Simon Drysdale, Interim CEO
Simon started his career in culture at the Place Theatre in London where he worked with some of the most exciting creators of dance in the UK. In the mid 90’s he moved to Scotland to work at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall where he was responsible for marketing, public affairs, and for the team that produced the Celtic Connections festival. He was a Project Manager for the capital redevelopment of the Glasgow City Halls and The Old Fruitmarket venues before going to run his own marketing business in London, with over 300 clients including national arts institutions and West End producers. From 2020 to 2023 he was Interim CEO at Tyneside Cinema which he steered through reputational and financial challenges to a brighter and more secure place. He has served on various boards including as Chair of the Arts Marketing Association and as a Director of Areowaves, the platform and hub for contemporary dance discovery in Europe.
Fiona Fowler, General Manager
Fiona graduated in Publishing from Edinburgh’s Napier University in 1987. For fifteen years, she worked for Standard Life in a variety of roles from Assistant Editor of the staff magazine to Sponsorship Manager. She was then administrator of the Little Sparta Trust and a freelance arts administrator and project manager. She joined Regional Screen Scotland in December 2012.
Fiona has lived in Edinburgh, the Borders, the Highlands, and is now back in Edinburgh.
Her earliest cinema memory is seeing Lady and the Tramp (the 1972 re-issue, not the 1955 original!).
Angie Jennings, Administrator
Angie’s career has always been in film and broadcasting. It began with 7 years in the Presentation Department of BBC Radio 4. Here Angie was a producer with the team making ‘on air’ promotion for the network. Next, a life style change bought Angie to Edinburgh from London. Over a period of 16 years, Angie was the Screenings Coordinator, Administrator and later the HR Manager at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Since 2013 Angie has been Administrator with Regional Screen Scotland supporting its remit to develop community cinemas and regional film festivals, and as a part of the Screen Machine team.
A favourite cinema going experience that has stayed with Angie was seeing Ghost Dog in the Angelika Film Centre on a trip to New York in the spring of 2000. As is so often the case, it was a time and a place thing.
Drew Taylor, Operations and Marketing Assistant
Drew has a BA (Hons) in Photography and Film from Edinburgh’s Napier University, and a MSc in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh. He has worked freelance in a variety of roles on local productions, mainly within the camera department, and was a volunteer quality checker at Edinburgh International Film Festival for several years. Other past work includes being the Graduate Studio Assistant in the Film & TV department of Edinburgh College of Art, and as an Assistant Producer at Scottish Documentary Institute. He joined RSS in June 2019.
One of his first cinema-going experiences was seeing ‘Hook’ by Steven Spielberg and having absolutely no idea what was going on.
Iain MacColl, Screen Machine Senior Operator
Iain has been a Screen Machine operator since its very beginning in 1998. If you don’t see him during your visit to Screen Machine, then he’s probably at the shinty.
Kevan Jamieson, Screen Machine Operator
Kevan joined Regional Screen Scotland in May 2024 as our latest Screen Machine operator. He has two children attending Strathclyde University and currently lives in East Lothian with his wife, but has previously lived in Argyll and is delighted he gets to return there during his Screen Machine tours.
Billy Dalgleish, Screen Machine Operator
Billy joined Regional Screen Scotland in September 2025, and has been touring by himself since January this year. He currently lives in Dumfries & Galloway, and worked many years in the transport and shipping industries, travelling throughout the Highlands and Islands. He previously spent 10 years living and working on the Isle of Mull, and he enjoys returning to the island and seeing familiar faces.
The Board of Trustees
Regional Screen Scotland was set up in 2008 as an initiative of Scottish Screen, which was one of the predecessors of Creative Scotland. RSS was intended to be the regional and rural counterpart of four city-based ‘hubs’, Glasgow Film Theatre, Edinburgh’s Centre for the Moving Image, Dundee Contemporary Arts, and Eden Court in Inverness. RSS was created for Scottish Screen by HI~Arts, the cultural development agency for the Highlands and Islands. HI~Arts had originally launched the Screen Machine mobile cinema in 1998, and then commissioned a second such vehicle in 2005, and the operation and ownership of this Screen Machine was transferred to the new agency, and still forms a core part of RSS’s remit today. As a company limited by guarantee and a charity recognised by OSCR, RSS is managed by a voluntary Board of Trustees, who meet quarterly and who are drawn from a range of different backgrounds, and from across Scotland.
Chair: Alyson Hagan
Alyson has been on the board of RSS since 2019 and Chair since 2020. She is Executive Director of Finance, People and Business Operations at the British Film Institute. Previous to working at BFI she held senior positions at Creative Scotland and National Theatre Scotland.
Amy Noble
Amy was appointed to the board in 2019. She lives in Inverness. Amy is a solicitor and has worked in local government for over 10 years. She has experience in both commercial law and litigation. Amy has always had an interest in film and cinema. Prior to joining RSS she had volunteered at a number of film festivals.
Charlotte Fraser Annand
Charly joined the RSS board in 2024. She lives on the Isle of Arran where she attends the Screen Machine whenever it’s in town. She is Head of Development Operations for Sadler’s Wells Theatre, and has previously held other fundraising positions at arts and human rights charities. Knowing first-hand that the Screen Machine is a vital community asset and cultural lifeline for remote and rural communities, Charly is delighted to be involved in helping secure its future.
Fiona Brown
Fiona joined the board of Regional Screen Scotland in March 2020, bringing a wealth of experience from both the financial and education sectors. She began her career in accountancy, working in practice and the housing sector before joining the University of Dundee’s finance department in 2009. Fiona later transitioned into leadership roles, serving as School Manager for Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design and subsequently the School of Medicine.
Fiona is deeply committed to advancing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, and is currently completing a Doctorate in Business Administration, with a focus on gender equality, professional identity, and social class in higher education.
Her passion for cinema and its role in building community inspires her work with Regional Screen Scotland. Fiona is driven by the belief that shared cinematic experiences can strengthen connections and is excited to contribute to the organisation’s growth, particularly as the industry navigates challenging times.
Elisa de Waal
Elisa joined the RSS board in 2019. She’s had a number of roles in the culture sector and in community development, and is now working as Development Manager at Highland Third Sector Interface as well as being a potter. The Screen Machine was one of her first cultural experiences in Scotland in 2012, when she watched Brave during a film festival in Cromarty. From a small town in the Netherlands herself, Elisa has a particular interest in access to cultural activity in rural areas and is incredibly grateful and proud to have the opportunity to be a trustee of such an important and unique asset that brings communities together for screen experiences.
Gary Smith
Gary has spent over thirty years working in marketing and communications. He has run his own communications agency, worked within international advertising networks and, most recently, held a global role as Chief Creative Officer for M&G PLC, the savings and investment business.
Gary has also been active as a volunteer and a trustee – in particular, with a Scottish based children’s theatre company and the Princes Trust.
It was while spending time with friends on the Orkney Isles that Gary first discovered the Screen Machine and saw at first hand the positive impact it has on remote communities. He was delighted therefore to become a trustee and board member of RSS in 2024. He aims to bring his experience in communications and marketing to help spread the word about the vital work of Screen Machine.
Ian Gibson
Ian joined the RSS board in 2024. He was a charity director for a national charity for many years and a life member of Edinburgh Filmhouse. After relocating to Newtonmore in 2005 he gave strategic, organisational and governance advice to a large number of charities in the Highlands including arts organisations. He signed the petition organised by Newtonmore Primary School pupils to bring the Screen Machine to the village and has been an enthusiastic attendee ever since. Ian relishes the opportunity to be part of the team trying to ensure that the cinema experience can continue to be enjoyed by small communities in the Highlands and Islands in the long term.