Confirmed speakers for SSF26

Scott Frank is a prolific multi award winning screenwriter whose film screenplays include Get Shorty, Out of Sight, Minority Report, The Interpreter, The Lookout (also directed), Marley & Me, Walk Among the Tombstones (also directed) and Logan. His TV work includes the Netflix limited series Godless (also directed) and the multiple-Emmy® Award-winning The Queen’s Gambit (also directed). Scott is currently the showrunner on Department Q. 

Lesley Paterson is a multi-talented Scottish five-time World Champion triathlete who later became an Oscar-nominated, BAFTA-winning screenwriter and producer. She is best known for co-writing the screenplay for the acclaimed 2022 Netflix movie All Quiet on the Western Front. 

Her remarkable life path connects the worlds of extreme physical endurance and Hollywood filmmaking. 

Douglas Mackinnon is an award-winning Scottish film and television director and producer. 

He is best known for directing major global TV dramas like Good Omens, Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Line of Duty.  Douglas has spent decades shaping modern British television. Most recently, Douglas co-directed the Ridge, a 6 part psychological thriller, alongside New Zealand director Robyn Grace. He also co-wrote two of the episodes.

Jamie Roy is a Scottish actor best known for his breakout lead role as Brian Fraser in the Starz historical drama prequel series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood.

Jamie took acting classes in Govan. He also trained internationally at the New York Film Academy campus in Miami. After moving to Los Angeles, he built his resume by appearing in several television and thriller films like Your Boyfriend is Mine,  Flowers and Honey, Burning Little Lies and Condor's Nest. 

Ashley Storrie is a multi BAFTA award winning comedian, writer and actress from Glasgow.

Ashley co-created and co-wrote Dinosaur, which she also stars in, produced by Fleabag producers Two Brothers Pictures, released on Hulu in the US and BBC1/iPlayer in the UK in 2024. The show was nominated for 4 Scottish BAFTAs with Ashley winning the awards for Writer Film/Television and Audience Award: Best Scot on Screen. The second series launched on BBC3/BBC iPlayer u the UK and Hulu in the US in February 2026.

David Hayman is a Scottish actor and director who has worked in film, television, and theatre for over 50 years.  David is widely recognized for playing Chief Superintendent Michael Walker in the ITV crime drama Trial & Retribution. He is also highly regarded for his extensive humanitarian work. Behind the camera, Hayman is known for directing hard-hitting stories, often focused on justice and crime.

Steven Cree is a Scottish actor best

known for his performances in Outlander and A Discovery of Witches.

Most recently, Cree appeared in I Swear, BBC/HBO drama Industry, Apple TV+ feature All of You, and Amazon’s Heads of State. Upcoming projects include Queen at Sea, Season 3 of BBC series Vigil; and the feature films Archangel for Sony and One Last Shot for Sky Cinema.

Cree has also written the feature film Ben and Lucy, currently in

development with Finite Films and expected to enter production later this year.

David is a Partner at legal firm Levy + McRae, with considerable experience built up in a wide range of areas over 20 years. He offers a versatile portfolio of services from commercial disputes to criminal, regulatory to reparation. He trained with the firm and has been a Partner since 2003.

He specialises in media law, representing newspapers, TV and radio broadcasters and websites. He also represents high profile individuals, businesses and organisations in ‎the protection of their reputations. David was Head of Media Law at Glasgow University from 2009 - 16 and is a regular commentator in all forms of media.

After twenty years producing and directing documentaries including Ross Kemp Behind Bars: Inside Barlinnie (ITV), Prison: First & Last 24 Hours (Sky), Air Ambulance ER (Sky),  and the award winning Stephen Hawking’s Brave New World (Channel 4), Louise moved into high end drama production in 2016. Her credits include Co-Producer Les Miserables (2018, BBC1/Netflix, Lookout Point), Co-Producer Dracula (2019, BBC1/Netflix, Hartswood) and Producer Shetland Series 6,7,8,9 and 10 (2019-2025, BBC1, Silverprint Pictures). She oversaw the new era of Shetland with the casting of Ashley Jensen in 2023. Louise is currently screenwriting and developing premium drama content alongside companion blue chip documentary features. 

Kevin Walls is a writer, director, producer, and actor, and the founder of Sonorous Films. He is a graduate of the MA TV Fiction Writing programme at Glasgow Caledonian University and was a member of the BBC Scottish Voices writing group. He has also written for the BBC drama River City. His debut feature Premature is scheduled for theatrical release in September 2026.

Deb is the current Assistant Commissioner for Scripted Content at BBC Scotland. In this position, she helps find, develop, and fund new comedy and drama projects. 

 Before becoming a television commissioner, she worked for a long time as a television producer. She is highly recognized for producing over 100 episodes of the popular Scottish soap opera River City. She also produced the 2018 short film Travelling on Trash.

Nathan and Ben McQuaid are Scottish identical twin brothers who recently wrote and directed the feature film 'Welcome to G-Town' which premiered at the 2026 Glasgow Film Festival. Their previous shorts have won awards at the Royal Television Society and the National Student Television Awards.

Christine is co-founder of My SMASH Media, an IP matchmaking platform for the creative industries, starting in Film & TV. Think of it as a dating app for creative projects. 

SMASH connects creators with industry decision-makers, helping producers, commissioners, studios and streamers discover projects that match their briefs and reach beyond their existing networks. The platform gives creators a free, industry-standard Pitch Builder and IP Protection.

SMASHPro offers additional tools and support from the SMASHCupid team.

Nora Chassler grew up in NYC in the 80s and has lived in Scotland since 2002. She has published two critically acclaimed literary novels, a collection of fragments and flash fiction and two books of poetry. She has a PhD from the University of Edinburgh.  She co -created and co- wrote the BBC’s critically acclaimed psychological thriller, The Ridge, and is working on several other projects for the screen, as well as a new novel.