creative talent behind the camera
(writers, directors, producers, etc.),
and fortunately, I got the job to set
up the whole project together with
its new Director Roger Shannon who
encouraged me to enrol at Liverpool
John Moore’s University to study a
degree in Media and Cultural Studies
to compliment my work. Roger also
encouraged me to develop my
production skills, organising high
profile events regionally, nationally
and internationally to showcase
the talent here in the Regions,
at film festivals such as Cannes,
London and Edinburgh, to name
a few. Promoting the feature films
produced by new and emerging
Liverpool talent, such as acclaimed
writer Frank Cottrell Boyce’s first
feature film Butterfly Kiss, directed
by award winning director Michael
Winterbottom, their first collaboration.
Jimmy McGovern’s first controversial
feature film Priest . Both Frank and
Jimmy have since won multi awards
for their television and feature films
such as Millions , The Railway Man
(FCB) and Hillsborough, The Street ,
Common (JMcG).
Professor Phil Redmond with Acclaimed
Liverpool Actor, David Morrissey
Approaching my thirties, my
husband wanted to go to university
to study Criminal Justice at Liverpool
John Moores, so I returned home
reluctantly in 1986. I didn’t have a
clue what I was going to do, but a
friend of mine told me about a new
TV channel that had started up –
Channel 4 – and a Liverpool weekly
TV soap called Brookside produced
by Mersey TV. I immediately wrote to
them and to my surprise, was invited
for an interview at their new offices
on Rodney Street, they offered a
position as Office Manager. I was
there for seven years, the last five
years working directly for the creator
Phil Redmond and his wife Alexis at
the Childwall set Campus Manor.
During this period Liverpool City
Council had set up the Liverpool
Film Office after the success of the
Liverpool award winning feature film
Letter to Brezhnev written by Frank
Clarke and starred his sister Margi.
The Film Office was one of the first in
the UK, and its role was to promote
Liverpool as a film city and increase
the amount of film productions
nationally and internationally. At
the time Liverpool had just been
given the Objective One status from
Europe, which meant there was a
lot of funding coming in to help the
local economy and some would be
allocated to the creative industries.
A creative agency was set up,
MIDA (Moving Image Development
Agency) to work with the Film Office
and its role was to promote the
Award Winning Liverpool Writer Jimmy McGovern with Clapperboard volunteers
Amy Campbell and Sarah Donavan
After three exciting and successful
years at MIDA and when our funding
was due to end, Roger told me that
BAFTA was looking for someone to
set up and run a new office branch
based in Salford Uni Media Centre,
to promote their work in the northern
regions and my name had been put
forward. It was 1993, I didn’t want
to work away from Liverpool as my
husband had only recently passed
away, but my colleagues, close
friends and family were encouraging
and told me to go for it. So I did and
worked for them for almost ten years,
setting up a second BAFTA office
in Liverpool sponsored by Bermans
Solicitors. During my time at BAFTA
I had to raise sponsorship, increase
a more diverse membership,
develop and produce many new
initiatives from scratch and premiere
numerous feature films and television
programmes. Whilst working for
BAFTA, with no additional funding
for staff, I was able to offer work
experience to students, trained
them and eventually when I raised
enough sponsorship, was able to offer
them paid employment. I think it was
during this period where the idea of a
film youth project began.
My role as Head of BAFTA North,
was well rewarded with so many
privileged experiences, attending
all the BAFTA awards ceremonies
which gave me an opportunity to
invite sponsors and volunteers who
had helped along the way. I also
travelled extensively and met many
wonderful people whom to this day
continue to support Clapperboard.
After I left BAFTA to concentrate on
setting up the charity Clapperboard
UK Ltd, I started working together with
the Creative Partnership Merseyside,
going into secondary schools with
a production team, delivering
workshops to bring creativity into
education. For example, we would
make five minute short films to help
young people understand the work
of Shakespeare delivering lessons in
a contemporary way. I would then
enter the films into Film Festivals to
gain profile and recognition.
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