Wales Screen Summit returns
February 22, 2023
Afanti Media has announced the return of the Wales Screen Summit on 15-17 May 2023 at Cardiff’s Parkgate Hotel.
Speakers confirmed to date include: Chief Content Officer, UK at Paramount, Ben Frow; BBC Director of Unscripted, Kate Phillips; Chief Content Office for Channel 4, Ian Katz; Chief Executive Officer, S4C, Sian Doyle; EVP of Content at All3Media International Maartje Horchner ; Managing Director of Business Development & Global Strategy at PACT, Dawn McCarthy-Simpson OBE and Channel 4 Head of Daytime and Features, Jo Street.
The full Summit schedule will shortly be announced, and this year’s event will allow delegates to have the opportunity of 1-2-1 with commissioning editors, as well as exclusive film and television screenings.
This industry event was launched in 2022 with the inaugural Wales Screen Summit (WSS)/Copa Cyfryngau Cymru taking place in Cardiff and supported by Creative Wales, BBC, Channel 4, S4C Channel 5 and Netflix and attended by over 230 delegates.
Keynote speakers from the first Summit included; BBC Director of Nations Rhodri Talfan Davies; Chief Content Officer for Channel 4, Ian Katz; Chief Executive of S4C, Sian Doyle and Chief Content Officer, Llinos Griffin-Williams; Sebastian Cardwell, Deputy Chief Content Officer, UK Paramount; John McVay, Chief Executive Pact; Shaminder Nahal, Head of Specialist Factual Channel 4; Ben Irving, Acting Director of Drama at the BBC; Beejal-Maya Patel, Commissioning Editor BBC Documentaries; Julie Shaw, BBC Daytime and Early Peak Commissioning Editor and Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning at BBC Wales.
Emyr Afan, Screen Summit Director and Pact National Representative for Wales said: “As the dust settles on a tumultuous year in broadcasting, the cost-of-living crisis is at the forefront, but now there is good news around the certainty of C4’s future, we will be looking at how the industry will fund and sustain growth with a greater view on partnerships, international co-production, and sustainable production.”
Wales Screen Summit (WSS)/Copa Cyfryngau Cymru has received direct support from Welsh Government via Creative Wales, who are once again the Summit’s headline sponsor, alongside sponsorship partners including Channel 4, S4C, BBC Cymru Wales, Wales, Pact TAC and Hugh James.
The creative industry in Wales has an annual turnover of £1.7 Billion – 14 per cent up from 2017, and currentlyemploys 35,400 people.