SARAH CHORLEY
Creative Consultant, Freelance

Key Expertise: Business Development, Equalities Diversity and Inclusion, Audience Development
Sarah is a creative consultant with 15+ years experience working across film production, festivals and filmmaker support. Sarah was Festival Director at London Short Film Festival for five years, and has also worked in roles at a wide range of creative organisations including Shooting People, Creative Skillset, University of the Arts London and the London Disability Film Festival.
Sarah has wide-ranging business development experience, honed whilst managing small, independent companies. Sarah has developed a very hands-on approach to management, and is skilled at identifying new income streams, fundraising from public and private sources (corporate, BFI, ACE etc), devising creative strategy and planning complex deliverables, as well as being well placed to advise on recruitment, leadership, partnerships, financial management, and the many other demands of running a successful creative business.
Sarah is passionate about diversity and inclusion and was responsible for successfully increasing LGBTQI+, POC and D/deaf and disabled audiences year on year at London Short Film Festival, earning the BFI’s Screen Diversity mark of good practice for 3 consecutive years. Sarah has particular experience of working with Deaf and HoH communities, and specialises in developing projects led for and by under-represented groups.
Sarah is a Trustee of the Rio Cinema in Dalston, and has been working closely with the BFI on Cultural Recovery Fund applications for Independent Cinemas over the past year.
Sarah is a creative consultant with 15+ years experience working across film production, festivals and filmmaker support. Sarah was Festival Director at London Short Film Festival for five years, and has also worked in roles at a wide range of creative organisations including Shooting People, Creative Skillset, University of the Arts London and the London Disability Film Festival.
Sarah has wide-ranging business development experience, honed whilst managing small, independent companies. Sarah has developed a very hands-on approach to management, and is skilled at identifying new income streams, fundraising from public and private sources (corporate, BFI, ACE etc), devising creative strategy and planning complex deliverables, as well as being well placed to advise on recruitment, leadership, partnerships, financial management, and the many other demands of running a successful creative business.
Sarah is passionate about diversity and inclusion and was responsible for successfully increasing LGBTQI+, POC and D/deaf and disabled audiences year on year at London Short Film Festival, earning the BFI’s Screen Diversity mark of good practice for 3 consecutive years. Sarah has particular experience of working with Deaf and HoH communities, and specialises in developing projects led for and by under-represented groups.
Sarah is a Trustee of the Rio Cinema in Dalston, and has been working closely with the BFI on Cultural Recovery Fund applications for Independent Cinemas over the past year.