Sophie will take up the role on May 29.
Sophie is currently the Senior Fund Manager at Screen Canberra where she has most recently managed programs including the $5 Million CBR Screen Fund for the ACT Government. Previously, Sophie was based in Denmark from 2009 – 2015, holding a variety of roles at the European Film College including Vice Principal, Head Creative Documentary, Principal (Acting) and Head Producing.
On her return to Australia, she created and hosted the hit podcast Not By Accident, which has been downloaded more than two million times by listeners from around the world.
Previously she worked at both Screen Australia and the Australian Film Commission in various roles including that of Governance and Compliance Manager.
In welcoming Sophie, Rowan Woods said: “The ADG is a compact and powerful force within the Australian screen industry. Sophie Harper is a great fit for the Guild with her background in screen agencies, her outstanding achievements in podcasting and in high-level academic roles at the European Film College in Denmark.
“With Sophie at the helm, the ADG has a great platform to build upon, at a time when important collaborations are forming with the Australian Writers Guild and our other fellow guilds surrounding fairer renumeration for writers and directors and pressing issues surrounding streamer quotas and copyright.
“On behalf of the ADG Board, I’d like to express our gratitude to the previous Executive Director, Alaric McAusland, and to Ana Tiwary, the ADG’s Strategy and Development Executive. We thank Alaric and Ana for their powerful industrial advocacy, innovative cultural initiatives and for building our membership at a time when much was stalling in the screen sector.
“Ana Tiwary will be ending her two-and-a-half-year engagement at the ADG at the end of May. Her accomplishments are many, including the creation of the ADG website and membership management system, the ADG First-Hand webinars, development initiatives such as Credit Maker, and key events alongside policy and strategy. I’d also like to thank Ana personally for her outstanding work as Acting ADG Executive Director after Alaric’s departure. Ana’s expertise and generosity have been critical in this difficult transition period. We wish her the best for new adventures.”
“I would also like to thank EP Australia for their work in recruiting Sophie for the role.”
Sophie Harper said: “I’m honoured to be taking up this role within the Guild. I look forward to working with such a dedicated team, building on the many significant initiatives and bringing continued success to our member base. Now is such an important time for the screen industry. I see great potential in building unity across the leading member agencies to excel in our common goal as storytellers as we bring authentic and complex narratives to life. Storytelling on screen is a team sport. It has to be even to begin to reflect the diverse experience of being Australian and capture the imagination of audiences across the globe.”
The Australian Directors’ Guild is a not-for-profit industry association representing the interests of over 1,000 Screen Director members working across film, television, streaming and digital media.
