Category Archives: Media

TV Commissioning: Demand & Supply

For decades I have, without knowing it, been walking past the place where Broadcasting in Wales began. It launched on 13th February 1923  in the building that’s now a NISA store, opposite Cardiff Castle. I spotted the commemorative plaque only recently.

Mostyn Thomas sings ‘Dafydd Y Garreg Wen’ in the first BBC broadcast from Wales, 1923

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Writer’s Bursary: Highlights so far

I have a fortnight left of my Literature Wales Bursary.  I began it with a strategy. So how have I got on? I will be mentioning pleasure a lot.

Some highlights:
• Working with an editor
• Shaping  a Short Story Collection
• Being read
• Funding the work
• Moving to publication

‘I am nervous/excited but…’ Tag from a previous student, Ty Newydd

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1st Prize Bridgend Open Short Story Competition 2017

It is such an encouragement to win this competition. Adjudicator, Laura Foakes said of my story, Acting Abby:

This multi-layered story stayed with me long after each reading, which is always a sign of a job well done. The author conveyed her understanding of the vagaries of the human condition in a profound but unsentimental way. The wistful first-person narration drew me immediately into the story and the “voice” was strong.

I particularly liked the device of using a stage play as a metaphor for the judgements people/audiences make, and the eventual unfolding of the “choice” the narrator made. The author invites us to judge at our peril. This is a very accomplished and thought provoking piece of work. Continue reading 1st Prize Bridgend Open Short Story Competition 2017

Artistry & Poetry on the Jamie Owen Show

I first worked in radio for the BBC in Wales in 1981. I’m still learning. On the 2nd July 2017 on the Jamie Owen Show I learned: always have your opening prepared, no matter how informal the programme.  The right blend of spontaneity and clarity flows more easily after that.

This show mixes recorded music, live performance, two guest commentators and two interviewees. The brief is weird and wonderful angles on the week’s news so, along with fellow commentator, comedian, Frank Honeybone, I enjoyed sharing some ‘couldn’t-make-it-up’ stories with listeners.

Sarah Brown

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A Bursary and a Strategy

Angela Graham, a Welsh-speaking TV Producer from Northern Ireland, was awarded a Literature Wales Writers’ Bursary 2017 to complete a collection of short stories. She describes getting to grips with the business side of writing. This blog appeared first on the Literature Wales website http://www.literaturewales.org/lw-blog/bursary-strategy-angela-graham/

Even before I knew I’d been awarded a Literature Wales Bursary I’d decided I would commit to writing as soon as a major work project finished on the 29th April. When the Bursaries were announced on the 30th I’d already booked myself a fortnight of relative solitude in Strangford, Northern Ireland. The encouragement of the Bursary was a real boost for this period.

The ferry at Strangford

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Inclusivity in Film – Launchpad:Access

I really enjoyed Launchpad:Access held in Cardiff on 13th May. Organised by Ffilm Cymru Wales in partnership with Hijinx Theatre, CULT Cymru, Disability Arts, Diverse Cymru and Equity, it aimed to get more deaf and disabled people represented in, and working on, film, both on screen and behind the camera. Many of the principles and insights presented would apply across media. I attended in order to improve my understanding of the experience of deaf and disabled people working in film and how I might, as a writer and tv producer, respond more creatively to that. Continue reading Inclusivity in Film – Launchpad:Access