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BAFTA MASTERCLASS: LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU
THURSDAY 18 APRIL
CCA, 6.30PM
Tickets £5 from CCA Box Office
Do you want to work in TV entertainment? Are you interested in hearing how some of the biggest hits in UK television were devised? Get the inside track on how to create and produce award winning TV entertainment with a panel made up of the cream of British television production – Andrew Newman, David Flynn and Karen Smith.
Andrew Newman started as a runner on The Big Breakfast before going on to produce The Word and Brass Eye. In 1998 he became Entertainment Commissioner at Channel 4, overseeing shows like TFI Friday and Da Ali G Show. After a stint at Five, he returned to C4 as Head of Comedy & Entertainment, commissioning 8/10 Cats, Peep Show and The Inbetweeners. He joined Objective Productions in 2009 and became Chief Executive in 2011.
David Flynn became joint Managing Director of Remarkable Television in September 2009, after taking over Brighter Pictures in 2007. Most recently, David created and executive produced hit game show The Million Pound Drop Live (Channel 4), and was involved in the show’s international roll out. He also co-created and executive produced daytime hit Pointless (BBC Two), Seven Days On the Breadline (ITV1) and Divided (ITV1).
Karen Smith started as a Day Producer on This Morning, going on to become Editor. She then joined Endemol, helping to launchComic Relief Does Fame Academy (BBC 1). In 2004, she joined BBC Entertainment and was the Co-Devisor and Executive Producer of Strictly Come Dancing, one of the biggest entertainment formats in the world. In 2009, Karen joined Shine and became Joint Managing Director, before starting Tuesday’s Child in 2012.
BAFTA Scotland
249 West George Street, Glasgow G2 4QE
T +44 (0)141 302 1770
F +44 (0)141 302 1771
www.bafta.org/scotland

Image via Wikipedia
Once in a while I get loose from the UWS Mediaacademy and get out more and I spent a truly inspiring day at the Media Guardian Edinburgh Internaional Festival Network event the other day. The Network (formerly TVYP) is run in parallel with the International TV Festival and is committed to identifying and developing young creative talent who are interested in a career in Television. Thousands of hopefuls apply, and this year 80 successful delegates descended on Edinburgh for four free days of masterclasses, workshops and career chats.

"Writing's fine, but I really want to direct"
These included….
– Learning the key ingredients for getting a start in TV
– Discovering just how huge and diverse television is
– Getting your hands dirty and finding out exactly how a camera works
– Meeting fantastically talented TV and showbiz types
– Understanding what all the people on a TV show’s end credits do
– Questioning TV execs who have the power to give you a job
As the Network website explains
“The Network is now in its 20th year, each year The Network delegates have the opportunity to meet, work with and learn from leading creative industry figures ranging from scriptwriters to producers, presenters to publicists, programme schedulers to commissioning editors. Past contributors have included Chris Evans, Russell T Davies, Davina McCall, Jimmy Carr, Sir Trevor McDonald, Simon Amstell, Kirsty Young, Jana Bennett, Director of BBC Vision, Tim Hincks, Chief Executive, Endemol and Jon Snow.”.
My particular workshop was sponsored by the ALCS , and through them I was fortunate enough to be able to discuss creativity and screenwriting on an individual basis with 15 of the delegates this year, and an overwhelming and humbling experience it was too.
The cliche about “teaching” is that when it’s working well, the teacher learns as much pupil, but I can honestly say that after speaking in detail to the young delegates, I really did learn a lot. I learnt that the future of British TV, if this lot have anything to do with it, is in good hands. All of them had well formulated ideas to pitch, all of them were willing to listen, and all of them taught me something I didn’t know before. They even had Business Cards, putting me to shame..(Memo to self. Must get business cards printed.)

Tash Collie pitching her new Radio Drama.
The feedback from the whole event is just in, and modesty forbids me repeating it all here. Suffice to say the delegates went away brimming with ideas, enthusiasm and creativity. If you are a creative young person who wants to be involved in the TV Industry, keep an eye on the Network Website for details of next years initiatives. It’s well worth it, even for the old fogeys like me who are supposedly “teaching” you.
Special thanks has to go to James, Suzy and Holly for all their hard work and for providing me with the photos.