Meet the Team .
Meet the industry professionals behind the 2024 festival. Our inspiring team has years of experience in programming, commissioning, publishing, production, curation and direction.
Aesthetica Team
Cherie Federico
Festival Director / Advertising & Fashion Programmer
Alice Butterfield
Technical Coordinator / Artists' Film & Experimental Programmer
Eleanor Sutherland
Creative Producer
Fruzsina Vida
Projects Administrator
Dale Donley
Festival Director / Animation, Drama & Family Friendly Programmer
Megan Hobson
Media Sales & Partnerships Manager
Phoebe Cawley
Marketing Coordinator
Anna Gallon
Operations Coordinator
Emma Jacob
Content Creator
Programming Team
Jack Denham
Games Programmer
Martha Cattell
Music Video Programmer
Angel Cohn Castle
Dance Programmer
Cherie Federico
Festival Director / Advertising & Fashion Programmer
Des Gayle
Games Programmer
MarBelle
Comedy & Drama Programmer / Directors Notes
Tosin Alapafuja
Drama Shorts Programmer
Dale Donley
Festival Director / Animation, Drama & Family Friendly Programmer
Holly Newson
Podcasting Programmer
Matthew Spokes
Games Programmer
Abi Mitchell
Drama Shorts Programmer
Alice Butterfield
Technical Coordinator / Artists' Film & Experimental Programmer
Mikey Murray
Thriller Programmer
Matt Coward-Gibbs
Games Programmer
Heather McIntosh
Documentary Shorts Programmer
Rob Speranza
Drama Shorts Programmer
Jury
Steve Melia
Documentary Features Juror / Video Production Manager Audible
Caitlin Beavan
Associate Producer, Genesius Pictures
Glenn Holberton
Animation Juror / Mackinnon and Saunders
Tony Badu
Development Producer, Joi Productions
Will Becher
Animation Juror / Aardman
Paul Cheung
Advertising, Music Video & Fashion Juror
Amos Eretusi
Founder & Managing Director, The Kusp
Emily Whalley
Podcasts Juror / Chalk & Blade
Mick Audsley
Drama Juror / Editor
Katherine Bidwell
Games Juror / State of Play Games
Aubrey Clarke
Commissioning Executive, BBC Children’s
Sydney Oberfeld
Associate Producer, Good Chaos
Paulina Jozwiak
Production Manager, Fight Gravity Films
Tom Knights
Games Juror
Nick Brown
Thriller Juror / Neal Street Productions
Ebona Eastmond-Henry
GTM & Strategic Partnerships, Ninantic Spcaial
Jim Campbell
Head of PR & Communications, RSA
Bec Evans
Comedy Juror
Dom Johnson
Podcasts Juror
Patrick Craig
Comedy Juror / Blink Productions
Nephertiti Oboshie Schandorf
Artists' Film, Experimental & Dance Juror / Wellcome Collection
Meera Kumar
Podcast Juror
Simon Nelson
Drama Juror / BBC
Lindsay Crouse
Documentary Juror / New York Times Op-Docs
Lola Oliyide
Narrative Features Juror / Head of Development Neal Street Productions
Pamela Jikiemi
Head of Film, TV & Audio, RADA
Danyele Seignoret
Drama Juror / Channel 4
Remy Downey
Family Friendly Juror / ITV
Alia Sheikh
VR & Immersive Experiences Juror / Freelance Immersive Experiences Consultant
Advisory Board
Steve Jelley
Hammerhead VR
Dionne Farrell
Development Executive / BBC Films
MarBelle
Comedy & Drama Programmer / Directors Notes
Jess Loveland
Head of New Writing / BBC
Nyree Jillings
BFI
Daryll Smalley
City of York Council
Richard Knight
Screen Yorkshire
Julian Foddy
VFX Supervisor / Industrial Light & Magic / Drama Juror
Max Park
Development and Production Executive / Film4
Sadie Clayton
Artist & Designer
