Welsh Scholarship Helps Creatives Pursue Dreams

Established to promote and support educational activities in relation to television, film, radio and digital services, The Welsh Broadcasting Trust has launched a new scholarship to allow creative individuals the unique opportunity to spread their wings.
The scholarship is open to those who have lived in Wales for a minimum of five years, and applications for further career development within television, film, radio and digital services will be considered. Cross-sectoral training schemes, which reflect the multi-platform era in which we live, are also being encouraged. The charity is willing to consider contributing towards the development of creative skills, business/management skills or a combination of both.
Gwenda Griffith, Trustee of Ymddiried commented: "Ymddiried is excited to be in a position to offer this substantial new scholarship. We have so much talent in our creative sector here in Wales, talent which should be recognised and allowed to reach its potential. The grants we have provided in the past have already acted as a catalyst for numerous individuals to move on to the next level in their career, so the opportunity this scholarship provides cannot be underestimated."
A maximum of £30,000 will be made available to spend over a period of three years on a specific professional development activity, and the total sum awarded will depend on the financial application presented.
Relevant study or training opportunities may include things like higher level vocational courses, a doctorate in a subject area relevant to the creative industries, an internship, extended work experience within an established or recognised institution or an internal formal training scheme within a company or recognised institution. Alternatively, the award may be used to fund a combination of the above.
Two people who have already reaped the benefit of grants from Ymddiried are Sion Griffiths from Llangefni on Anglesey and Rebecca Davies, originally from Tonteg near Pontypridd.
Sion, 27, received £3,000 in 2008 to complete an intensive 8-week Filmmaking course at Universal Studios, Los Angeles. Designed for those with little experience in making films, it covered the essential elements of filmmaking with the emphasis on hands-on exercises and the language of film.
Sion said: "The course was a totally amazing experience from start to finish. It changed my attitude to a lot of things. For example, I now know how important it is to keep your identity and your quirks, it’s what makes you stand out from the crowd. The film industry is a huge business, and there’s lots of niche markets you can get into. This course helped me find my direction and I’m now working for Chwarel, a local production company whilst doing a PhD in Filmmaking."
Rebecca Davies, 30, was at a more advanced stage in her career when she received £3000 to undertake the EAVE European Producers Workshops programme last year. As a Producer for It’s My Shout, a film training and talent scheme which provides practical experiences in film, television and media for young people who would not normally be able to access such opportunities alongside film professionals, she had worked with 19 directors over three years, each director doing a short film.
Whilst producing It’s My Shout, she worked with director Janis Pugh who proposed her feature script as a way to work together for the future. The EAVE programme was the perfect way to take this film project to another level.
Rebecca commented: "As a result of doing the EAVE project, and working with the Film Agency for Wales, the script was ready to take to the UK Film Council. Janis was on their radar, and they saw the potential in the project, and so took it on. We're now working with them to get a final draft of the script ready, and as a result of the programme we have interest from across Europe on the project.
"The most important thing I learnt from the course is that producing is a really tough industry, but if you’re determined and can identify the right talent, then it’s all possible."
The deadline for applications is June 30th at 5.00pm. Further information on the application procedure can be found: www.wbt.org.uk
(BMcN)