The 98% is for actors who know the industry can sometimes feel isolating and under-resourced, where support is scarce and protections too often absent. If you’ve felt the weight of those challenges, you’re not alone.
This space exists to amplify your voice, push for fairer standards, and advocate for the support actors deserve.
Read on to meet the founding director, board, and trusted advisors driving this mission forward.
Alexa Morden
FOUNDING DIRECTOR & CHAIR
Alexa is an award-winning actor, author, industry advocate, and the founding director of The 98% CIC, with over 15 years experience working in the entertainment and performing arts industries.
Alexa is the sole producer of The 98% Podcast, which she co-created in 2018. What started as a platform discussing the realities of working as an actor outside the mainstream, grew over time into a widely respected resource for transparency, solidarity, and education within the industry. In recent years, Alexa has also played a key role in uncovering and reporting shocking cases of industry malpractice via The 98%, shining a light on exploitation and campaigning for change.
Alongside her work with The 98% CIC, Alexa runs Acting With Alexa, a relatable and supportive consultancy and coaching service that helps actors find confidence and empowerment in their craft and careers so that they can navigate the industry with knowledge and accessible support.
Alexa’s book, BEYOND THE SPOTLIGHT, is now available to pre-order! A first-of-its-kind guide for actors on handling the challenging realities of working in this industry with resilience and confidence.
Her work across all initiatives reflects a commitment to advocacy, accountability, and systemic change - ensuring that actors are informed, supported, and protected in an industry that too often leaves the majority of actors without relatable guidance or adequate protection.
Board Members
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Katie Elin-Salt
Katie is an actor, writer, therapist, artistic director and activist. After 6 years of opening up important conversations within the acting industry as co-host of The 98% podcast, Katie trained as a creative arts therapist - gaining her masters in Music Therapy degree from University of South Wales.
As an acclaimed writer Katie is passionate about giving voices to under-represented communities in her work - particularly speaking from experiences that reflect her own background - working class, queer, female, neurodivergent, Welsh.
Katie is also the co-founder and artistic director of Oshi’s World, Wales’ first theatre company that makes work exclusively with and for people with profound and multiple disabilities (PMLD). This work aims to create a space in theatre that is accessible and meaningful for a community that is currently chronically underserved by the creative arts.
Katie is passionate about improving wellbeing in our industry at every level - she works professionally as a wellbeing facilitator and is currently setting up her own creative wellbeing practice in Wales. She believes in uplifting voices, challenging harmful behaviour, and advocating for those facing oppression or discrimination in the creative arts.
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Annemarie Lewis Thomas
Annemarie is an award-winning composer/lyricist, a Musical Director, and is recognised as an outspoken voice on vocational training and poor practice within the theatre industry. She was the founder/Principal of the multi-award-winning college The MTA, which was the first vocational college to implement a whole-school mental health policy.
In 2016, Annemarie co-created the #time4change Mental Health Charter for the arts. Widely recognised as one of the initiatives that kick started the industry-wide conversation around mental health in training and the wider sector, the charter was quickly adopted across the arts and its legacy continues to shape practice today.
Alongside her work as a composer and MD, Annemarie retrained as a Mental Health counsellor, and gained an MSc in Psychology, Mental Health and Wellbeing, grounding her advocacy in professional knowledge as well as lived experience. She continues to write, speak out, and challenge poor practice across the sector, committed to driving cultural change and creating healthier environments for performers and students alike.
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Morgan Bull
Morgan discovered early in her career how important it was for her to commit her work to supporting and advocating for victims and survivors of gender-based violence, and to help promote change.
After completing her Masters in Domestic and Sexual Violence, Morgan started working in the community in crisis intervention and trauma-informed care with families experiencing domestic abuse. Morgan chose to qualify as an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) in the community, and transitioned to higher education to lead the ISVA service at the Oxford University.
In May 2023 Morgan moved to British Columbia to continue her career in post-secondary. She currently manages her University’s Diversity, Equity and Human Rights Office - responding to discrimination and promoting restorative justice practice, as well as supporting and advocating for survivors of sexual violence in the University community.
Morgan is passionate about trauma-informed practice, promoting accountability, empowering survivors, and challenging systems and structures that cause harm.
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Jhanelle Elissa
Jhanelle is an award-winning actress, director, producer, and entrepreneur whose work spans NBC, Freeform, acclaimed film festivals, and mission-driven ventures.
As Founding Director of AvenueColor, a multimedia company rooted in bold storytelling and ethical filmmaking, and CEO of Jiive and the J Elis Organization, she is passionate about creative community and unapologetically inclusive narratives that amplify underrepresented voices. Her work reflects a distinct vision and a refusal to accept the limits of traditional storytelling.
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Steph Upsall
Stephanie Upsall (Morgan) is a director, theatre maker and internationally recognised actor trainer and coach. She is the CEO of Both Feet Actor Training and Bodlondeb Studio & Retreat in North Wales, where she has built a reputation for offering training with depth and generosity that is safe, rigorous and transformative.
Blending her expertise in acting with neuroscience-backed coaching methods (as a certified Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) Master Practitioner), Steph helps actors reconnect with their instincts, expand their emotional range and approach the life of an actor with presence, courage and, dare she say it, joy.
Steph is passionate about reshaping the culture of suffering for your art, encouraging creatives to hold themselves lightly while building resilience, self-respect and ease. her training work, she directs new theatre that explores what it means to be human and continues to develop Bodlondeb as a home for exploration, bold ideas and brave storytelling.
Agent Advisors
SARAH MACDONNELL
Sarah has been running her agency Ardent Talent since 2017, representing professional child actors - as well as contributing to industry forums, panels, and best practice documents for this sector of the industry. She is also Co-Chair of The AYPA, a members association that provides a platform for children’s agents to drive professional practice and highlight issues important to young talent and the agents who represent them.
Sarah is a former actress herself and is also Mum to an actor who, at the age of nine, began working professionally in the West End before moving into film and television. This gives Sarah valuable first hand experience of the industry from a parent's perspective.
Sarah cares deeply about nurturing young people’s careers with thoughtful, tailored support, while also working to make the industry more transparent and accessible for parents. She is especially passionate about helping families understand their rights, safeguard their children, and feel empowered to ask questions at every stage of the process.
NICK MORRISON
Nick began his career as an actor after graduating drama school, before moving into agenting at Shelley Barrett Management in 2019. His first-hand experiences of the challenges and realities of pursuing an acting career give him a unique perspective, and he is passionate about supporting actors, particularly new graduates, as they navigate the complexities of the industry.
Nick believes in unvarnished honesty over false optimism. He is committed to helping actors understand the realities of the profession, reframe challenges with clarity, and explore sustainable approaches to building a career. With a balance of candour, insight, and care, Nick offers guidance in the form of honest conversations and practical support that can empower actors to make choices that prioritises both their professional growth and personal wellbeing.
Nick is also Deputy Director of The Talent Shack, a Cardiff based not-for-profit organisation bringing performing arts education to young people.
LIZZ PRATT
Liz runs Nelson Management, a boutique agency representing adults and children in the UK and Europe. The Agency is a member of the PMA.
Liz specialises in legislation and business law and is able to use this insight to help encourage best practice and legal compliance for industry professional and guidance for actors. Whilst not a member, Nelson Management supports the work of the AYPA in their quest for better safeguarding and compliance for young actors and their families.
Liz is also a mum to two young actors, her eldest has been working in TV since she was five and her youngest is taking her first tentative steps in the industry now. Liz uses this insight alongside her knowledge of business and legislation for the industry to provide unique support to actors and their individual journeys. Liz actively does outreach, supporting non-repped actors in ensuring they have all the knowledge they need to achieve in the industry.
Important: Our agent advisors primarily advise The 98% team, but if you get in touch regarding an agent-related matter that is better suited to speaking to a professional agent, The 98% may, at its discretion, put you in touch with one of our advisors. The advice provided by our agent advisors is offered on a voluntary basis and is not a substitute for legal guidance or professional emotional support. Conversations with advisors are not about career coaching, how to find an agent, or opportunities for representation.
While some of our advisors may have expertise in areas such as legislation or industry best practice, they are not qualified legal professionals or regulators. Any advice or information shared should be considered general guidance only and not relied upon as formal legal counsel. These agents give their time generously to help fill a gap in the industry where support is sorely lacking. Their role is to share perspective and advice in line with the mission of The 98% - to advocate for fairness, transparency, and wellbeing in the arts.
Importantly, when working with The 98%, advisors do not represent or speak on behalf of any organisations, agencies, or associations they may also be affiliated with.
Industry Advisor
REBECCA OSIAS
Rebecca Osias is a London-based Australian actress and screenwriter. She has an MA in Acting for Screen from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and was selected for the inaugural WFTV UK Kay Mellor Screenwriters Lab. Alongside her work in film and television, Rebecca is an online content creator sharing free advice for actors and screenwriters on her TikTok account. She is passionate about embodying her leftist values within her own industry, and encouraging actors to empower and protect themselves, and to hold powerful gatekeepers to account.
As Industry Advisor for The 98%, Rebecca brings both lived experience and practical insight into the realities actors face behind the scenes. She is here to support creatives who may feel lost, unsupported, or disillusioned by traditional industry structures by offering grounded, honest guidance that prioritises autonomy, safety, and self-advocacy. Actors can look to Rebecca for support with navigating complex industry challenges, seeking clear and compassionate advice, or finding a voice that cuts through the noise with honesty, integrity, and care. If you think you’d benefit from Rebecca’s work and insight - check out her online content and get in touch for any personal support.