BBC Academy’s annual skills-sharing event, Digital Cities, will launch online for the first time later this month, bringing together partners across the creative industries.
The project will see free-to-attend virtual skills workshops take place between September and February. Digital Cities will continue to have a strong nations and regions emphasis by working with partners across Northern Ireland and reaching the creative content making communities. This year sessions will be available for anyone anywhere in the country to attend online.
Attendees will hear from a range of experts from the creative, tech and digital sectors, running masterclasses on subjects such as digital innovation in the TV industry, storytelling for digital platforms and building a brand using social media. Those starting out in the industry will have the opportunity to get advice on networking, as well as the latest information on apprenticeships, bursaries, and training schemes.
September’s sessions run from Tuesday 22nd to Thursday 24th and include a special masterclass from Belfast with the Lyric Theatre on its Splendid Isolation drama series made in conjunction with BBC NI hosted by Marie Louise Muir on Wednesday 23rd September at 5pm.
For those looking to get into the industry there are opportunities to hear from talent managers from Northern Ireland Screen, BBC Children’s, and Channel 4 as well as digital skills training from the BBC Academy. ScreenSkills will also talk about opportunities across the industry.
The full schedule can be viewed on BBC Academy’s site here
Robert Alcock, Director, BBC Academy, said: “Opening up Digital Cities online and working with a range of partners across the creative industries will give an even wider audience access to this free skills-sharing and learning resource. We’re thrilled with the sessions we have lined-up and encourage people to visit the BBC Academy website for more details.”
Emma Dunseith, Head of Content Production, BBC Northern Ireland, says: “Digital Cities has been hugely popular in Northern Ireland over the past three years, so we are delighted to be part of this year’s Virtual Digital Cities series provided by the BBC Academy. Along with our partners here in Northern Ireland we look forward to highlighting opportunities for new entrants to the industry and showcasing our local talent with a series of workshops and masterclasses over the coming months. “There is an extensive range of events planned each month and all sessions are available to anyone in Northern Ireland who wishes to attend.”
The BBC Academy Digital Cities Virtual is supported in Northern Ireland by BBC Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen, Screen Skills, BBC Young Reporter, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast Media Festival, Film Hub NI, Italic Pig, Into Film, The Royal Television Society NI, RTS Futures NI, Ulster University, North West Regional College, Belfast Metropolitan College and Belfast City Council.