TRC drives global ambition with new creative development programme for indies based in Northern Ireland

Leading broadcast training provider TRC announces new Northern Ireland Screen backed creative development programme SuperSizing Global Sales aimed at indies based in Northern Ireland.

This innovative new initiative builds on the success of TRC’s Scotland based Supersizing Development Teams programme, aimed at equipping indies with the tools and insights to think bigger, bolder, and more creatively.

With a focus on global opportunities, Supersizing Global Sales will provide a structured framework to enhance creativity and scale up ideas for international markets.

Over the course of four months, participating indies will benefit from group training and one-to-one consultancy, with personalised guidance and support to navigate the global marketplace effectively and formulate a bespoke sales strategy. In addition to this, representatives from each company will have the opportunity to attend Content London and one other international market.

In this first edition, SuperSizing Global Sales will work with four Northern Irish indies. Participants on the programme are:

• Michael Fanning and Patricia Moore from Below The Radar
• Jane Kelly, Philip McGovern, Bec Milligan and Muireann McGinty from Big Mountain Productions
• Abigail Keyes, Edward Hart and Hannah McMillan from Rare TV
• Matthew Worthy, Tom Doyle-Wood, Shannon Hamilton and Sophie Hagan from Stellify Media

Claire Scally, Managing Director of TRC commented:

“Having successfully supported close to 100 ambitious Development Executives in the Nations and Regions over the past 8 years with SuperSizer and eight Scottish teams with SuperSizing Development Teams, we wanted to broaden this programme’s scope to focus on global opportunities. This intensive course will incorporate key training on creative teams and highlight key areas for global success. We look forward to supporting the four selected indies in Northern Ireland and beyond.”

Richard Williams, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Screen said:

“We welcome the opportunity to support local indies based in Northern Ireland through TRC’s Supersizing Global Sales development programme.  For the four selected local indies, this initiative will equip them with the skills to navigate and capitalise on global opportunities, ensuring they are both recognised and celebrated on the world stage.”

To learn more about SuperSizing Global Sales please visit https://trcmedia.org/training/supersizing-global-sales/

This programme is funded by Northern Ireland Screen.

Michael is an award winning producer and director who has produced a range of factual programmes and series for broadcasters across the UK and Ireland. He is Managing Director of Below The Radar, a Belfast based TV production company. He joined Below The Radar in 2006 having spent five years working in news and current affairs at UTV.

Michael is also a Board member of Northern Ireland Screen.

Patricia Moore is an experienced television executive who has worked in the industry for 30+ years, developing and producing many hours of multi-genre content. She has also worked as an executive producer and is experienced in building trusted relationships with teams, contributors, and on-screen talent.

She started her in UTV where she worked as a senior producer/director before leaving in 2007 to run Tyrone Productions’ Belfast/UK office. Since then, she has worked on a wide range of factual, fact ent and documentary content for UK, Irish and international broadcasters.

Patricia recently took up the role of Head of Development with Below the Radar with a focus on developing new business relationships and building on the company’s successful slate.

Jane co-founded Big Mountain Productions and leads creative and strategy across both companies in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland with partnerships and teams in LA and Brighton. Together with husband and business partner, Philip McGovern, they have created award-winning shows in Ireland, UK and USA and sell their shows and licences worldwide.

Originally from West Belfast, Jane was first in her family to attend university in Edinburgh and joined the BBC Graduate Trainee Programme before working for many years as a producer/director, then SP on a range of programming for BBC and in the independent sector in USA, UK and Ireland.

Jane is a former member of Creative Skillset and mentee of BBC/NIS Aim High Schemes, ILBF Trainee Scheme and Young Entrepreneur NI. She has been active in female entrepreneurship in NI, UK and USA for last 10 years, is a member of Going For Growth Female-led business network, a former member of The British Irish Chamber of Commerce, CAST (Culture, Arts, Sport and Tourism) Committee and SME Committee, Intertrade Ireland Ambassador and a published author.

Philip McGovern has 25 years’ experience in television production with the BBC, RTE, UK & Irish indie sector- in the documentary,  popular factual, fact/ent and entertainment genres.

Bec brings 20 years’ experience working in popular factual and fact-ent formats, with a 360 view having worked her way up from researcher to exec across roles in development, production, and commissioning.
Having cut her teeth casting on award winning documentaries (“Breaking up with the Joneses”), she transitioned into directing and series producing popular formats such as “Celebrity Masterchef”, “The Apprentice” and “The Great British Bake Off”. She also worked across popular history series Reel Lives of Britain and Features series “Grow Your own Drugs”. Bec then moved to Channel 4 in commissioning for formats and Education. She has since been consulting on developments and productions for popular factual formatted shows for major UK broadcasters C4, ITV, C5 and BBC.

Muireann is Series Producer with Big Mountain with over a decade of experience in multi-genre production. She was SP on the company’s recent More4/C4 “Country House Auction” following successful Factual Fast Track participation. She is current SP on “Relataí na Gaeltachta/Celebrity Summercamp” for RTE1 and is a recommission of her successful first series.
Muireann has worked on current affairs and live studio programmes (“BBC Sunday Morning Live”, “Spotlight Special”, “Nolan Live”), documentaries and fact-ent formats (More 4’s “Ireland with Ardal O’Hanlon”, BBC/RTÉ’s “Peataí/Pets”, RTE1’s “Madrai/Dogs!”), as well as the award-winning programmes “Spotlight-Buried Secrets” and “When is Sex Rape?”, and “A Very British Mission”. Muireann was a writer on Channel 5’s “Mimi’s World” – a live-action series currently filming in Belfast, and her short documentary “Feed” debuted at Galway Film Fléadh ‘21.

Abigail is a development producer with a strong track record in creating, developing, and selling a broad range of factual and factual entertainment programmes.  

Commissions she has helped develop include “Island Medics” for BBC2, “B&B by the Sea” for BBC 2,” Made Up in Belfast” for BBC3, “Dream Life for the Same Price” for Channel 4 and “Ireland: Coast and Country” for More4.  

Before joining the Rare team, Abigail has developed with indies in Belfast, Glasgow and London – including Remarkable, Hungry Bear, Afro-Mic Productions and Mentorn Media – and was part of the Ones to Watch cohort for 2022.  

Edward Hart is executive producer with Rare Television, where he oversees the company’s offices in both Belfast and Dubin, producing a slate of returning series. These include “Expert Witness” (4 seasons) and “Digging for Britain” (12 seasons) for the BBC, “Crimecall” (9 seasons)  and “The Case I Can’t Forget” (5 seasons) for RTE, and “Life on the Edge” (3 seasons) for The Outdoor Channel.  When tax incentives allow, he also runs co-productions with US broadcasters, including “Inside Mighty Machines” and “Make it Out Alive” (Smithsonian) and “Egypt’s Unexplained Files” (Science Channel).  

Hannah began her career in 2019 as an NI Screen trainee on the Aim High scheme, gaining valuable experience across various TV genres. Currently an assistant producer, she has recently joined Rare TV’s development team, where she continues to pursue her passion for shooting, editing, and developing new ideas across both factual and entertainment content. Some of the programmes she has worked on include BBC quiz shows “Mastermind” and “Lightning”, Channel 4’s obs-doc “Belfast Midwives”, BBC crime series “Expert Witness”, CBBC’s “Style It Out” and the award-winning sketch comedy “The Paddy Raff Show”.

Matthew Worthy is a TV Format Creator and Executive Producer.  He is also the CEO and Co-Founder of Stellify Media, alongside his creative and business partner, Kieran Doherty. Together they have co-created multiple entertainment formats including “Secret Fortune” and “Take the Money and Run”.

In 2014 they launched Belfast based production company Stellify Media as a joint venture with Sony Pictures Television. Stellify Media is a multi award-winning company best known for Netflix’s very first gameshow, “Flinch!”, and for successfully rebooting “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?” with Jeremy Clarkson for ITV and “Blind Date” with Paul O’Grady for Channel 5.  

Tom is Head of Development at Belfast-based Stellify Media.

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.

Shannon is Development Producer at Belfast-based Stellify Media. She first joined as a Northern Ireland Screen trainee back in 2019, being part of the team that created “Celebrity Snoop Dogs” for Channel 4.

After gaining experience in production and development in other Northern Irish Indies – working on a new archaeological series “Bone Detectives: Britain’s Buried Secrets” with Tern TV and a returning holiday series “Getaways” with Waddell Media, she then rejoined the Stellify team in 2023. Since then, she has pitched to Disney+ which has led to the company’s very first documentary development funding from a streamer.

Most recently she was announced as a 2024 Broadcast Hot Shot.

Sophie Hagan initially joined Stellify in 2022 as part of the prestigious NI Screen placement scheme – Aim High. Since then, she has worked across production and development in Moondog Productions, Potato TV, Fine Point Films and Green Inc. Once she had completed her placements across the Northern Irish TV industry it wasn’t long before Stellify snapped her up, first for the production of “Second Hand Style Up”, and then in development as a development researcher.
Some of her credits outside of Stellify include “The Finish Line”, “The Crime I Can’t Forget” and “The Blame Game”. With the help of NI Screen stepping up funds, Sophie has since made the move to Development AP.

SuperSizing Global Sales is funded by Northern Ireland Screen.