2 XPONORTH INTERVIEW Xpo North


An independent publication by Canongate Communications


2 INTERVIEW


Amanda Millen on festival’s growth


3 SCREENING


Michael Radford wraps up in Rome


4 STORYTELLING What top broadcasters look for


5 BRANDING Matteo Alessi and Harris Tweed


6 SOURCING The birth of ‘Dream, Plan, Do’


7 MUSICMAKING Josh Rabinowitz interviewed


8 XPONORTH LIVE! Inside the festival’s TV studio


Amanda Millen, Director of XpoNorth. Picture: Drew Farrell


10 May 2017


The importance of story arc


EDITOR Will Peakin 0131 561 7364


will@futurescot.com


DEPUTY EDITOR Kevin O’Sullivan 0131 561 7364 kevin@futurescot.com


ADVERTISING & PUBLISHER Hamish Miller 0131 561 7344


hamish@canongate.org


CANONGATE COMMUNICATIONS Creative Exchange 29 Constitution Street Edinburgh, EH6 7BS www.futurescot.com


DESIGN & PRODUCTION Palmer Watson www.palmerwatson.com


TYPOGRAPHY: Expresso and Flama from Feliciano Type Foundry www.felicianotypefoundry.com


Cover photo Getty Images


XpoNorth has grown into an international phenomenon but for its director a new direction beckons


BY WILLIAM PEAKIN


It was at least 40 minutes after arriv- ing at Amanda Millen’s house before I managed to break the news to her: “Actually, I’m here to interview you.” Laughter: “Right! Sorry!” Millen had been busy taking me through the programme for XpoNorth 2017. Which was good. I had bought with me inexpertly


taped together sheets from Excel, with names and session titles that jumped out highlighted. And in my head, I had neatly conceptualised the two-day festival, showcasing the creative indus- tries, according to the five networks in the Highlands and Islands supporting them; ‘Screen and Broadcast’, ‘Music’, ‘Design’, ‘Writing and Publishing’, and ‘Craft, Fashion and Textiles’. But … before I arrived, I was still


XpoNorth is an independent publication by Canongate Communications distributed in The Times Scotland.


All rights reserved. Neither this publication or part of it may be stored, reproduced or transmitted, electronically, photocopied or recorded without prior permission of the Publisher. Heathrow is published and exclusively distributed in The Times Scotland.


We verify information to the best of our ability but do not accept responsibility for any loss for reliance on any content published. If you wish to contact us, please include your full name and address with a contact telephone number.


having trouble seeing the festival as a whole. Which was why the 40 minutes - during which I should have been peppering Millen with questions about how she became director, how it has grown from around 100 attendees to more than 2,000, how it attracts international industry leaders, and about its role in showcasing Scotland’s creative industries to the world - were well spent.


Listening to Millen, themes that cut


across the different creative industries became clear; the importance of sto- rytelling, the power of local and global talent sharing the same stage, and how individual creativity can become a


THE ANNUAL Inverness-based XpoNorth festival, formerly goNORTH, is Scotland’s leading creative industries festival. A hot-bed of creative activity, it takes place over two days and nights in the Highland capital; the only festival of its kind in Scotland covering crafts, fash- ion and textiles, writing and publishing, screen and broadcast, and music, it is a unique event in the UK’s cultural calen- dar. But the work of XpoNorth, which is funded by Highlands and Islands Enter- prise (HIE, the European Regional Development Fund, and Creative Scotland, in developing creative talent throughout the Highlands and Islands also continues throughout the year.


business while staying true to its roots. “We’re a team, everyone works hard,” said Millen, “and I have a singular vision of what this festival needs to be; engaging that wider audience, bringing to Scotland people at the top of their game, and helping generate economic value among creative businesses in the Highlands and Islands.”


XpoNorth will be held in venues


across Inverness, on Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 June. By day, it hosts a packed programme of panels and workshops featuring leading industry players in the fields of crafts, publish- ing, screen, music and more. Delegates can also jump in and out of


a specially-curated short film pro- gramme; a Millen addition to the festi- val and one dear to her heart. On site at Eden Court, hands-on training is taking place in the shape of initiatives like live television station, XpoNorth Live! which is staffed by trainees. One-to-one mentoring sessions run throughout both days. Technology is always to the fore and this year, a Tech Playground will introduce new concepts across the creative industries spectrum. By night, it offers a “beguiling blend


of Highland hospitality” in the form of relaxed networking events, coupled with a free music showcase in intimate venues and a curated short film pro- gramme. All of this is free to access. “Part of the magic of XpoNorth is


“There are a lot of key influencers who attend and creative connections are forged every minute of the day”


Amanda Millen


its unique atmosphere,” said Millen. “The XpoNorth experience offers delegates across the creative spectrum an inspiring daytime schedule followed by the evening music and film mix. All set against a backdrop of the beautiful Highlands in midsummer.”


TEN YEARS ago, Millen was a producer working at BBC Scotland when she was invited by HIE to devise a strategy for developing the screen and broadcast industries in the region. “There was nothing, and the first thing I did – and which I still do to this day – is get to know people on the ground, their skills, talents and ambition.” Today, ScreenHI works to develop the film, television, radio, online and gaming industries by delivering a programme of initiatives, events,


mentoring schemes and activities to provide a skill base and opportunities for practitioners based in the High- lands and Islands. Early on, while she developed the


strategy, Millen contributed some content to goNORTH, the existing music festival, and as her involvement deepened she saw delegate numbers steadily increase from a few hundred to more than 1,000. In 2015, the name was changed to XpoNorth, reflecting the variety of content and to better embrace the different creative indus- tries networks. By then the festival was attracting 1,500 delegates; last year it was more than 2,000. “It’s become huge,” said Millen.


“Today, XpoNorth is a wide-reaching conference and showcase which brings together a host of elements under one creative umbrella. There are a lot of key creative industries influencers who attend and creative connections are forged every minute of the day during XpoNorth.” Bringing someone of the stature of Michael Radford, the director of Il Postino, as well as 1984, with John Hurt, and The Merchant of Venice, star- ring Al Pacino, to the festival this year is indicative of the approach Millen has taken in attracting international leaders in their field to Scotland. But, so too is the delight she takes in seeing great Scottish talent – such as Chrisella Ross, creator of the Gaelic drama Ban- nan, produced by Chris Young of The Inbetweeners fame – emerge. “It was around 2008, and we were doing storytelling workshops. We sat down and started chatting about story, and I just knew instantly that she absolutely had it; she understood character, people, story arc, how to hook an audience. It was amazing.” For Millen, this is her last year as director; a new direction beckons.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8