warner is Managing Director of Blue Zoo Rights, which manages Blue Zoo Studio’s content both for in-house animated projects and third-party co-productions with the studio. Prior to that, she was Vice President of IP Sales, Acquisitions and Co-Productions for Technicolor Creative Development.

Head of Virtual Production & ICVFX - Film & Drama at VSS (part of MBS) , Chris Cox has over 20 years’ experience in the delivery of professional LED, projection and virtual production support to a broad selection of film and television projects.

Debbie is a BAFTA and EMMY award winning writer and director of film, television and theatre. Her hit feature film CONFETTI starring a host of British comedy talent was distributed for the world by Fox Searchlight and nominated for a British Comedy Award in 2006.

Previsualization specialist Jamie Bakewell is the founder of Midlands-based production company Bigtooth Studios, working in film, game & TV. Bigtooth Studios use the latest technology to advance storyboards into fully visualised 3D sequences. Enabling producers to refine and coordinate budgets and allowing directors to creatively explore ideas in a virtual prototype before getting on set.

Jazz Gowans is an award-winning executive producer and creative director. As CEO and founder, Jazz ran Transparent Television, one of the UK's leading TV production companies, for some 15 years (becoming part of the global media group, Argonon, in 2013) creating, winning and delivering primetime documentaries and formats, currently showing in over 100 countries worldwide.

Kit de Waal is an award-winning writer. She was born in Birmingham to an Irish mother who was a childminder and foster carer and a Caribbean father. Her debut novel My Name is Leon won the 2016 Irish Novel of the Year and has been adapted for the BBC. Other works include The Trick to Time (2018), Becoming Dinah (2019), Supporting Cast (2020).

Mark is the Founder and CEO of The SPACE-2 Group, a Midlands-HQ’ed group of businesses focused on sustainable production, assets and creative ecosystems. With a particular specialism in regenerative, meanwhile uses of commercial property, SPACE-2 has a significant 15 year track record in promoting and managing activities and spaces for the film, TV and events sectors and is a leading location advisor.

Neil Duncanson has built North One Television into one of Britain’s most creative and successful independent production companies. The company now boasts entertainment, comedy, factual, music, sport and commercial programming, with offices in London, Birmingham and Los Angeles. NorthOne is owned by All3media, one of the world’s biggest media outfits, itself owned by American giants Liberty Global and Discovery.

Nick is the CEO of Covatic. Having previously worked for the BBC and Imagine Communications, Nick has spent the majority of his career in the Broadcast and Media Industry. He has led key technical aspects of high profile events such as the BBC’s Broadcast of the Scottish Referendum, Glastonbury and Radio 1’s Big Weekend.

Paul is Chair of creative agency One Black Bear. A former Managing Director of MediaCom Paul started his career in London but has spent the last 20 years building media businesses in the West Midlands. He launched the Midlands office of UM and most recently set up the Birmingham office of MediaCom, the UK’s largest media agency.

Phil Bale has 25 years’ experience of working in the games industry, working with among others, Ubisoft, Activision and Codemasters primarily in the Leamington Spa area. Previously based within the Art discipline, Phil now works in the operational side of the business supporting the teams of games developers.

Robin is the co-founder and co-CEO of Gray Jones Media, a 360-degree IP LGBTQ media company headquartered in Birmingham and with offices in New York City. Gray Jones Media is home to four online magazines all serving different niches of the global LGBTQ community, including the award-winning Gayming Magazine, the world’s only LGBTQ video game magazine.

Yen Yau is a screen industries professional with over 25 years’ experience of working in the sector. Her passion is supporting new entrants who want to work in the film and television sectors. Currently, as The Grierson Trust’s Director of Training Programmes, she works with trainees to get them job ready for roles in factual TV, working closely with production companies, industry mentors, and other partners to provide equality of access to opportunities, to under-represented groups.