Date Created: 23 August 2011
"By nurturing Scottish talent and offering opportunities for international collaboration, the Creative Edge partnership will enhance this dynamic sector while reinforcing Scotland’s global reputation for creative excellence" – Fiona Hyslop, Culture Secretary
A substantial new Scottish funding package for training and development in television and digital media has been announced by Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop.
The Creative Edge partnership will be worth more than £1.4 million over three years to Scottish talent and creative businesses.
The four partners investors are broadcaster Channel 4, Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and TRC media, the Glasgow-based training specialist which will deliver the wide-ranging programmes.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening the talent and business base in Scotland in what is a priority sector for the Scottish Government.
Television and digital media support 42,000 jobs in Scotland and creative industries as a whole contribute £5 billion to the Scottish economy.
Project will focus on six key areas
Six main strands in the Creative Edge project will target emerging digital talent and established industry leaders:
-
Gen Up – an intensive immersion programme in which hand-picked emerging digital talent will learn from leading industry practitioners in all aspects of creative digital media
-
Cross Creative – a nine month initiative enabling creative leaders from Scottish digital companies to expand their knowledge and their networks. Delegates will visit world-class Silicon Valley companies including Pixar, Ideo and Facebook.
-
Format Developers Programme – a specialist training scheme in developing new entertainment and factual formats for television series and online content
-
International Access – field trips by Scottish producers to the US and Canada to meet top broadcasters and potential production partners in international territories
-
Emerging Creative Leaders – a leadership development scheme for emerging creative professionals who can lead teams in all aspects of broadcast and digital production
-
Creative Breakfasts – a portfolio of events with guest speakers that provide content creators with the latest thinking across TV and multimedia
The initiative will "provide a richer variety of training and development for talent in the industry" according to Carol Sinclair, Director of TRC media.
“This is an exciting initiative that builds on the work we have done to help Scottish creative content companies take advantage of international markets and opportunities," she continued.
David Abraham, Chief Executive of Channel 4, commented:
“Channel 4 is passionate about creativity and talent development and we're always keen to support really smart initiatives such as Creative Edge.”
Global opportunities
Linda McPherson, Director of Creative Industries for Scottish Enterprise commented:
“With technology changing the way TV content is produced, delivered and viewed, there are many opportunities for business growth and collaboration across different sectors, opening up new avenues of revenue and new markets.
"We want to ensure our companies are equipped to take advantage of these opportunities and that’s what Creative Edge will provide.”
Caroline Parkinson, Director of Creative Development for Creative Scotland, said:
“Scotland is home to world leading companies creating digital content across a number of platforms. The Creative Edge partnership is instrumental in developing Scotland’s talent in the broadcast and independent TV production sector.
"The benefit of working with world-class companies such as Facebook and Pixar will build on those strengths."
Learn more about Scotland's creative talent on the international stage
Watch the Creative Edge project launch on YouTube