Find out more about the nine selected indies taking part in new scripted drama initiative International Horizons: Scripted.

Aimed at boosting production of scripted drama in the three nations, International Horizons: Scripted will provide companies with the skills, knowledge and networks necessary to thrive in international markets.

The nine successful delegates who have been selected to take part in International Horizons: Scripted are:

• Anna Callan, Fine Point Films, Northern Ireland
• Paul Kennedy, Village Films, Northern Ireland
• Dermot Lavery, DoubleBand Films, Northern Ireland
• Deanne Cunningham, Synchronicity Films, Scotland
• Arabella Page Croft, Black Camel, Scotland
• Paul Murray, Boy 313, Scotland
• Ed Talfan, Severn Screen, Wales
• Rachel Evans, Boom Cymru, Wales
• Gethin Scourfield, Triongl, Wales

This advanced industry programme, developed with the support of BFI awarding National Lottery Funding, Creative Wales, Northern Ireland Screen and Screen Scotland, will take place across sixth months. Along with one-to-one support and networking opportunities in each nation, participants will receive unrivalled access to industry experts.

Confirmed contributors to the programme to date include:

• Georgia Brown, Consultant and former Head of Amazon Studios, Europe
• Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor, Drama at Channel 5 and Paramount+
• Jon Farrar, SVP, Group Editorial & Content, BritBox
• Rebecca O’Connor, Director of Production, Sky Studios
• Simon Cox, EVP Content & Acquisitions, Banijay Rights
• Laura Andrews, Commercial Director, UK Drama at ITV Studios
• Nick Lee, Commercial Director – Drama & Comedy at BBC Studios                                                      
• James Copp Co-Head of Content at Night Train Media
• Rebecca Dundon, SVP of Scripted Content at Fremantle
• Lee Stone, Partner at Lee & Thompson’s Film Group
• Pete Saville, MD & Music Supervisor at Carbon Logic
• Robin Hilton, Media and Entertainment Partner at Sheridans

Developed and delivered by TRC and creative lead Caroline Levy, the course will include funded attendance to Content London in December and will culminate with an international market visit in 2025, expanding the delegates networks both within the UK and internationally.

This programme is funded by the BFI awarding National Lottery Funding, Creative Wales, Northern Ireland Screen and Screen Scotland.

Originally from the Glens of Antrim in Northern Ireland, Anna has worked internationally across a range of genres in the screen industries ranging from HETV to Film and Comedy.

Anna has produced projects across the factual and fiction genres, including feature documentaries “Girls Who Run The World” and “The Unrest Collective” which are currently in funded development. Anna has also produced a wide slate of short films, including five funded short  films including; BFI funded short film “Shee” which shot in Nairobi and completed post production in Northern Ireland and premiered at Belfast Film Festival 2023, short creative documentary “Run With Her” funded by The Scottish Documentary Institute and Northern Ireland Screen which premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2021 and a BBC Two Minute Masterpiece “Best Served Cold”, which premiered on BBC iPlayer. Anna is also currently producing a short narrative project “Long Shadows” which received funding from Northern Ireland Screen and is currently finishing post production. Anna was a participant in the Ignite Scheme Talent Development Scheme 2021/22 with two projects and is a member of BAFTA Connect.

From 2021 – 2024 she was Personal Assistant to Director Paul Feig. And was Executive Assistant to Producers Stephen Jones and Laura Fischer on Netflix feature film “The School for Good and Evil” and Personal Assistant to Alexander Skarsgard on feature film “The Northman”. As well as working as a Personal Assistant and Anna has extensive experience as an Assistant Director with her most recent AD credits including Third Assistant Director on “The Morrigan” (Feature Film), “Housejackers” (Feature Film), “Wreck” S2 (TV) and “Pickle Storm” S1 (TV). Anna also worked as an Assistant Director on “Game of Thrones”, “Bloodlands” and “Dublin Murders”. Anna is interested in working on female led projects, focusing on finding new narratives and underrepresented voices.

Paul is the founder and director of Village Films, an indie based in Belfast.

In 2022, he was nominated for the Breakthrough Producer Award at the British Independent Film Awards. Paul is passionate about championing emerging filmmaking talent from Northern Ireland, and his films have been showcased at many prestigious film festivals including Toronto International Film Festival and TriBeCa Film Festival. His films have been distributed on major platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, and Hulu.

Currently, Paul is focused on the ongoing growth of Village Films by developing an exciting slate of feature films and high-end television series.​

Dermot Lavery is an award-winning director, producer and executive producer with DoubleBand Films, the Belfast-based independent production company he cofounded over 30 years ago.

Dermot most recently produced the CINI4/ Screen Ireland funded folk-horror film “Fréwaka” which will go into distribution in 2025 with IFC/Shudder and which premiered at the Locarno and London FilmsFestivals in 2024. He is also responsible for a wide range of highly acclaimed documentaries for broadcasters such as the BBC, RTE, and Channel 4, many of which have enjoyed international distribution including on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+.

DoubleBand currently has a wide slate of dramas and documentaries in development or the early stages of production, the most up-to-date being a major factual series for Channel 4 on the Royal family.

DoubleBand’s credits include the critically acclaimed and award-winning feature documentary “Road”, narrated by Liam Neeson and “Lost Lives”, a landmark film on the Troubles in Northern Ireland featuring an ensemble cast of Irish actors, including Kenneth Branagh, Brendan Gleeson, and Ciaran Hinds.

Dermot has previously served as the Northern Ireland representative on the Council of UK industry trade body PACT and has been a board member of Northern Ireland Screen.  

Deanne Cunningham is Head of Development at Synchronicity Films, an award-winning Scottish indie.

She is responsible for their slate of high-end scripted projects for Film and TV. With 15 years of experience in the industry, she has produced hit dramas such as “Endeavour” and “Cold Feet”. She has also script edited several award-winning shows, including “Humans” (Ch4/AMC), “Utopia” (Ch4) and “The Tunnel” (Sky Atlantic/Canal+). She has also produced several independent short films with backing from Creative Scotland and the BFI. She is a former BBC Production Trainee and lives in Glasgow, where she likes climbing munros and swimming in lochs whenever possible!

Arabella is a leading Scottish producer, executive producer and director. She runs Black Camel Pictures with her producer partner Kieran Parker. The company is currently in pre-production with “Gifted”, a 10 x 30′ new kids action adventure series for CBBC and ARD in Germany. They are in post production with “An t-Eilean / The Island” (4 x 50’), the first HETV family crime drama for BBC ALBA. She executive produces both shows.

Arabella executive produced “Annika” for UKTV & PBS Masterpiece, starring Nicola Walker. The series aired on UKTV’s Alibi in August 2021 to rave reviews and record viewership on the channel. The show was acquired by BBC One and iPlayer. Arabella also executive produces the award-winning children’s animation series “The Brilliant World of Tom Gates” by Liz Pichon, which premiered on Sky Kids and has now run to three series.

Feature film credits include “Falling for Figaro” starring Dani Macdonald & Joanna Lumley, “Sunshine on Leith” starring Jane Horrocks and Peter Mullan, “Legacy” starring Idris Elba and action horror trilogy “Outpost” (I,II,III) starring Ray Stevenson.

Arabella executive produces and directs “Float” (6 x 10′), an award-winning YA queer series for BBC Scotland & BBC iPlayer.

Paul Murray is a BAFTA Scotland, RTS and Banff Rocky award-winning producer with over 25 years of UK and International television experience. He has worked in scripted and non-scripted production in many of the biggest production companies in the UK – including Endemol, Objective, IWC and True North.

As creator of C4’s long running and multi award-winning series “Location, Location, Location”, as well as the BBC’s “Antiques Road Trip” and its Celebrity spin-offs, he has created many of the longest lasting and most successful network series produced from Scotland. In addition to his network production credits, he has lectured about format production and development in China, the University of Westminster and various Scottish Institutions. He is co-owner of scripted production entity Boy 313 with director Paul McGuigan, and is currently working on their debut drama based on the award winning novel “Squeaky Clean”.

Ed is Creative Director and CEO at Wales based Severn Screen. Ed’s producer credits include “Mr Burton” (2025), starring Toby Jones and Lesley Manville; Gareth Evans’ “Havoc” (2025), starring Tom Hardy and Forest Whitaker; “The Pembrokeshire Murders” (2021) starring Luke Evans; and “Apostle” (2018), starring Michael Sheen, Dan Stevens and Lucy Boynton. Ed also produced Episode 5 of Season One of Gareth Evans’ “Gangs Of London” (2020).

Alongside the team at Severn Screen, Ed is currently developing a slate of drama projects with writers from across Wales and beyond.

Ed’s Executive Producer credits include BBC dramas “Hidden” (2018-22) and “Steeltown Murders” (2023); and Richard Billingham’s BFI-backed debut feature “Ray & Liz“ (2019). Prior to setting up, Severn Screen, Ed co-created and produced three series of award-winning drama “Hinterland” (2013-2016).

Ed is an alumnus of UWC Atlantic and Edinburgh College of Art, and a trustee of Hijinx Theatre.

Rachel is an Executive Producer at Welsh Indie Boom Cymru and responsible for scripted and non-scripted productions in Welsh and English for numerous broadcasters. Recent scripted credits include “Men Up” and “How This Blind Girl…” for BBC1 and iPlayer, and “Creisis” for S4C.

She trained as a journalist and is passionate about factual storytelling in all its forms. She sits on the Factual Fast Track Board which aims to accelerate career development for producers in Wales and the West, and is an external examiner on the undergraduate course in Media and Communication at Swansea University.  

Gethin is Co-creative Director at Triongl, a leading Welsh production company. Recent productions include “Y Golau/The Light in The Hall” a back to back (dual language) production which screened on S4C, Channel 4 and Sundance Now and was Channel 4’s best performing drama of 2023.

He has worked in the television and film industry since the early 80s, co-founding successful Welsh production companies Criw Byw and Boda before joining the BBC as an Executive Producer in 2001. After leaving the BBC he worked as a freelance producer and director.

Credits include international hit detective drama “Y Gwyll/Hinterland” (BBC4/S4C/All3Media International) and “The Miniaturist” (BBC1/ WGBH). Gethin was acting commissioning editor for drama at S4C from May 2017 to May 2018, where he was Executive Producer on “Un Bore Mercher/Keeping Faith” (S4C/BBC), “Bang!” (S4C/BBC) and “Craith/Hidden” (S4C/BBC4).

 

Get to know the thirteen successful applicants from across the Nations and Regions who are taking part in this year’s SuperSizer programme.

SuperSizer is a professional development programme for ambitious Development Executives based in the Nations and Regions who want to win high value commissions.

This programme is funded by Screen Scotland, BBC Nations and Channel 4.

Ally is a former newspaper journalist who has been working as an unscripted Development Producer since 2021, specialising in premium factual, documentaries and fact-ent formats.

He developed the upcoming feature doc, “Michael Johnson: Super Man”, which charts the career and stroke recovery of the Olympic icon, as well as the entertainment documentary, “Eurovision Calling”, for BBC One.

He is currently Development Producer at Firecrest Films, where his recent commissions include the four-part Channel 4 series “Secrets of the Supermarket Buyers” and a yet-to-be-announced true crime / social history series for the BBC. Further series are in paid development with Channel 4 and a major global streamer.

As well as working in print journalism, Ally was previously a Producer on ITV’s “Good Morning Britain” and a Senior Creative for News UK, producing digital content for The Times and The Sunday Times.

Catriona has been working in TV for 20 years, starting out in London as a researcher on shiny floor, Saturday night entertainment shows such as “Strictly Come Dancing” and later day time shows such as “Weakest Link” and “Ready Steady Cook”. She moved home, via Dublin over 14 years ago to produce a range of local and network shows before focusing on development over the past number of years.

Catriona has won a variety of commissions – factual series and documentaries – some of which she enjoyed producing also. Following a three-year career break to juggle family life, Catriona joined newly formed regional indie, High Rock Media as a Development Executive almost one year ago.

She has just secured their first commissions for two UK Broadcasters and is continuing to develop a range of factual and lifestyle formats for broadcasters in both the UK and Ireland. She is excited to be able to make returnable series out of the Regions, staffed by regional talent and hopes this is the start of a raft of commissions!

Jack Archer is a Scottish documentary film director. For over a decade he has made films about Scottish culture and its impact on the world. His latest film “Bill Douglas: My Best Friend” premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2023 and told the story of the extraordinary friendship between director Bill Douglas and his lifelong companion, Peter Jewel.

His first film “Bothy Life” told the story of the people who maintain communal huts in the wild reaches of the mountains. His second “Village of Dreams” was about a village community that cares for adults with support needs as part of the Camphill Network which can now be found all over the world.

He has made TV documentaries for BBC Scotland, the most recent was a new year special called “Ooh the Banter” which celebrated the Scottish sense of humour as part of the centenary celebrations for the BBC.

As part of Hopscotch Films, he has travelled to South Africa to help tell the story of the Scots who fought against Apartheid and to Russia to explore the Scottish influence on the country.      

Joanna has been development producer at MacTV since 2015. She lives in Edinburgh and works remotely for the award-winning Hebridean indie, which is a main supplier of factual content to Gaelic broadcaster BBC ALBA. Joanna develops and edit produces MacTV’s slate of international co-productions, from historical biogs, such as Icelandic co-pro “The Far Traveller”, to internationally distributed natural history series such as “Tide” and “Rain: The Untold Story”.

In the last year an increased focus on broader and network development has seen her complete a natural history series, produce a BBC Scotland and network documentary and make films for BBC The One Show. Her ambition is to develop a long running, returning format like “A Place in the Sun”. Or plan B is to just move to a Place in the Sun.

Kieran has been director of development at True North in Leeds for the last three years. His work across the company’s broad slate which includes high volume lifestyle, premium access documentary series, talent led formats and true crime.

With a number of series commissioned over the past few years, and conscious of the squeeze in middle TV, he is keen to create distinctive new series brands in both low cost, high volume and premium format space. Kieran has previously worked in development in house at the BBC and at a range of indies including Outline, Double Act and Gobstopper TV.

Series he has created include “Filthy House SOS”, “Lose Weight Like ME”, “Susan Calman’s Antiques Adventure”, “Evicted” and upcoming “Ashley Cain: Into the Dangerzone” (W/T).

Nicole has over 15 years of experience in film and television, with expertise in both production management and development. After five years at Hurricane Films in Liverpool, she transitioned into the world of television in 2015 with Nine Lives Media, where her passion for developing original formats took off.

Nicole has played a key role in projects like BBC Three’s “Squad Dates” and many other productions at Nine Lives, demonstrating her ability to create engaging and diverse content. Based in the Northwest, she is passionate about pushing creative boundaries and exploring fresh ideas in development.

Ruchika began her TV career after eight years in editorial and production management. At 30, she discovered her passion for development, rising to Development Executive and Head of Development across various production companies. Known as the “ultimate ideas machine,” she generates innovative concepts that invigorate the industry, collaborating with top talent.

While excelling in quiz shows and factual programming, her expertise shines in casting-led reality shows, including the iconic “Angels of the North” for BBC3. Recently joining Dare Pictures as Freelance Development Executive, Ruchika is excited to contribute to the growth of this dynamic indie production company.

Scott Dewey is the Head of Development at Cardiff-based Tomos TV. He has extensive experience in production and development and is an alumnus of the Factual Fast Track Wales programme. Scott has a proven track record of winning high-profile commissions for production companies including RDF Television, Twenty Twenty, Hall of Mirrors and BBC Studios.

Recent credits include: Britain’s Criminal Past: A Secret History (Channel 4), Paranormal: The Girl, The Ghost and The Gravestone (BBC Three), Terror at 30,000 Feet (Channel 5), Brits Down Under (Channel 4), Secrets of the Aquarium (BBC Two), Retro Electro Workshop (Yesterday), Alison & Larry: Billericay To Barry (Gold) and Myleene Klass: Miscarriage and Me (W).

Scott is passionate about nurturing new talent, making a difference in the world, factual drama and the Wales football team.

Sol B. River graduated from the Northern Film School with an MA in scriptwriting and later in film direction. He has worked with key broadcasters such as Channel Four, ITV. His experience as a writer, director and producer has seen a career span, theatre, radio, film and television; covering various genres from BBC World Service documentary to BBC Radio 4 drama. Having won and been nominated for various awards Sol is a published author (Oberon Books). He progressed to deliver a number of independent current affairs films for the BBC. As an independent producer/director/exec producer he recently made the award winning documentary “Walk Against Fear” for the Smithsonian Channel on the 1960’s Civil Rights legend James Meredith.

Awards for television, Cablefax Award, best overall content by genre, The Telly Awards Silver Winner and shortlisted for a Royal Television Society award. He has been a judge for the Royal Television Society and sits on the board of the media dept at Bradford University.

Stephen McGinty is an author, journalist and documentary development producer.  He recently worked on “Face Lift” (BBC), a four-part documentary series which he developed and co-produced with Two Rivers Media. He developed and was associate producer on “The Ice Cream Wars” for BBC 2 which ranked in the top ten UK programmes when later shown on both Amazon Prime and Netflix.

As a development producer with STV Studios he conceived “Inside Central Station”, which ran to three series on BBC Scotland and BBC 2 Network and developed and co-produced the BAFTA Scotland award winning documentaries “Fire in the Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster”, “Dunblane: Our Story” and “Yes/No: Inside the Indy Ref”. Other projects he developed include “Ross Kemp: Inside Barlinnie” for ITV and three documentaries for SKY Arts “Muriel Spark by Ian Rankin”; “Ivor Cutler by KT Tunstal”l & “Robert Burns: No Holds Bard”.

He is the author of five non-fiction books including Fire in the Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster which is currently being adapted as a major new television drama for the BBC. His most recent book The Dive: The Untold Story of the World’s Deepest Submarine Rescue is being adapted for cinema release by the producer of Saving Private Ryan and the screenwriter of The Crown. He writes for The Sunday Times.

Stuart founded Glasgow based production company, Spud Gun in 2019 and hit the ground running with the commission, “Growing Up Scottish” a 6 x30 comedy series for BBC Scotland which he developed himself, Series Produced and Exec’d. A second series plus Christmas / Hogmanay specials quickly followed and he is awaiting sign off on Series 3.

Stuart has also had success on BBC Digital with pilots plus the commission of prank show “MuckSpreaders”.  With more pilots in development and an extensive slate branching into fact ent, scripted and specialist factual. 

With nearly 15 years’ experience in the industry, Tom started his career in production where he worked on series including “The X Factor”, “This Morning” and “Antiques Road Trip” – and even became an editor for a brief stint.

More recently, he has focused on his true passion: development. He has held senior roles at companies including The Garden, BBC Studios and Twenty Twenty, with some of his commissions include “Squid Game: The Challenge” (Netflix), “Emergency” (Channel 4), “Alone” (Channel 4) – and Stellify’s recently secured “The Art Game” for BBC Two.

Wesley is currently the Deputy Head of Development for BBC Studios Factual Entertainment in Bristol. with commissions including: “The Great Home Transformation” (C4), “The Unique Boutique” (C4), “Hungry For It” (BBC Three), “The Workout Badges with Hey Duggee & Joe Wicks” (YouTube Originals) and “Crime: Are We Tough Enough?” (BBC One).

He is obsessed with formats, be it UK or International, and is passionate about creating exciting and returnable ideas – from bold reality competitions to talent led funny factual and innovative AFP to spiky social experiments. He loves nothing more than creating premium sizzles and decks for these formats, and has over 14 years shooting and editing experience.

Before moving to Bristol. Wesley spent 10 years at Monkey. developing and working on Entertainment and Factual Entertainment shows such as: “Made in Chelsea” (E4), “TFI Friday” (C4), “Britain’s Best Parent?” (C4), “The Real Housewives of Cheshire” (ITVBe) and “The Question Jury” (C4).

Meet the eight Producers and Series Producers taking part in the third edition of Factual Fast Track Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Factual Fast Track is a reputation-building career development programme that fast tracks established, ambitious, Producers and Series Producers to move up the career ladder and work on larger scale and higher budget productions.

This programme is funded by BBC, Channel 4, Screen Scotland and Northern Ireland Screen.

After a brief stint in development at TwoFour’s London office, Angus has worked in the Northern Irish TV industry since 2014. Now an established Shooting PD with a focus on Prime-Time Observational Documentary, Angus also works across other genres including Fact Ent, Daytime and Reality.

Angus loves the process of shaping a gripping narrative out of real life stories, and wears his role as a regional producer as a badge of pride. Having previously worked with UK Indies such as Blast! Films, Shine TV and Fremantle, he is currently directing a three-part obs doc series in his hometown of Ballymena for Below the Radar.

Ben Jamieson is an experienced P/D & Edit Producer who has worked for major UK and international broadcasters and SVODs such as Amazon, Netflix, and Red Bull TV. He has a strong track record of delivering compelling content across a range of genres, including Observational Documentary, Science, and Specialist Factual.

As well as working on established formats such as “Grand Designs”, “Our Yorkshire Farm” and “Escape to the Chateau”, Ben is also adept at shaping new series having worked on a variety of new commissions including; “Secrets of the Superfactories” (Discovery), “Grand Prix Driver” (Amazon) and the RTS NI nominated “The Hotel People” (BBC).

 

Originally from South Yorkshire, Glasgow is now home to factual Producer Claire Tippett, who has worked in the indie sector here for 15 years. As a freelancer Claire has produced specialist factual, factual entertainment and observational documentary content for major broadcasters. She joined Red Sky Productions in 2019 where she pivoted between production and development; shooting and producing content for the BBC and Channel 4, and winning commissions, most notably “Saved and Remade”, a 20-part factual entertainment series for BBC Two. Her most recent credit: maternity leave (and most challenging production to date!) 

Drea is a Glasgow based Series Producer with over 20 years experience in observational documentaries and Fact Ent formats.  She is experienced in originating and developing ideas to the point of commission and has produced and directed on award winning, popular brands such as “The Apprentice”, “Secret Millionaire”, “Wife Swap” and “Location, Location, Location”.  Her senior and series producer credits include “Puppy School” for Channel 4, BBC Scotland’s “Tiny Lives” and “It’s Me or The Dog” for Discovery. She is currently working at Firecrest on Series 6 of “Paramedics on Scene”.

Holly is a multi-genre Producer who was staff at the BBC for 17 years where she worked across Radio, News, Digital, Children’s, Learning, Factual and Entertainment. Since leaving the BBC in 2021, she has worked for Indies in the UK and US including Done+Dusted, Remarkable, Rockerdale Studios, IWC and Raise the Roof.

Holly spent most of 2023 and 2024 developing and series producing “The Assembly” for BBC One, a TV special that championed diversity and inclusion on screen and behind the cameras and she is passionate about increasing diversity, inclusion and equity across TV.

Jo has worked in the television industry for over 20 years, starting as a journalist in Glasgow before moving to London as a factual producer for GMTV and LWT. 

Returning to Scotland four years later, she produced a Scottish BAFTA-winning documentary and was nominated for another series she made a few years later. Jo is proud to be based in Scotland and has worked with many leading indies and broadcasters. Most recently, Jo directed the first of a three-part series, “Street Gangs”, with Tern TV for the BBC.

Liza has been working as a PD since 2017 and a Series Producer since 2021.  She moved back to Northern Ireland in 2020 after working in Manchester and London for ten years. She loves making documentary and fact ent programming, and is keen to see more production of a larger scale in the regions.  She is currently working on an 8-part series for BBC Northern Ireland developed by Afro-Mic Productions.  She has previously worked for indies across the UK including Love Productions, Tern Television, Rare TV and Waddell Media.

Shruti is an accomplished P/D and Edit Producer. Starting her career in 2006 as a set design and costume runner in Bollywood, she took a leap of faith and moved 4500 miles to pursue her career in the UK. Shruti has since produced and directed shows across various genres for BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, and Sky Arts, including “Prisons: First and Last 24 hours”, “Class of Mum and Dad”, and “Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out”. Recently, she completed her own commission for BBC’s “Our Lives” strand and is currently working as a senior producer on the BBC’s landmark observational series “This Farming Life.”

 

TRC has announced a new initiative to boost production of scripted drama in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with the support of the BFI awarding National Lottery Funding, Creative Wales, Northern Ireland Screen and Screen Scotland.

Applications from indies making scripted content are now open for International Horizons: Scripted, an advanced industry programme designed to increase participants’ opportunities in high-end drama in international markets.

A practical response to the ‘fewer, better, stronger’ mantra from broadcasters and streamers as they commission fewer projects with increased impact, International Horizons: Scripted will build the skills, knowledge and networks to enable nine local indies to thrive in the competitive world of scripted drama.

Course design has been led by BAFTA nominated producer and executive producer Caroline Levy who has held senior roles at Paramount and BBC Studios. She brings both a global perspective and deep local understanding of financial and creative challenges in drama production. Her credits include “Deadwater Fell”, “A Gentleman in Moscow” and “Hooten & The Lady”.

The successful delegates will be supported in reaching their commercial and international potential through an intensive 6-month programme focusing on sustaining and growing business with unrivalled access to industry experts. The cohort will learn from those with first-hand experience across legal and business affairs, distribution deals, investment opportunities, financial models and creative solution solving scenarios in music, factually inspired dramas and other areas.

Throughout the duration of the programme, delegates will be given one-to-one support in identified areas to enable them to navigate different broadcaster requirements. Industry networking events will take place in each of the three nations enabling participating indies to forge relationships with industry experts and a wider network who will foster the next generation of narrative content creators.

The programme will also fund attendance to Content London in December and will culminate with an international market visit in 2025, expanding the delegates networks both within the UK and internationally.

Applications are now open to scripted indies based in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The deadline for applications is Monday 2^nd September, 5pm.To learn more about International Horizons Scripted and find out how to apply, please visit

International Horizons: Scripted

Claire Scally, Managing Director of TRC said:

“Working with the national screen agencies we have developed International Horizons Scripted to champion Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales’s scripted drama companies. Building on the successful International Horizons brand, this programme will aim to expand the companies’ horizons internationally in what we hope will be a gamechanger for scripted drama in the Nations. We are excited to be supporting 9 companies in this endeavour.”

Sara Whybrew, Director of Skills and Workforce Development at the BFI, said:

“The BFI is committed to supporting the growth and sustainability of indie production companies right across the UK.  TRC Media will play a vital role in providing dedicated business development training and support to indies across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, with a particular emphasis on supporting those that are led by underrepresented talent.  We hope the support on offer here will go some way to helping level the playing field in a competitive market, and subsequently see that a greater diversity of stories are brought to our screens.”

Joedi Langley, Interim Head of Creative Wales, said:

“The quality of home-grown scripted drama coming out of Wales recently is testament to the talent we have here in Wales. In supporting this initiative Creative Wales is joining other UK nations to support our indies to reach new platforms and help them to access new audiences through high quality content.”

Andrew Reid, Chief Content Officer at Northern Ireland Screen commented:

“We welcome the launch of the International Horizons Scripted initiative, this programme represents a unique opportunity for our local scripted drama companies to expand their reach and make a lasting impact on the global stage. By partnering with TRC we are collectively investing in local talent and creativity, we are not only boosting the local economy but also showcasing Northern Ireland’s rich cultural narratives to a worldwide audience.”

Kieran Hannigan, Head of Scripted at Screen Scotland said:

“Financing for scripted TV production has never been more competitive and we know equipping our Indies with the tools to secure international partners is key to their success moving forward. It’s fantastic to be able to support this exciting new program from TRC, with their enviable track record of delivering brilliant professional development across the UK. We are confident that under the guidance of Caroline Levy, the companies will gain valuable and practical learning through International Horizons Scripted.”

Following Broadcast’s recent Hot Shots announcement, we are very proud to see so many of our TRC alumni featured in four of the different categories.

Iqbal Khokhar, selected for Hot Shots 2024 Post/Craft

Iqbal joined the industry as an Edit Assistant through the rad Scotland 2021 scheme and has since gained broadcast and SVODs credits for Amazon Prime, BBC, CH4, CH5, Sky, Discovery+ and Netflix.

Isha Krishnan, selected for Hot Shots 2024 Production managers

Isha started her career in the industry in 2021 through rad Scotland and has since established herself as a Junior Production Co-ordinator, working with Red Sky Productions since her traineeship.

Ella Jackson, selected for Hot Shots 2024 Researchers & Aps

Ella took part in the 2022/23 edition of our development programme SuperSizer whilst at BBC Pacific Quay and was one of the three development executives to win our Ben Frow pitching challenge. At the time she commented: “Being part of SuperSizer has been a game-changer. It’s given me the opportunity not only to develop my confidence and professional skills, but to establish an inspiring new network of programme-makers. Having the chance to pitch to Ben Frow and his team was a truly amazing and memorable experience – and hopefully the start of many more creative conversations to come!”

Connie Sneddon, selected for Hot Shots 2024 Development Producers

Connie joined our latest SuperSizer edition in 2023 as a Development Producer for IWC Media, where she secured two season of reality show ‘The Agency: Unfiltered’. She commented on her participation to SuperSizer:

“Getting to meet all the SuperSizers in person on multiple occasions really allowed me to solidify new relationships with people at other companies and meeting with so many impressive people on each session was invaluable. However, meeting so many commissioners during our week in London is what helped both my career and company the most. Getting facetime with commissioners I want to pitch to in the future, seeing how they are in person and hearing what they were looking for was hugely helpful to both myself and IWC.”

Congratulations to Iqbal, Isha, Ella and Connie for this achievement! We look forward to seeing the amazing contributions you’ll continue to make in the world of television.

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As part of BBC’s Bring the Drama Festival, we will be hosting an online info session over Zoom on Wednesday 27th March, 6pm.

If you’ve always wanted to kickstart your career in Scotland’s TV industry but don’t know how to get started, this is your chance to find out more about the production opportunities available in Scotland.

The event will feature some of our trainees and alumni, and will offer the opportunity to ask them about their experiences on our programmes.

Register for the event here and check out the ERIC creative careers app for more opportunities across the UK.

We are delighted to announce the following panellists will be joining us next week:

Amanda Ajomale | Researcher

rad Scotland 2022

Amanda Ajomale is a Researcher and Screenwriter, alumnus of We Are Parable’s Momentum, TRC’s rad scheme, and Short Circuit’s Convergence. With both a short and feature film currently in development, Amanda’s TV credits include BBC’s The Firm, Bridge of Lies, and the current season of Question Time.

Alf Payne | Researcher

rad Scotland 2023

Alf is a creative scientist who, through broadcast media, aims to bring together his mutual passions of science and storytelling. After moving to Glasgow to study towards a PhD, he decided to take a step away from academic research to pursue science communication work. He is grateful to TRC media and the rad program for facilitating his first experience working on a range of productions, such as The Secret Genius of Modern Life, with BBC Studios. Since the rad program concluded, Alf has since continued to work at Pacific Quay as a researcher working towards his first AP credits.

Kelsey Burke | Production Assistant

rad Scotland 2023

Since graduating from rad Scotland, Kelsey has continued working at her placement company (Hello Halo) where she works across a range of productions as a runner and office assistant.
With aspirations to transition into an editorial role Kelsey is passionate about championing diverse narratives and amplifying marginalised voices, hoping to contribute to a more inclusive media landscape.