Team
Jessica Elisa Boyd – Executive Producer, Writer, Director
Jessica was born in Melbourne, Australia but has spent most of her life in London. She studied Music and Drama at Birmingham University and has an M.A. in acting from Arts Ed. London. As well as appearing as an actress in numerous London and West End shows and on screen, she has also produced large-scale projects such as the ‘International Shakespeare Laboratory’, bringing together the Almeida Theatre in the UK and the Sydney Theatre Company in Australia.
An associate BAFTA member, Jessica has lived in both London and Los Angeles where, in March 2013 she wrote and directed her first short film, ‘Three and a Half Songs’, a love story set in the world of the Los Angeles music industry, starring Erik Audé and singer/songwriter Laura Evans.
Her second film, Sogni D’Oro (Dreams of Gold) as writer/director and actress followed in 2014 back in Europe. Starring Russ Abbot, Philip Battley and young newcomers Aliyah Haynes and Rachel Preston, Sogni D’Oro won Best Drama at the 2014 Portobello Film Festival in London, and was officially selected for the 2014 LA Shorts, LA Womens’, Boston, New York City International, Tiburon and Newport Beach Film Festivals.
Art in Heaven appeared in 2016, and was an Official Selection at the London Independent, Portobello and Newport Beach Film Festivals, as well as the prestigious Cannes Court Metrage.
Jessica is writing her first feature film which will go into production in collaboration with Los Angeles producer Basil Moore.
Marianna Maniatakis – Executive Producer
Marianna graduated with a BA Hons in Drama and English from Loughborough University and went on to receive an M.A in acting from The Arts Educational Schools, London. She has worked in television and media for the past 10 years and produced a variety of films – the most notable of which was ‘Photo’, her first feature.
Her screen acting credits include: Voiceovers and Reconstructions for ITV News & GMTV, The Fixer (ITV 1), Murder City (ITV 1), Ladylike (Sky One), Fakers, Photo and the award winning film London to Brighton.
‘Sogni D’Oro’ is Marianna’s film producing debut with St Elmo Pictures, although not the first time she has worked with Jessica and Philip. Over the last 13 years, they have collaborated on various creative projects and Marianna is looking forward to a continued creative partnership.
Philip Battley – Associate Producer
Philip Battley is an actor, producer and audiobook narrator. Born and raised in London, he works in both the UK and US (Green Card holder).
Philip has just completed filming on Season 4 of the Netflix series Mia and Me, in the regular role of Pieter.
Philip is an experienced audiobook narrator – so far, 2019 alone has seen the release of 19 audiobooks which he has narrated for Audible.com and other outlets.
As well as appearing as Steve Ludgate in ITV’s Emmerdale, Philip played John Harding in Series 6 of ITV and PBS’s multi-Emmy award-winning Downton Abbey , which in 2016 won the Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, he also appeared on stage as Julius P. Hersheimmer in Agatha Christie’s Partners In Crime at the Queen’s Theatre. He has produced and starred in the film Art in Heaven, currently on the festival circuit.
The award-winning Sogni D’Oro (Dreams of Gold), which Philip produced & stars in, was an official selection at numerous 2014/15 film festivals, including LA Shorts, New York Independent Film, Boston Film and Newport Beach Film Festivals. Sogni D’Oro won Best Drama at the Portobello Film Festival 2014.
Philip can also be seen in the comedy feature Wild Target (Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Rupert Grint, dir. Jonathan Lynn) and the role of Milo Falconer in Doctors (BBC1).