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Bolton man and BBC Commissioning Editor, Aaqil Ahmed, paid tribute to the inventiveness and professionalism of University of Bolton students as he opened the Creative Degree Show.

He told industry guests at the opening ceremony last night (Thursday 17 June 2010) how he had been impressed with the students working with his teams at the BBC. Hundreds of students are exhibiting until June 23 at the University’s Deane Road campus, across all creative disciplines – from Animation and Illustration to Media, Writing and Production.

  Mr Ahmed, who trained in graphic design and photography, is now Head of Religion and Ethics for the BBC. He told guests the students had achieved ‘no mean feat’ in developing creative ideas for bringing religious programming to Radio 1 and pitching those ideas to Head of Religion Radio, Christine Morgan.

The University of Bolton and the BBC have been working together to open up pathways into employment in the media industry for students and to develop new talent within the region.

The University signed a partnership agreement with the BBC in 2008, ahead of the Corporation’s move to Salford next year.

The partnership between The University of Bolton and the BBC helps to identify new talent, focus on learning and development, build relationships within communities and develop clear pathways into the BBC and the wider industry.

The BBC works with the University of Bolton on projects which now include:

BBC Radio Drama Media Placements for Bolton students

planned writing workshops for students with BBC producers and writers who  come to the University as guest speakers

BBC Writersroom networking events

supporting the BBC’s religion and ethics section with the University helping the BBC reach a broader cross-section of the community.

The BBC and the University of Bolton are also working together to develop student placement opportunities within sound recording and music production.

And together the two institutions are developing an outreach programme for local colleges which aims to highlight the range of media careers to young people who do not traditionally consider the media as a profession, such as those from ethnic minority groups.

University of Bolton students won the BBC Writersroom Future Talent award for new writers 2009 and been placed runner up in the contest this year.

Said Creative Industries Liaison at the University, Jane Stuart: ‘It is great for Bolton to have someone like Aaqil with the BBC, and such a champion of bringing opportunities to the North of England with the BBC’s move from London to Salford.’

The new centre at MediaCityUK in Salford will be home to around 2,400 BBC staff from 2011. Five key London-based departments, including two TV channels and two radio stations, will be making their new homes in Salford: BBC Children’s (including CBBC and CBeebies); BBC Formal Learning; BBC Future Media and Technology; BBC Radio Five Live (including Five Live Sports Extra) and BBC Sport

Anna Zaluczkowska, Programme Leader for Media, Writing and Production has recently attended the Annual Meeting of the American Comparative Literature Association in New Orleans. The theme for this year meeting was Creoles, Diasporas, Cosmopolitanism. Anna presented a paper entitled “Whatever you Say Say Nothing” (Northern Irish Cinema) to delegates who had attended the meeting to debate “National Traumas, Diasporic Encounters: Violence, Memory, and Literary/Visual Culture”.

Said Anna; “It was a fantastic experience and the organisation of the conference into small group discussions sessions was particularly suitable for someone, such as myself, who is new to research. I met many academics who were studying Lebanese film, Argentinean film and films about or relating to conflict. We were able to have a very fruitful discussion about the connections we discovered and I have been able to make a range of very useful contacts to help me develop this research further.”

The University of Bolton has offered 16 writers the opportunity to hone their skills with the region’s top professional talent, talent that includes the BBC and Shameless creator Paul Abbott’s new company, AbbottVision.

Writers’ Lab @ Bolton 2010 is for writers who want to develop their skills working in an industry context. They will create an original script, as well as learn about team writing and producing. The pilot scheme will put writers into direct contact with some of the best TV, radio and web producers in the region.

Said Project Manager Jane Stuart: ‘In order to develop the scheme effectively, we have offered free places to 16 new writers from the North West. In return for helping us develop this training programme we are offering writers the opportunity to develop their skills in a commercial context. This scheme is designed to give writers the best start possible and is an opportunity they can’t afford to miss.’

The final 16 writers taking part in the scheme will attend workshops at AbbottVision, The Arvon Foundation and at the University of Bolton. Throughout the programme they will work on a team-written project with industry mentors and have direct and sustained contact with industry professionals through the best work-experience placements around.

The University is developing the writer’s programme in association with production companies in the North West, including AbbottVision, Red Productions, Lime Pictures, BBC writersroom, LA Productions, Made in Manchester and RSJ Productions.

Said Paul Abbott of AbbottVision: ‘AbbottVision are looking forward to working with the new writing talent coming through The Writers’ Lab @ Bolton. Personally, after nearly 30 years of writing for television and film, I haven’t lost sight of just how hard it is to get started and this project is tremendously exciting for those wanting to develop their writing skills.’

On Friday 12th and Saturday 13th March 2010, the Universities of Bolton and Huddersfield collaborated again to host the second Northern Student Scriptwriters’ Conference. This two day conference was an exceptional opportunity for undergraduates, postgraduates and new writers to learn about the mechanics of the scriptwriting industry and to participate in workshops and garner advice from successfully established writers and producers of new writing.

The first day of the conference was held at the University of Bolton on Friday 12th March and dealt more specifically with film and television writing, whilst the second day at the University of Huddersfield on Saturday 13th March concentrated on theatre and radio writing. The conference consisted of talks, Q & A sessions, networking opportunities as well as master classes and workshops.

In Bolton, speakers and workshop leaders included Jimmy McGovern, Mark Herman (Writer/director of Brassed Off, Boy in the Striped Pyjamas), Carolyn Reynolds (Lime Pictures), Jamie Wolpert (Development Executive from Paul Abbott’s AbbottVision), Barry Ryan (Head of Production WarpX), David Thacker (Director Octagon Theatre), BBC Writersroom, and representatives of Conker Media (a digital production company).

In Huddersfield participants heard from and worked with Sue Roberts (BBC Executive Producer, Drama), BBC Writers Room, The West Yorkshire Playhouse’s literary department, Paines Plough (UK’s premiere new writing producing theatre company) as well as other professionals from the scriptwriting world.