Screen Agency Supports Northwest Talent

SCREEN AGENCY SUPPORTS EMERGING TALENT AT SALFORD TV CONFERENCE

NORTH West Vision’s Talent Base Manager, Edward Pugh, will be chairing a session at this year’s Television from the Nations and Regions Conference at the Lowry Centre on Thursday 11th January.

As a former Executive Producer, Ed has been on the committee of the Salford Conference for seven years and will chair the 3pm session Writing for the Nations from the Regions.

Speaking in advance of the event, Ed says: “This annual gathering is always a great opportunity to discuss the future of the television industry from a regional perspective. I will be leading a session aimed at writers which will explore how writers get their work on screen, how ideas are developed and how emerging young talent can move forward in today’s competitive industry.”

The session will include guests Morag Fullarton, (Development producer at SMG Productions), Debbie Horsfield, (Writer of Cutting It, Making Out and True Dare Kiss) Henry Normal, (Baby Cow Productions – formed with Steve Coogan, whom he has also written with) and Keith Temple, (Writer of Angel Cake, Doc Martin and Casualty.)

The overall theme of this year’s Conference will focus on the opportunities presented by the new digital world for the industry outside London. Ed’s session will explore this by looking at how the expansion of the World Wide Web has changed how writers present their work.

Ed explains: “The converging of technologies has already presented some interesting outcomes in TV writing. It will be interesting to look at the openings writers now have in the sense of parallel success stories, such as the Artic Monkeys in the music industry.”

The one-day conference will be attended by up to 400 delegates and will include a wealth of guests such as the keynote speaker, Caroline Thompson (Chief Operating Officer at the BBC). “It will be very interesting to hear what Caroline has to say as it is anticipated she will be reflecting on the current possibility of a ‘lower-than-inflation’ licence fee and the BBC Move North,” says Ed.

“In contrast, ITV will also be in the spotlight with Simon Shaps (ITV’s Director of Television) heading an exciting panel that should raise further questions and answers about where the channel is headed in the future.”

There will also be discussions on new platforms and interactive media and a chance to speed date commissioners including Ben Gale, (BBC) Andrew Jackson, (Channel 4) and Jane McCloskey (ITV).

For a full list of speakers and sessions please visit www.salford.tv

The Salford Conference was established in 1993 by the International Media Centre at Salford University. Since then, it has become a vital part of the debate about the future of British Broadcasting. Over the years, every senior figure in UK broadcasting has appeared on the Conference platform. The Conference provides a national forum to explore, discuss, and celebrate broadcasting and production in the Nations and Regions from a non-metropolitan perspective.