OKRE connects the film, TV, and gaming industries with researchers and lived experience to create entertainment that sparks real social change

Okre Summit

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OKRE Summit 2026: Be the Bigger Picture

At the 2026 OKRE Summit, ‘Be the Bigger Picture’, we focused on how to create more authentic, impactful worlds on screen, with a particular spotlight on stories developed in collaboration with lived experience or academic research.

Highlights included our keynote, author and screen writer Paris Lees, delivering an honest account of the process of turning her life story into the BBC drama ‘What it Feels Like For a Girl’, and a deep dive into hit ITV show The Assembly, to also showcase how inclusive practices off-screen are fuelling creativity on-screen.
Event Date 31 October 2025
Tickets Free
Location/Platform Google London, 6 Pancras Square
Kings Cross, N1C 4AG
Buy tickets

What to expect at 2026 OKRE summit

The 2026 OKRE Summit, ‘Be the Bigger Picture’, will focus on how entertainment fuelled by collaboration creates more authentic, impactful worlds on screen.

It will have a particular spotlight on stories developed in collaboration with lived experience or academic research.

The Summit will also showcase best practice ethical considerations of storytelling, including how inclusive practices off-screen are fuelling creativity on-screen.

For 2026, attendees can expect a day of insightful keynotes, dynamic panel discussions, and unparalleled networking opportunities with leading figures across the creative, research, and social impact sectors.

The OKRE Summit 2026 promises to be a vital forum for exploring the ethical and artistic challenges of modern storytelling, and a must for professionals with curious and creative mindsets.

Event Speakers

Rachel Addley

Head of Research, Policy & Insights

Caitlin Spiller

Film Editor

Roya Zeitoune

Head of YouTube Culture & Trends, EMEA

Lucy Wilson

Impact Producer

Timothy Hancock

Commissioning Editor, Channel 4

Yaw Basoah

Founder, Dark Pictures, Producer, Beth

Rachael Hough

Consultant and Professor of Haematology

Francesca Panetta

Director, AKO Storytelling Institute

Caroline O’Neill

Assistant Commissioner, BBC Daytime

Event Programme

Keynote:

YouTube at 20

8:00 - 9:00
Roya Zeitoune, Head of YouTube Culture and Trends, EMEA, reflects on twenty years of evolving and revolutionising culture.
Roya Zeitoune
Head of YouTube Culture & Trends, EMEA

In Conversation:

Paris Lees

9:00 - 10:00
Paris Lees reflects on adapting her memoir 'What It Feels Like for a Girl' for television, and her observations and analysis of the role of influence, authenticity and honesty in storytelling.
Paris Lees
Author, screen-writer and journalist
Chaired by: Ugla Stefanía Kristjönudóttir Jónsdóttir
Writer and Feminist Campaigner

The Power of Play:

Understanding the Impact of Your Work in Entertainment

10:00 - 11:00
Intentionally or not, creators across the entertainment industry shape worldviews, values, and messages through their work.

This panel explores how industry professionals can harness their influence responsibly, as well as ideas on how to collaborate with experts from charity, academia or research to create more thoughtful and impactful content.
Charly Conquest
Responsible Productions Lead, Sky
Danny Gray
CCO and Game Director at ustwo games
Dr Howard Fine
Consultant Clinical Psychologist, founder of Mindzone Media
Prof. Panayiota Tsatsou
Professor, Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity
Chaired by: Maxine Thomas-Asante
Power of Pop Fund Lead, Comic Relief

Men on Screen:

Changing Depictions of Masculinity

11:00 - 12:00
Explore the power of on-screen narratives to challenge outdated stereotypes, open up space for vulnerability, and spark meaningful dialogue about masculinity.

What role does entertainment play in shaping a healthier, more honest cultural understanding of what it means to be a man today?
Chris Clenshaw
Executive Producer at BBC Studios Drama Productions
Wendy Robinson
Director of Services, CALM
Susie McDonald MBE
Chief Executive of Tender Education & Art
Sarah Sternberg
Director of Movember Foundation’s Reimagining Masculinities Initiative
Chaired by: K Biswas
Editor of Representology: The Journal of Media & Diversity and Chair of Resonance FM will chair Beyond Drama

Shifts in Storytelling:

Dystopian Narratives vs Optimistic Storytelling

11:00 - 12:00
Why is it easier to captivate audiences with dystopia than with hope? Diving into the psychological forces behind our collective fascination with dark futures, while unpacking the challenges of crafting compelling, optimistic stories in a world conditioned for conflict and scarcity.

Is our preference for dystopia natural or nurtured? What does it take for hope-driven narratives to thrive?

Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor
Founder and Producer, Joi Productions
Pinny Grylls
Filmmaker, director
Dr Patrick Kennedy
Clinical psychologist and Co-director, Climate Psychologists
Debbie Ramsay
Editor of 5 News
Chaired by: Marya Bangee
Senior Advisor, Pop Culture Collaborative

OKRE FOCUS:

In Development - 'Sunny Dancer'

12:00 - 13:00
An inside look at OKRE-funded projects and their development journeys, where creative teams share their insight into how collaboration shaped their work.

Sunny Dancer - This upcoming feature starring Bella Ramsey is set in a teenage "Chemo Camp" - not exactly an obvious setting for a teen coming of age comic drama! Hear from the makers on how the film was developed with input from Teenage Cancer Trust and health experts.
George Jaques
Actor/Director/Writer/Producer & Founder of Athenaeum Productions
Rachael Hough
Consultant and Professor of Haematology
Caitlin Spiller
Film Editor
Chaired by: Jenna Al-Ansari
Programmes and Engagement Manager

Keynote:

What Are Your Access Requirements?

13:00 - 14:00
Embedding access should be part of the foundation of the process, and certainly not an afterthought.

We’ll learn what the question, “what are your access requirements?” really means.
Jess Mabel Jones
Access Coordinator and Creative Coach

OKRE Development Workshops:

'Let It Rot' | 'Asylum Queens'

14:00 - 15:00
An inside look at OKRE-funded projects and their development journeys, where creative teams share their insight into how collaboration shaped their work.

Let It Rot
A horror about teen radicalisation set in rural Devon. Hear how the research and workshops the writers ran deepened their understanding of the systemic factors of radicalisation and the subsequent fundamental shifts they made to ensure their work was rooted in authenticity.

Asylum Queens
Hear how drawing extensively from lived experience turned a drama about asylum-seeking women with prison experience into a bold, broad comedy about a secret love story between older queer women aka “the secret life of aunties”.

Misha Vertkin
Filmmaker, Director
Elena Ruscombe-King
Screenwriter
Tolu Stedford
Chief Executive Officer, Story Compound, Producer, Compound Productions
Chaired by: Jenna Al-Ansari
Programmes and Engagement Manager

Finding the Funny:

Comedy with Impact

15:00 - 16:00
Comedy has a unique power to influence perceptions and change minds. But balancing messaging and jokes is a uniquely difficult high-wire act; you can approach a comedy project with the noblest of intentions, but if the audience aren’t laughing, it’s all for nothing.

This session takes a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities of messaging through comedy. We’ll look at the diverse ways in which British sitcoms have subtly but influentially explored challenging or once-taboo subjects. And we’ll suggest some strategies for how researchers, charities and comedy creatives can work together to create work that is both funny AND impactful.
Matt Nida
Climate & Comedy Programme Manager
Kyla Harris
Writer, Actor, Producer
Ashley Storrie
Comedian, Writer and Actress
Chaired by: Kate Martin
Head of Lived Experience, Wellcome Trust

Meeting Audiences Where They Are:

What can we learn from the creator-led economy?

16:00 - 17:00
Digital storytellers are setting the pace, telling stories on their own terms and reaching communities traditional media often overlooks.

What are the main differences between a gatekeeper-led entertainment landscape and a creator-led one? What role does creator-led content play in shaping culture and driving social impact? And what can other sectors learn from how creators connect with their audiences?
Zeb Kidd
Strategy Director at Arcade Creative
Diane Glynn
Head of Social Media, Channel4
Adjani Salmon
Writer, Director, Actor
Yaw Basoah
Founder, Dark Pictures, Producer, Beth
Chaired by: Elle Osili Wood
Presenter

AKOSI Workshop:

What Would it Take to Embed Impact Production in Entertainment?

17:00 - 18:00
Co-produced by OKRE and AKO Storytelling Institute
with generous support from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Impact campaigns offer a mechanism for entertainment with a social message to achieve real-world change. Impact producers working alongside production teams, and beyond delivery, can get that content seen by the right people. Using it strategically can accomplish a wide range of goals, from raising awareness to targeted education and changing laws.

Exploring the opportunities and barriers to embedding this practice across the industry, this session will examine the practicalities of running a campaign, financing it, and the role of commissioners and charities in pulling it off.
Francesca Panetta
Director, AKO Storytelling Institute
Dr Louise Anderson
Senior Research and Evaluation Manager, BAFTA
Husna Mortuza
Associate Director of Public Engagement, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Dr Sarah Rappaport
Campaign Manager, Jamie Oliver Group
Timothy Hancock
Commissioning Editor, Channel 4
Lucy Wilson
Impact Producer

Commissioning for Impact:

Balancing Audiences, Metrics and Meaning

17:00 - 18:00
What exactly does the term “impact” mean for entertainment commissioners? And how might they work with others to prioritise social impact without compromising audience reach? A session exploring what it means to commission with both purpose and performance in mind.
David Smyth
Commissioner Entertainment, ITV
Caroline O’Neill
Assistant Commissioner, BBC Daytime
Chaired By: Caroline Meaby
Head of Programmes and Engagement

Let Me Entertain You:

The Assembly - Radically Different, Radically Entertaining

19:00 - 20:00
What happens when you apply entertainment values to the portrayal of often-misunderstood and overlooked members of the community?

You get ‘The Assembly’, a show which eschews ‘worthiness’ in favour of joy and mischief. Join producers, cast members, and creatives as they share how editorial instinct, new protocols, and built-in support systems came together to create radically different, and radically entertaining, TV.
Stu Richards
Co-founder, Rockerdale Studios
Michelle Singer
Exec Producer and Director of Production, Co-Founder, Rockerdale Studios
Sam Tatlow
Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at ITV
Sara Missaghian-Schirazi
Producer and Director
Chaired by: Dhruti Shah
Creative Lead, Have You Thought About

Drinks Reception

20:00 - 22:00
Unwind with a drink, swap ideas, and connect with fellow delegates as the day draws to a close.

Event Sponsor

Event Date 31 October 2025
Tickets Free
Location/Platform Google London, 6 Pancras Square
Kings Cross, N1C 4AG
Buy tickets

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