Born in Keighley, raised in Harrogate, and now Head of Development at Wise Owl Films and HOOT in Leeds, Lucy Smith is a passionate northerner laser-focused on growing Yorkshire's world-class screen industries and she's spearheading the fight against the "bucolic plague" that pigeonholes how the north is seen by London-based commissioners.

Prior to Wise Owl Films, she thrived in developments teams at MultiStory Media, Firecracker Films and the BBC, with recent credits including Box Fresh (4.0), My Second Hand Home (Channel 4), You Are What You Wear (BBC1), Drawers Off (Channel 4) and The Big Flower Fight (Netflix).

Lucy is also a founding member of The New Monday, a cross-industry collective bringing together creatives from across Yorkshire.