Anna Higgs - Head of Entertainment, Facebook

Anna Higgs is a creative leader working at the forefront of storytelling and audiences.

As Head of Entertainment Media Partnerships for Northern Europe at Facebook, Anna leads a team partnering with producers, music artists, creators and public figures to help connect great work with the right audiences. Because side hustles are all the rage, Anna is also a columnist for Creative Review, specialising in career coaching advice for creatives with the ‘Ask Anna’ monthly feature and is Deputy Chair of the BAFTA Film Committee.

Before joining Facebook Anna was Creative Director at global culture channel NOWNESS, bringing the best emerging and established filmmakers together with bold audience strategies. During her time there, she developed, commissioned, produced and distributed dozens of series, hundreds of single films and curated thousands of acquired short films. She also spearheaded a move to 50/50 gender balanced commissioning across all films, winning a Webby Award for Best Cultural Site along the way.

Prior to NOWNESS, she was a commissioner and Head of Digital at Film4, leading cinematic innovation with projects including Ben Wheatley’s A Field in England, Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard’s 20,000 Days on Earth, Ken Loach’s The Spirit of ’45 and Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank. This move built on a strong track record as an independent producer working across film, TV and digital projects.

Anna’s work has seen her named as one Creative Review's ‘Creative Leaders 50’, alongside the likes of Felix Barret, Gorillaz and Maria Balshaw. In 2012 she was selected as one of the inaugural Time Out ‘Culture 100’, a celebration of the innovators, visionaries and pioneers behind what's now and what's next. A search for the most original and influential people in the UK creative and media industries alongside creative innovators such as Danny Boyle, Stella McCartney, Grayson Perry, Jonathan Ive, Zadie Smith, Thomas Heatherwick and Alan Rusbridger.