Meet the team

Jason is Director for Tourism Development, Marketing (Visit Wales), Event Wales and Creative Wales within the Welsh Government. The role encompasses leadership of three customer-facing internal agencies of Welsh Government: Creative Wales, Visit Wales and Event Wales, and leads a team of around 200 people.

Joedi currently leads the Creative Wales team, and has overall responsibility for the development of the creative sectors we support within Wales; including Film and TV, Animation, Games, Music and Publishing.

Her remit also includes responsibility for Broadcasting and Media Policy, and a programme of Creative Wales-funded Skills and Talent initiatives, that create opportunities and long-term career prospects for future generations of creatives.

Paul leads the sector development team, looking after our relationship with the Film, TV, Games, Animation, Immersive and Music sectors, as well as the Wales Screen service. 

Also working closely with stakeholders on ambitious programmes including Media Cymru, Creative North Wales, Creative West Wales, BAFTA, albert, UK Government, TIGA and the creative industries' trade unions.

Pete is the driving force behind the support we provide for emerging music artists, music festivals and our vital grassroots venues here in Wales. Working with his experienced team, they connect artists and businesses with industry bodies and ensure funding is provided to support infrastructure and day to day operations.

Melanie ensures Creative Wales is aligned with all relevant Welsh Government policies and leads on Welsh Government broadcasting and media policy.

She maintains important relationships with key external bodies such as the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and OFCOM Cymru, and has led on the development of strategic partnerships between Creative Wales and Arts Council of Wales, BBC Cymru Wales and S4C. You can read more about our Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with these organisations here.

Additionally, Mel oversees Creative Wales research and insights work, and manages our support for the Publishing sector with our funding partner Books Council of Wales.

Steph plays a vital role in the rollout of all our funding programmes, managing the administrative side and engaging with several funding recipients to ensure thorough due-dilligence and responsible use of public spend.

She is also the lead for Creative Wales' finance team.

Lynsey leads the Marketing and Communications team, with overall responsibility for coordinating Ministerial communications, marketing campaign, events, sponsorship and stakeholder relations within the creative industries.

Helgard has worked in a variety of roles in the international publishing industry since 1995, was elected to the Gorsedd of the Bards in 2020 and was named as one of the 150 most influential people in publishing in Britain in 2021.

Tom is the founder and CEO of Rocket Science Group, a video game company with studios in New York, Austin, and Cardiff. Originally from Bridgend, he now resides in Austin, Texas. With a career spanning global teams and numerous blockbuster game titles, Tom has established himself as a leader in the industry, bringing visionary gaming experiences to life.

Will is regarded as one of the UK's leading immersive design creatives and a leading voice in building new forms of narrative with XR.

Originally trained as a Molecular Geneticist at Kings he adjusted to focus on Communication Design, training at UAL, before focusing on immersive technology development for its potential to bring new realities to life. He is

currently Creative Director at the multi-award-winning Sugar Creative where he has led the delivery of some of the most ground-breaking and genre redefining XR experiences of the last few years for brands including Ubisoft, Apple, Tmobile, ‘Wallace & Gromit’, ‘Dr.Seuss’, and the Chemical Brothers.

A recognised thought leader focused on innovation, he has written and presented at a range of national and international events including SXSW, Games for Change, and the Global Developer conference. He is an advocate for skill lead innovation and positive change, providing mentoring for emerging talent globally as well driving a shift towards a de-siloed approach to the use of creative innovations across all sectors.

His projects and the work he has led have won a number of accolades including a TIGA, SXSW innovation award, BIMA10, AWE Auggie, and been short-listed for two Cannes Lions.

Jon Rennie is Managing Director of Cloth Cat, an award-winning animation and games company specialising in the children's market. He started his career in games, then filmmaking and visual effects, before settling on the animation industry and forming Cloth Cat in 2012.

Over the past 10 years, the company has continued to develop new games and series ideas and was the recipient of an Epic Megagrant in 2021. Projects include the Emmy-nominated Luo Bao Bei, Shane the Chef, The Rubbish World of Dave Spud, Olobob Top, Ethel & Ernest, Boj, Grandpa in my Pocket and Disney's Tales of Friendship with Winnie the Pooh. Based in Cardiff and, when he isn’t working, he’s building Lego, he’s watching movies and travelling the world.

Prior to joining AIF John spent several years working as a freelance bid writer for music and creative organisations. During that time he also co-founded the Association of Independent Promoters, which he leads as Chair. Previously John was an independent concert and festival promoter, developing acts from grassroots music venues to Arenas, and co-founded the Welsh Music Prize, celebrating and championing the best new music from Wales.

Laura Taylor-Williams has extensive experience in digital media distribution, monetisation, strategic planning, business development and content strategy.

Currently as Head of Digital & Strategic Development at Aardman she leads the direction, publishing and partnerships of digital monetisation from the BBC to global platforms such as YouTube, Apple, Amazon. In addition, Laura steers digital content creation, reimagining and maximising content for digital audiences. 

Laura spearheaded the launch of Aardman’s first TV Channel in the USA; establishing herself as an industry authority regarding FAST TV Channels. 

Previous to Aardman, Laura, worked at major Hollywood studios; NBCUniversal and Warner Bros, spanning UK and international markets. Leading teams to maximise the exploitation of NBCUniversal’s movie and TV portfolio across digital ownership rights for key animation franchises from studios Illumination and DreamWorks as well as award winning live action and documentary features & TV shows.

Laura returned to South Wales in 2021, establishing herself in the Welsh media landscape; adding value through digital media consultancy, and exec producing.

Laura is a voting member of BAFTA and BIFA long-list voter. A regular speaker on industry podcasts and panels such as The Children’s Media Conference, Belfast Media Conference and the YouTube Summit.

Andy is the Regional Organiser for Wales and South West England at the Musicians' Union, and manages the Union's services, outreach, and campaigns across the region. He has a background in arts fundraising as well as music, and is involved in a variety of other groups including Cardiff Music Board, Bristol Nights, and the Wales TUC General Council.

Sioned Wyn is the BAFTA winning MD of Chwarel, a television production company that creates formatted and non-factual content for a range of broadcasters, including The Great House Giveaway for Channel 4.

A firm believer that location should be no barrier to creativity, she’s built up a successful media company in Cricieth, in Eifionydd, North Wales, and continues to push barriers by embracing the digital age and launching her own YouTube channel Melyn.