Emily Dalton
Emily worked as a producer and director before becoming Creative Director, and then Managing Director at Banijay-owned Darlow Smithson. She has a reputation for originating and producing genre-crossing ideas like Channel 4 drama ‘The Mill’, ITV’s ‘Torvill and Dean’ and the BAFTA-winning documentary ‘Richard III: The King in the Car Park’. Emily runs Factual FIction’s non-scripted slate.
Tom Dalton
Tom spent twelve years directing and producing award-winning commercials & independent film before moving into TV drama: his debut feature as writer/producer sold to 139 countries and led to two sequels. Having just delivered three-part Prime Original ‘The Greatest Show Never Made’, Tom is prepping returning drama series ‘The Puzzle Lady’ and managing Factual Fiction’s scripted slate.
Ashley Francis-Roy
Director Ashley Francis-Roy makes distinctive, warm and authentic films that are full of joy and humanity. Ashley is driven by the people he meets and collaborates with; it is their worlds and stories that spark his passion for storytelling.
His debut ‘The Real Eastenders’, was awarded the Debut Director Award by the TV Foundation. His second film, ‘Damilola: The Boy Next Door’ won Ashley Best History Documentary at the RTS awards, and Best Presenter at the Grierson awards. In 2021, he was nominated by BAFTA for the Emerging Talent award and selected for BAFTA Breakthrough.
Chamoun Issa
Co-founder Chamoun Issa is an award-winning director and writer. A graduate of the NFTS, his film ‘Bilingual’ was selected for festivals around the world, winning multiple audience awards.
His remit at Factual Fiction includes managing ideas across the scripted slate, and developing relationships with new and diverse writing talent. As a disabled creator, Chamoun is a champion of disability both on and off screen.
Maiya John
A writer and poet and WORD’S FIRST finalist, Maiya has just finished the pilot script for Factual Fiction’s upcoming Michael Rosen adaptation of ‘You’re Thinking about Tomatoes’. Alongside this, her contemporary reimagining of ‘A Picture of Dorian Grey’, Oscar Wilde’s infamous 19th Century novel about self-obsession, youth and vanity has just been announced by ZDF Studios.
‘#DorianGrey’ is targeting a Christmas 2025 release.
Patrick Irwin
Co-founder Patrick Irwin is an executive producer with 25 years experience in the media sector and unrivalled expertise in international co-production.
His most recent work has been on Apple TV’s ‘Liaison’, AMC’s ‘The Vanishing Triangle’ and the PBS Masterpiece production ‘Miss Scarlet & the Duke’, currently in its fifth season. Previous credits include multiple award winning series ‘The Fall’, ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell’, and ‘Bang’.
Jonathan Smith
Jonathan Smith is one of Britain’s most successful television directors and creative executives. He won his first two BAFTA awards for NHS drama ‘The Trust’, alongside a ground-breaking film about Autism and Asperger’s syndrome called ‘Make Me Normal’.
Jon’s work has huge range, from classic observational films like ‘The Family’, through critically-acclaimed BAFTA-winning ‘Bedlam’, to hugely popular factual entertainment like ‘Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares’. Having made films and series for the BBC, Channel 4, Amazon and Netflix, he is also the creative force behind fixed rig documentaries, creating ‘One Born Every Minute’ and ‘24 Hours in Police Custody’.
Nina Elmatzioglou
Nina works as Factual Fiction’s in-house producer, covering development, access, archive and production.
Currently producing ‘The Greatest Show Never Made’ Nina’s previous work for Factual Fiction includes ITV biopics ‘The Queen Unseen’, its companion piece ‘Philip’, and the C5/Netflix acquisition ‘Royal Sisters’. Other credits include ‘Secret Life of the Hospital’, ‘Fast Justice’ and ‘A&E After Dark.’