Professor Will Saunders MBE

Professor Will Saunders MBE is Creative Head for the CoSTAR National Lab (www.costarnetwork.co.uk) and a professor of Creative Industries at Royal Holloway University. CoSTAR is a £76 million investment by UKRI in creative technology R&D for the screen and performance sector. It blends academic research specialisms in artificial intelligence, realtime technologies and converged media production with industry partnerships that include, Disguise, BT, and Pinewood Studios. Will has over 30 years experience working across the UK’s Creative Industries as a writer, producer, & executive producer. As Creative Director, Digital BBC Studios he ran Digital Development and Production for the UK’s leading media company. As an independent consultant in 2018 he worked with DCMS leading a workstream, public consultation exercise & co-authored the “Culture Is Digital” report for culture secretary Matt Hancock M.P. As a programme maker he has won awards working with; Graham Norton, Flight of The Conchords, Comic Relief and Lee Mack. In 2024 he was awarded an MBE for services to the Creative Industries