Network Event for the Midlands with Film Offaly

Course Name: Network Event for the Midlands with Film Offaly 

Date of course:  Saturday 12th April, 2025

Time:  11am – 1pm

Cost: Free

Venue: Esker Arts, Tullamore, Co Offaly.

Event Profile:

This network event run by the National Talent Academies: Crew Academy East and Film & TV,  in collaboration with Film Offaly, is designed to provide opportunity, insight, inspiration and connections for those looking to access or progress in the screen sector.

Networking

This will be a great opportunity to talk and connect with your creative peers, the National Talent Academies, and other stakeholders in the screen sector. Be prepared to share your contact details and register on Screen Ireland’s Screen Crew and Services Database if you haven’t already.

Panel

There will be a panel with screen sector stakeholders where you  will learn the opportunities and  resources available to those wanting to access and progress within the screen sector and about the different journeys into the industry. There will be a Q&A section following this for audience questions.

PANEL:

Chair – Darren Lee of Film Offaly

Jade Travers, Manager of National Talent Academy Crew East

Eibh Collins, Programme Director of National Talent Academy Film & TV

Jessica Whelehan, Skills Development Liaison of Screen Guilds of Ireland

Maura Foley, Actor & Director

Maura is an accomplished actor and director from Offaly. Several years ago she took a career break from teaching in order to study at the Gaiety school of Acting and the Factory Actors Studio. In addition to her varied on-screen performances, she is also an experienced voice actor. She has also acted in the FilmOffaly commissioned short ‘Whale’, an experience which led her on the path to writing and directing the award-winning short film ‘Missing’.  She is also the recipient of Screen Ireland’s Actor as Creator Scheme and recently directed the short film ‘Reunion’, which was also filmed in Co Offaly.

Gary Hoctor, Producer

Gary is an award-winning producer and founder/owner of Hello Camera. Gary has worked on numerous documentary and fiction films - both feature and short, His work has been screened at numerous Film Festivals globally including Raindance and Melbourne International. In 2013, Gary produced and edited the acclaimed RTÉ broadcast documentary ‘Wally’, an exploration of one man’s journey to the brink of suicide and back, which received the Sunday Times ‘Critic’s Choice’ and the Irish Independent ‘Pick of The Week’. Gary is a founding board member of his regional film commission, Film Offaly, and former Director of the OFFline Film Festival.

Registration:

Guests must RSVP on a first-come, first-served basis. The networking event attendance numbers are limited. An incomplete RSVP will not be considered.  

REGISTER HERE.  The deadline to RSVP is Friday, April 4th, at 12pm or when the guest list reaches capacity.

Please address any questions to crew.east@nationaltalentacademies.ie

National Talent Academies courses & events are open to all regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.

Reasonable accommodations: We aim to accommodate all attendees to help ensure they can successfully participate in our programmes. Reasonable accommodations are adjustments or modifications we can make to help those with disabilities participate fully in our training events.

NTA Crew Academy East is managed by Clermont Screen Hub CLG.

NTA Film & TV is managed by Ardán.

The National Talent Academies are an initiative of Screen Ireland.