Day gathering hoping to turn screen dreams into reality

BUDDING Scots entrepreneurs who want to break into the world of film and television are tomorrow being given the chance to see how their dreams might be turned into reality, including with the help of enterprise angencies such as the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust, which provides loans and grants, plus busincess advice and mentoring, to young entrepreneurs, aged between 18 and 25.

Screen Futures is a pilot project being run by the Screen Academy Scotland, which is based at Napier University in Edinburgh and co-run by the Edinburgh College of Art. And its aim is to help recent graduates in Scotland realise their screen business ideas through a package of business support, mentoring and networking events.

Its launch tomorrow is to feature keynote speaker, Hardeep Singh Kohli – writer, director and star of Channel 4’s ‘Meet The Magoons’ and writer and director of the first series of the BBC’s ‘Grease Monkeys’.

Various agencies, including the PSYBT, will be on hand tomorrow morning.

In the afternoon, a panel discussion with ‘industry professionals’ is taking place, which “will look at the issues and opportunities faced by those involved in promoting screen (and other creative) businesses”.

Says Robin MacPherson, director of Screen Academy Scotland: “Screen Futures can help people who qualify to develop their screen business ideas by planning a programme of support including business visits, peer networking, master classes and small business grants.”