Aleksandra Nikolajev Jones
Choreographer | Producer | Fundraiser
Aleksandra Nikolajev-Jones is a classically trained ballet dancer turned arts producer and advocate. She began her career with Radio Television Serbia (RTS), later exploring the connection between creativity, pregnancy, and motherhood—an inquiry that led to the founding of Gravida Collective, a global initiative using the arts as a tool for empowerment and social change.
She has led and developed numerous impactful projects, including Gravida: The Art of Living & Pregnancy Initiative, which examines the impact of pregnancy on career, creativity, and leadership; Wise Women Network, an international hub connecting female creatives, activists, and professionals; Creative Digital Hub for Women, a platform providing mentorship, training, and digital advocacy; Period Dignity Project, empowering young girls through Forum Theatre and campaigning; Dive Project, an arts-based initiative sharing migration experiences through movement and storytelling; and Lullaby for Mother, a cross-cultural multimedia production exploring motherhood, migration, and resilience.
With a deep commitment to creativity as a tool for social impact, Aleksandra continues to build platforms that amplify underrepresented voices, connect diverse communities, and drive meaningful change in the arts and beyond.
Jelena Vuksanovic
Dramaturg | Artistic director | Screenwriter
has worked as a writer, theatre practitioner and facilitator, artistic director, and screenwriter. She has an MA in dramaturgy, and with a classical education, she was always drawn to knowledge and practice about contemporary and experimental theatre, therefore she participated in various trainings, workshops and other activities of non-formal education connected with contemporary and applied educational theatre techniques. She has worked with POD Theatre for over 13 years and worked on various International projects that were supported by Youth in Action, UNICEF, Share See, Red Cross, local municipalities, ministries, embassies etc.
Since 2004. until 2018. Collaborated with The Republic of the Imagination, UK, developing innovative theatre forms and ways of expression, specifically the form of immersive theatre like Sensory Labyrinth and Sensory Portal. Besides numerous theatre performances, educational projects, in 2015. Her debut movie «Panama” premiered during the Cannes film festival. In 2018. she had a premiere of her first contemporary opera “In… Se… -dawning-” in Bali, composed by Andys Skordis. In the same team they created their second opera, “Light Blue Day”, a contemporary, experimental opera based on the story by Ferdinand von Schirach, as part of the Berlin Opernpreis, which premiered and won the competition in Berlin in June 2022.
Lynette Margerison
I use a wide experience of working with the arts, performance and creativity to encourage new directions, partnerships and increase self development for communities and individuals. I lead and devise sensitive and appropriate celebrations, processions with lanterns, music and giant puppets. I frequently work outdoors in the forest with campfire workshops, learning with lots of fun games, based on drama and clowning techniques from voice and sound exercises to focus and awareness, flow learning techniques and practical skill development. Following each individuals natural path helping discover new talent and how this can be put to use within the community.
Specialties: Creative solutions, encouragement, inspiration, lateral thinking, aesthetic design solutions.
Claire Bottomley
Claire Bottomley is a creative producer whose knowledge of inclusivity and empowerment draws upon over 20 years experience of working in the 3rd sector, focusing on health and wellbeing and specialising in mental health. She has been a campaigner and champion of rights, as well as working in Public Affairs and for national wellbeing charities.
After a career change opportunity in 2016, Claire gained an MA in Arts Management at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and first worked with Gravida Collective and The Republic of the Imagination in 2018, producing an R&D for the company. In 2018 she participated in the Emerging Producers Development programme at Edinburgh Fringe. Claire has worked as a freelance Creative Producer since 2017, working on theatre tours, creative engagement and marketing. She has worked as a freelancer with WMC, The Other Room, Theatr Clwyd, Papertrail Theatre, Canoe Theatre and Gravida. Claire joined Gravida Collective as Creative Producer after working at Sherman Theatre as Sherman 5 Coordinator for four years.
COLLABORATORS
Carey Murphy-de Neef Fitzgerald
Carey Murphy-de Neef Fitzgerald is a passionate advocate for female empowerment, particularly for women from diverse communities. With one foot in Ireland and the other in the UK, she bridges the two countries by promoting Irish film culture and talent across the UK. In 2022, she restructured Irish Film & TV UK (formerly Irish Film London), creating a new Board, which she now Chairs. Earlier this year, she brought Mary Robinson, Ireland’s first female President, to the UK for a documentary screening and to promote the Mary Robinson Foundation, which champions climate justice and sustainable development for the world’s most vulnerable communities.
Carey is also the founder of Wise Women, a global support network dedicated to empowering women and girls to drive change in their lives and communities. Wise Women provides free tools for connection, knowledge-sharing, and motivation, enabling women to reach others and create positive impact.
Her Irish company specializes in global film & TV production and distribution, focusing on underrepresented stories. Notably, they distributed the first drama series on people trafficking, MATRIOSHKI, which exposed the exploitation of women and girls lured into forced prostitution. At a time when sex trafficking was a dangerous topic for documentary filmmaking, MATRIOSHKI became a vital awareness tool, screened by Amnesty International in schools across Central and Eastern Europe to educate young women on the risks of trafficking.
Carey also co-founded Shout Celebration, an organization producing free Film & Arts Festivals that use the power of the arts to open conversations and break the stigma around mental health. In partnership with Gravida Collective, these festivals have been held in London and Liverpool, with upcoming events in Wales, Ireland, Serbia, and Italy.
As a mentor for organizations including Minding Creative Minds (Ireland) and Women in Film & TV, Carey continues to support emerging talent, fostering resilience and leadership in the creative industries.
David Ozkoidi
Director of Photography | Camera Operator | Colourist
David Ozkoidi is an experienced Director of Photography, camera operator, and colourist, with over 15 years in the film and television industry. He holds a degreein Photography and Digital Image Creation from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and a Diploma in Lighting Technology from ESCAC.
David has worked on numerous short films and award-winning art and dance videos, including Undercover by Caroline Lamb and Reminders by Tracy Harris. His expertise in lighting led him to work on the BBC series In My Skin, which won the BAFTA for Best Series in 2023.
As a Spanish-born filmmaker, working with Gravida Collective has given him the opportunity to collaborate on meaningful projects that explore identity, movement, and social change through the lens of cinematography.
Carrie Westwater
Carrie (also known as Caz) draws on twenty years experience as a site responsive performance artist, creative professional, writer and academic.
Carrie is a maker of theatre, film and creative site responsive storytelling, using multi-platform methods. Since moving to South Wales in 2013 to complete her PhD ( awarded, 2021) in arts and heritage participation she has been working on various projects with a Cardiff companies.
Notwithstanding her work as co-director of The Gravida Collective she has been creative consultant for National Museum Wales (Museum Lates: SPACE), creative researcher for Creative Cardiff (Festival of Voice), a Clwstwr funded artist ( Heriatge Walkers) and co-curator/
producer and performer with tactileBosch (Garden of Earthly Delights, 2016; Lost Vegas Hotel 2017; Basement Borsht, 2018; Jubilee, 2018), and Magpies Immersive Events (Midsummer Nights Dream, 2018; Hub Festival Cabaret Caravan, 2018).
Her work predominantly has a human rights participatory or interactive focus. She uses participatory approaches in how she positions the audience, facilitates community arts and
curates events that highlight matters around equality and diversity. At the beginning of her career she adapted Classic, Central and East European texts for performance in contemporary multicultural Britain.