Glasgow, Wednesday 26 April 2017 The British Academy of Film and Television Arts in Scotland (BAFTA Scotland) will host the first ever Glasgow leg of BAFTA’s flagship festival for aspiring creatives, Guru Live.  Taking place at the Centre for Contemporary Arts on Saturday 6 May, industry professionals from film, television and games sectors will speak about their experiences.

Guru Live is an extension of BAFTA Guru (www.bafta.org/guru), BAFTA’s online resource that shares advice and inspiration from the best creative minds working in film, television and games, and will feature industry-specific masterclasses, Q&As and panel discussions and cross-sector skills-based sessions led by professionals including BAFTA winners and nominees.

In exciting news for Glasgow’s debut event, the cast of Still Game will hold an intimate session looking back on the past 15 years of one of Scotland’s most popular comedies.  Ford Kiernan, Gavin Mitchell, Jane McCarry, Mark Cox and director Michael Hines complete the comedy show lineup. There will also be discussion panels covering tips on filmmaking in Making a Debut Feature and career advice in The Ladder: Television and The Ladder: Games.  There will be a television masterclass with the expert team behind hit BBC One drama, The Replacement; as well as a games masterclass with two of the industry’s leading game developers.  Tickets for all individual sessions are on sale now and priced at £6 via http://guru.bafta.org/.

Speakers confirmed for Guru Live Glasgow include: Producer Angus Lamont (’71, The Girl with all the Gifts); writer-director John MacLean (Slow West, Pitch Black Heist); director Lou McLoughlan (16 Years till Summer, Caring for Calum); producer Iain Smith OBE (Mad Max: Fury Road, Children of Men); comedian and writer Susan Calman (The Boss, Very British Problems, Rab C Nesbitt); director of Sky Arts Phil Edgar Jones (Portrait Artist of the Year, Talks Music, Big Brother); actor and BAFTA Breakthrough Brit Sharon Rooney (My Mad Fat Diary, Two Doors Down); Studio Something creative directors and BAFTA New Talent nominees Jordan Laird and Ian Greenhill; designer and producer Malath Abbas (Killbox, Other) producer for games Luci Black (LittleBigPlanet, Tearaway, Dreams); audio director Andy Grier (Guitar Hero Live, Call of Duty Online); producer Nicole Cauverien and writer/director Joe Ahearne (The Replacement); game developer Jon McKellan (Alien: Isolation, Super Arc Light) and lead creative Alastair Hebsen (Horizon Zero Dawn, Killzone).

Jude MacLaverty, Director of BAFTA Scotland, said: “Guru Live’s 2016 debut was a tremendous success and we’re thrilled that Glasgow will be holding an extension in May.  We’ve got an inspiring day planned, with some of the biggest names in Scottish television, film and game sectors ready to share their top tips on breaking into a notoriously difficult industry.  There’s a never-ending pool of emerging talent in Scotland and this is a terrific opportunity for practitioners to not only get invaluable industry advice and guidance, but to build a network of contacts to help them as they embark on their creative careers.”

Michael Hines, Director of Still Game, said: “The work that BAFTA Scotland do to help emerging talent get an all-important foot in the door of the creative industries is amazing.  It’s hard to know where to start when you’re looking for a career in TV, film or games, so for them to bring together some of the leading names in the industry to share their experiences, top tips and hopefully a laugh at Guru Live is just brilliant.”

The festival is also set to return for its second year at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, in London, from Saturday 6 May to Sunday 7 May.

Guru Live Glasgow has received funding from generous individuals and BAFTA partners including Creative Scotland, STV, Channel 4 and BBC Scotland.

Highlights from both events will be available on the BAFTA Guru website: www.bafta.org/guru.

Follow Guru Live by using #GuruLIVE and following BAFTA Guru on Twitter and YouTube.

GURU LIVE PANELS AND SESSIONS:

GLASGOW – 6 MAY 2017

The Ladder: TV
Making a Debut Feature Film
The Ladder: Games
Masterclass: The Replacement
Masterclass: Games
Masterclass: Still Game

LONDON – SATURDAY 6 MAY 2017

Telling Stories: Film
The Ladder: TV
Telling Stories: Factual TV
The Ladder: Games
The Money Box
Telling Stories: Games
How to Pitch
Your First Game
The Ladder: Film
How to build a BAFTA-nominee: Games
The Business of Creativity

LONDON – SUNDAY 7 MAY 2017

Directing Your First Hour
Producing Games
Masterclass: Murder in Successful
Directing VR
How to Freelance (supported by Searchlight Recruitment)
Producing a Debut
Getting Commissioned
Masterclass: Notes on Blindness
Digital Creativity: Humans (supported by Channel 4)

Tickets for individual sessions are all priced at £6. For full programme details and bookings, go to http://guru.bafta.org/live

For further information, please contact:

Gillian Lamont at Wire
T: +44 (0)141 648 9610
E: [email protected]

Victoria Irvine at Wire
T: +44 (0)141 648 9610
E: [email protected]

For event photography, logos, accreditation and more, visit www.bafta.org/media-centre