Action for Freelancers has announced James Taylor-Tovey as its new project director.
Taylor-Tovey will “steer the next phase of the project, which aims to enhance TV freelancers’ working practices and improve conditions”, a press release said.
He is a freelancer who has worked as both a co-executive producer and series editor in factual entertainment, competition and reality formats in a career spanning more than two decades, most recently having worked on shows including Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service, Kitchen Nightmares and Next Level Chef.
Previous credits include Strictly Come Dancing, Celebrity Best Home Cook and Landscape Artist of the Year.
Taylor-Tovey also served as a Bectu representative and was chair of the union’s Unscripted Branch.
Before taking this role, he has stepped back from these positions as well as other union responsibilities relating to media work in the TV and entertainment sector.
He said: “I’m so excited to start on the Action for Freelancers project. There’s genuine potential here to make a series of positive, practical differences to freelancers’ everyday working lives.
“I’ve spent the best part of two decades freelancing, so I know exactly where the pressure points are.
“With the industry changing rapidly, including the growing influence of AI, it’s more important than ever to build a freelance model that genuinely supports people, and I look forward to working with industry and AfF stakeholders to drive that change.”
Taylor-Tovey continued: “And to the freelancers reading this: I promise to use my direct experiences to push this project forward.
“It would be easy to baulk at the scale of the task ahead, but I am not daunted. I genuinely believe this work is of equal importance to the future of the whole TV industry, as much as the freelancers who power it.”
Richard Watsham, chair of Action for Freelancers and former chief creative officer at UKTV, added: “I’m delighted that James Taylor-Tovey is joining us as our new project director. It’s vital that AfF’s activity is led by a true freelancer and that person can promote and prioritise freelance voices.”
Into 2026, Taylor-Tovey will be overseeing the launch of the Freelancer Information Hub, convening a policy workstream and overseeing the drafting of a revised Freelance Charter, as well as driving forward the previously announced commitments and initiatives from the five Working Groups.
Freelancers are invited to attend the next freelancer forum to hear the latest updates from each workstream, which takes place online at 5pm on Wednesday 3 December. More information is available on Eventbrite.
