Talented line-up for northern creative industry conference
Scotland’s leading creative industries’ gathering will bring exceptional international speakers to a digital stage for 2021.
An internationally acclaimed historian and Hollywood producer will be among the high-profile talent speaking at XpoNorth’s annual conference in June, discussing the key themes of this year’s conference – new ways of working and storytelling.
Headlining the two-day event will be historian, author, broadcaster and award-winning professor of history Suzannah Lipscomb, who has written and presented 18 acclaimed television history documentary series, is the author of five history books and was also chairperson of judges of the Costa Book of the Year Award in 2020.
Suzannah will participate in a panel discussion hosted by BAFTA award-winning writer, actor and TV presenter Sir Tony Robinson. Producer Jason Lust, whose credits include Peter Rabbit and the soon-to-be released Pinocchio, will be taking part.
The team from Buccaneer Media behind the Emmywinning drama Marcella, Richard Tulk-Hart and Tony Wood also join this year’s broadcast and screen line-up.
Internationally renowned voices will include Alexander Knetig, head of digital distribution at ARTE and Einar Hansen Tómasson from the Icelandic Film Commission as well as speakers from the BBC and the Cairngorm National Park.
Talking about the latest trends in audio will be Jaymeson Catsouphes, an award-winning director from new worker-owned audio production co-operative Mumble Media. Elena Corchero, who envisions the future of media, publishing, broadcasting and hybrid events as director of emerging technology at NewsCorp, will explore the subject of digital consumers. Also taking part this year is Nicole Vanderbilt, UK managing director for Bookshop.org, who has more than 25 years of experience in the consumer internet industry.
Delivered via the XpoNorth app, the digital conference will offer dedicated training spaces, networking opportunities, specialist advice sessions and a focus on wellbeing and mindfulness.
Iain Hamilton, head of creative industries at Highlands and Islands Enterprise and co-founder of XpoNorth, said: ‘When we hurriedly had to re-imagine our usual format in a matter of weeks almost a year ago, we could never have predicted the seismic shift in the way we would all be living and working.
He said the past year had been tough, which was why there were sessions on mindfulness and wellbeing as well as practical business support.
TheXpoNorth digital conference is on Wednesday June 16 and Thursday June 17.