Forging a career in any aspect of scripted development and production has never been the easiest thing. Recent years have seen that become even more challenging, with no let-up in sight as we confront changing times and the fast evolution of AI. With career lines for most production crew, actors, writers and developers all in the firing line, never has the requirement to 'adapt and survive' seemed more pressing and inevitable. We may not know exactly how things will shakedown, or how fast, but one thing's for sure, change is here - and our need to respond creatively to our rapidly evolving world also remains alive and kicking. If storytelling is in your nature, the urge is not going to die, and though your path may diverge completely from what went before, a route will be forged, and in the words of cinema’s immortal Dr. Malcolm, ‘life will find a way’.
So, we come together, share our stories, support, connections, ideas, forge new relationships and projects, take new directions and risks, and we find our way. We gather as creative and co-operative human beings, in the face of change that has more to do with money and machines. And forgive me if I’m going a bit sci-fi and apocalyptic, but I wouldn’t be the first. Your way of adapting may well look quite different to mine, and the changes we make will branch and grow in whatever way they’re forced to divert. And we will come together to share our experience, knowledge, perspective, to celebrate the wins and commiserate the losses and keep creating.
This year so far, we have welcomed featured guests including
Billie Errington, Manager of Original Drama at Audible,
David Varela, Senior Narrative Designer and Lead Writer now working exclusively in AAA games, and in July TV producer
Nasreen Ahmed, who has developed, script edited or story produced over 300 hours of broadcast content. All great guests who show there are many ways we can adapt and channel our storytelling voice, and who let us explore those potential avenues. We’ve had large gatherings and more intimate group discussions, we’ve had member drinks with no featured guests, and there have been several new faces to meet as well as catching up with long term colleagues and friends. There’s often been a real buzz to the drinks as well as times when a quieter chat is possible. And I continue to keep an eye out for potential featured guests for the future, so if you have a project coming up that you’d like to talk about, or know of a great guest you can connect the group to, please get in touch.
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