Claire Brooks has been named executive director of the Association of Film Commissioners International, a global network of film commission members better known as AFCI.
Brooks will take helm of the organization on June 10. She succeeds Jaclyn Philpott, who was tapped as the first AFCI executive director in 2022 and left earlier this year.
In the role, Brooks will prioritize growth, continuing expansion to include production companies, producers and service providers, among other groups. Its core membership remains film commissions across the world.
Brooks will head the organization amid a tumultuous period in Hollywood, which is still recovering from dual strikes and is confronting industry contraction. In recent years, productions have increasingly prioritized securing subsidies as budgets are put under the microscope. This shift has recently prompted countries, including Japan, Australia and Thailand, to create or expand film and TV tax credit programs.
“It’s an honor to join AFCI at such a complex and dynamic moment for the global screen industry,” she said in a statement. “I look forward to building on the organization’s legacy while expanding access and advocacy for film commissioners and storytellers around the world.”
Most recently, Brooks served as director of production at Stephanie Allain’s Homegrown Pictures (The Woman in the Yard, Dear White People), where she produced Exhibiting Forgiveness, developed TV projects under a first-look deal with Warner Bros. Television and oversaw a film slate that included Otis & Zelma.
Before that, Brooks coordinated global marketing campaigns, including for The Lorax and Despicable Me 2, for Illumination Entertainment. She also served as global marketing specialist for the NBA and helped design Netflix’s Emerging Filmmakers Initiative, where she produced studio-backed shorts helmed by rising directors.
“Claire brings a remarkable depth of experience across production and strategic partnerships,” said Marnie Gee, AFCI Board Chair and BC Film Commissioner. “Her global perspective is especially critical as AFCI continues to expand its international reach and foster cross-border collaboration within the screen sector.”
