Isabel Davis, Executive Director
Isabel leads Screen Scotland, the screen agency for the growth of the Scottish sector which sits within Creative Scotland. Screen Scotland is leading the growth of the Scottish sector through investing in development and production, enhancing skills and production infrastructure, advocating for screen education, and supporting Scottish talent to increase the quality and diversity of film and television production across scripted and unscripted genres.
From 2011–2018, Isabel was the BFI’s Head of International. In a role combining editorial, production and policy expertise, Isabel delivered the BFI’s international strategy. Isabel negotiated film co-production treaties with China and Brazil, and led on the building of industry relationships with these countries as well as with India, Morocco, Jamaica and several key European territories.
Since Isabel joined Screen Scotland in late 2018, the establishment of new studio infrastructure in Scotland has seen a significant shift in Scotland’s international production environment, with large scale international film and TV projects being wholly produced in Scotland for the first time.
Local production has also seen a boost with a pipeline of network commissions including STV’s Screw and World Productions’ Vigil, and first features from Scotland-based writing and directing talent such as Jono McLeod's My Old School and Adura Onashile's Girl.
Isabel has served as Production executive / Executive Producer on Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War; Haifaa Al Mansour’s Mary Shelley, Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Lobster, Claire Denis’s High Life and Victor Kossakovsky’s Aquarela.
David Smith, Director
David Smith was appointed as Director of Screen at Screen Scotland following a career working within film and television, making significant contributions in the festivals/exhibition sector and in unscripted television production.
David Smith started his working life as a projectionist at Eden Court in Inverness before heading to Edinburgh to do a law degree and work at the EIFF. While working at the Edinburgh film festival in 1996 he devised and programmed Mirrorball, which featured the early work of Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and Jonathan Glazer. David qualified as a solicitor with Edinburgh law firm Tods Murray W.S., training with renowned Scottish media lawyer Richard Findlay, before joining documentary producer Wark Clements & Co. in 2003. He formed Glasgow based production company Matchlight in 2009 and ran the documentary focused indie for a decade. Matchlight made over 150 hours of television for the BBC, C4, ITV, Channel 5 and MG Alba, with its productions securing multiple BAFTA Scotland, Royal Television Society, RTS Scotland, Grierson, Celtic Media Festival, MIND Media and Broadcast Digital nominations, and the occasional win. A former PACT Council member and BAFTA Scotland Committee member, David worked with Glasgow City Council on its successful bid to secure the C4 Hub for the city. He joined Screen Scotland as Director of Screen in 2019.