Element Pictures has hired Chris Duggan as its first ever in-house head of communications and marketing, a newly created position that places him reporting directly to founders and co-CEOs Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe. Variety reported the appointment exclusively on 31 July 2026.

Duggan starts in August and will split his time between Element's London and Dublin offices. His remit covers festival activity, awards campaigning, and the company's social channels — the full pipeline of how a production company tells the world about its films and shows.

The Dublin-based Element has plenty to talk about. The company, now in its 25th year, was acquired by the global production and distribution group Fremantle in 2022. Its recent feature Bugonia, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, picked up four Oscar nominations including best picture. At Cannes in 2025, two Element-backed titles took prizes: Harry Lighton's Pillion and Akinola Davies Jr.'s My Father's Shadow. The company has also announced an adaptation of David Nicholls' novel We Are Here, reuniting with the BBC after their hit series Normal People.

Duggan arrives with a CV that reads like a tour of prestige television publicity. He most recently held a senior communications role at Sky, where he worked across programming including The Day of the Jackal, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, and The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Before Sky, he led communications for local original programming at HBO Max in Europe, helping deliver global campaigns for US titles such as True Detective and Westworld. He began his career at the BBC, handling publicity for drama series including Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Line of Duty.

What makes the hire notable is the timing. Element is marking a quarter-century in business with a slate that spans cinema and premium television, and it has chosen this moment to bring a senior communications voice in-house rather than relying on external agencies. For a company whose projects regularly land at Cannes and in the Oscar conversation, that is a structural bet on controlling its own narrative year-round.

Duggan will take up the post across both Element offices from August 2026.