A unique festival devoted to kick starting the careers of people in the creative
industries has visited Lewis.
The goNORTH on the Road aims to give budding musicians, filmmakers, writers, TV hopefuls,
gaming whiz kids and fashion designers an insight into the industry.
The main event is focused on two day showcase for musicians and bands in Inverness
in the summer But many islanders cannot make it to the Highland capital so the festival
has gone on the road with its outreach events.
Keynote speaker in Stornoway was Scots actress Libby McArthur (pictured above), who
played Oyster Cafe owner Gina Rossi for 11 years in the popular BBC Scotland drama
series River City.
Libby McArthur who gave a talk about acting in front of the camera says the event
is valuable in helping aspiring actors and people.
She said: “One of the reasons I love doing this work is there is so much involved
around presence, responsibility and leadership when it comes to actually delivering
a good authentic performance.
“And we all need that in our lives. We all need to find a way to get presence with
our own selves, to deliver, communicate and connect with other people.
“There is so much about acting and being a performer that helps us understand what
that stuff is - what it is to get out of your own way and reach somebody else. That’s
for everyone, not just for actors.”
Amanda Millen of the goNORTH Festival said the outreach events helps people get a
foothold into the industry and make a living out of their talent.
The programme offers master classes, workshops and discussions with experienced industry
professionals.
It includes lessons on licensing music, home to be an animator, distributing music
to leading internet and digital retailers such as iTunes or Spotify.
On hand was advice on accessing a start-up loans to get a creative business off the
ground as was the chance of radio training.
There were sessions on writing for books, drama, and broadcasting as well as an insight
into TV production.
River City star encourages island hopefuls 29/1/14