We’re delighted to announce the results of the newly elected AD Guild Advisory Council (AC) 2026- 2027.
The Advisory Council is made up of elected ADG members and non-members from across the wider Film & TV industry. Our AC members bring extensive experience and expertise, both as Assistant Directors and from their chosen fields of related work.
The purpose of the Advisory Council is to contribute to the vision and strategy of the Guild, providing valuable input and advice to support the goals and objectives of the AD Guild.
We’re very pleased to welcome the following members to the Advisory Council:
2nd Assistant Director
Jo Tew is a 2nd Assistant Director working in film and drama, with over twenty years’ experience in the industry. Jo has been a member of the ADG Council since its inception and has enjoyed being part of the Guild’s development and growth.
Jo is particularly interested in education and training, developing outreach programmes, and creating training and mentoring opportunities for all members.
She is also passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within the industry, and believes the Guild can have a significant impact in enabling working environments where every AD feels empowered to achieve their full potential.
1st Assistant Director
Paul Murphy has over twenty years’ experience as a 1st AD, working across features, HETV and commercials. During his career, he has worked with Oscar and BAFTA-winning cast, directors and production companies, with several of the productions he has collaborated on also receiving BAFTA recognition.
A member of the ADG since its inception, Paul has previously been a member of the ADG Regional Committee. As a father to three neurodiverse children with disabilities, he is particularly interested in strengthening inclusion and accessibility for disabled and neurodiverse people already working within our industry, as well as those with ambitions to enter it.
In 2023, Paul made his first foray into producing with Partygate, commissioned and screened by Channel 4. The production was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Director and won Best Single Drama at the Royal Television Society Awards.
Paul is currently looking to develop his producing work alongside his AD career, seeking opportunities to 1st and associate produce HETV productions while continuing to build his feature and HETV 1st AD credits.
Co-founder of Leading Ladies – Female AD Organisation
Ellicia is a working 1st Assistant Director with over a decade in the industry, working across everything from M&S Christmas campaigns and secret tech launches for Google, to a Sam Fender video that went on to feature on the A Level Media Studies syllabus and an internet-breaking project for Stormzy.
After spending much of her early career as one of very few women on set, let alone in the AD department, Ellicia co-founded Leading Ladies, a community for women in film and TV to skill-share, recommend each other for jobs, ask questions and connect with one another. The community now has over 350 members, with every event selling out within days.
Having never attended university, Ellicia went on to complete a Master’s at the National Film and Television School, researching leadership within the unique environment of being on set. She has since been developing a leadership model specifically tailored to the challenges of leading people in this environment.
Ellicia brings a perspective firmly rooted on the floor, an ear to the next generation and a desire to connect emerging talent with the enormous experience already within the Guild. She is passionate about building an industry people want to stay in and helping remind us why we chose this slightly mad career in the first place.
1st Assistant Director
Over the last 15 years, Jez has worked his way through the AD department in HETV and features to become a 1st AD. He has worked for organisations including the BBC, ITV, Mammoth Screen, Netflix, Searchlight and Disney, among others.
Jez has been Co-Chair of the ADG Education and Training Committee since the Guild’s foundation, helping to ensure excellence in the training of UK ADs and maintaining the high standards for which UK ADs are regarded worldwide.
He is also a contributor and external tutor at the National Film and Television School.
2nd Assistant Director
Emmy Brown is in her ninth year in the industry and has worked her way up from Floor Runner to 2nd AD, working on Band 2 budget productions.
In recent years, Emmy has also worked as a 1st AD on second units, short films and independent features, as well as working as a chaperone.
An active member of the ADG, Emmy is a strong advocate for new entrants into the industry. Having found the support and guidance of experienced colleagues invaluable when starting her own career, she is passionate about passing that support on to others.
Emmy’s ambitions include becoming a 1st AD and, one day, directing her own film.
1st Assistant Director | AD Guild Director
Richard has been actively involved with the AD Guild as a Council member and company director since its inception in 2020. Prior to this, he enjoyed a 25-year career as a 1st Assistant Director across a wide variety of commercials, film and HETV productions, working with directors including Stephen Poliakoff, Beeban Kidron and Taylor Hackford.
Richard is a passionate advocate for the AD Guild and is keen to advise and support the next chapter of its development alongside colleagues on the Advisory Council.
He is particularly keen to encourage the provision of more training and services for Guild members, while driving wider recognition and respect for the Assistant Directors’ craft and their critical role within the industry.
Head of Industry Relations, Directors UK
Paul is Head of Industry Relations at Directors UK. He previously spent more than a decade working at Bectu, including five years as Assistant National Secretary overseeing the London Production Division, which negotiated the Bectu/Pact agreements.
During this time, he helped establish the AD Branch and was involved in discussions that ultimately contributed to the founding of the ADG and the AD grading scheme.
Paul’s earlier film industry-related experience includes four years as a researcher in the European Parliament, specialising in global film and TV trade. He has also worked as a founder and director of a software company, advised on media matters, organised policy conferences and worked as Advertising Manager at The New Statesman.
Crew Development Manager | Liverpool Film Office
Helen Morgan spent 16 years working in the film and TV industry as an Assistant Director, progressing from Runner to First Assistant across a wide range of productions, including feature films, HETV, serial drama and children’s television.
Helen was a member of the AD Guild from its inception and played an active role on both the Equality and Diversity and Regional Committees.
In 2023, Helen moved into a new role with the Liverpool Film Office as Crew Development Manager. Her role is focused on promoting and advocating for local film and TV crew and delivering the Liverpool City Region Screen Workforce Strategy.
Helen supports productions filming in the region to crew with local behind-the-scenes talent and manages BFI-funded skills cluster activity with Screen Alliance North. She also works across a variety of national projects with industry organisations including BAFTA, BFI, The Film and TV Charity, Production Guild UK, Bectu and BFC, as well as numerous regional and national training providers.
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We’re incredibly pleased to have such a broad range of experience, knowledge and perspectives represented on the Advisory Council.
We look forward to working closely with the AC as we continue to develop the Guild’s strategy and vision, and to building on the work already underway to support, represent and champion Assistant Directors across the industry.
Thank you once again to everyone who attended the AGM, and to all our members for your continued support of the AD Guild.
