Channel 4 to launch new gaming talent initiative
Channel 4 has outlined a new talent initiative this afternoon - called Talent Arcade - which it will launch in Edinburgh this year.
Talent Arcade is "a packed programme of workshops to help new video gaming talent get ahead in the industry, including the chance to win coveted work placements and free training," according to the PR.
It will takes place on August 11 at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
Full release after the break.
By Mike Bowden
Wednesday 16th July/...Channel 4’s 4Talent Scotland joins the Edinburgh Interactive Festival this year with Talent Arcade, a packed programme of workshops to help new video gaming talent get ahead in the industry, including the chance to win coveted work placements and free training.
Talent Arcade builds on the success of 4Talent’s previous EIF partnerships as producers and hosts of the festival’s popular ‘Get Into Games’ session. Talent Arcade, which increases the broadcaster’s involvement in the festival significantly, is a major new strand of the festival, offering advice, skills training and real-world opportunities for all games creatives.
There are four main elements to the strand:
The Knowledge: A series of panels staffed by industry experts, focusing on finding finance for games projects, self-publishing, and setting up or working in a games company.
The Kit: Demonstrations of the latest hardware and software for games creators from innovative companies Waracle, Pandora, Denki and ITI.
The Brief: Scottish games employers TPLD, 3MRT, Tag Games and Cohort Studios will each set a brief for emerging gaming talent to develop and pitch an idea for a real project. Creative talent from any discipline, from designers to artists to programmers, will be given three weeks to develop and submit imaginative and original responses to the briefs. Four chosen winners will then receive coveted work placements with the participating companies, as well as free places on Dundee industry training course, The Gameplay.
The Answers: The event will conclude with a broad-sweeping session offering participants the chance to get answers to their gaming gremlins from a live panel of experts. Questions can be submitted online via the 4Talent Scotland website until 6th August, dropped off at one of the questions boxes on the day, or popped in person at the session.
Talent Arcade takes place on Monday 11th August, 10:00 – 20:00, Edinburgh International Conference Centre. For free tickets and information, visit:
www.channel4.com/4talentscotland
EIF 2008 will take place from Sunday 10th to Tuesday 12th August, and will this year move to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre as part of a move to develop the scale and profile of the event.
Now celebrating its sixth year, the Edinburgh Interactive Festival is powered up to showcase the continued popularity, growth and influence of video games. And this year, the Interactive Festival is more synchronised with the world famous Edinburgh Festival than ever, appealing to the press, public and professionals from film, television and interactive media backgrounds alike, offering a bigger event for delegates, more consumer focusing – an overall spectacle for all.
New to Interactive Festival 2008 will be Features, Exhibition and Recruitment areas specifically tailored to cater for the public - allowing them access to the latest games and job opportunities in games.
As ever, the three-day Interactive Festival wouldn’t be complete without the cornerstones of conferences, keynotes, panel sessions, debates, games screenings and even more people than ever jostling to get through the doors.
Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2008
Edinburgh International Conference Centre
150 Morrison Street, Edinburgh EH3 8EE
UK
Sunday 10th August
Game Screenings
Dare ProtoPlay
Public games area and retail site
Monday 11th August
EIF Conference
Game Screenings
Dare ProtoPlay
Public games area and retail site
Conference Networking event
Tuesday 12th August
EIF Conference
Game Screenings
Dare ProtoPlay
Public games area and retail site
Digital Interactive Symposium
Edinburgh Interactive Festival will also play host to the Digital Interactive Symposium, the games event aimed at academics and games industry professionals. It takes place on the afternoon of Tuesday 12th August.
Registration is open now at www.edinburghinteractivefestival.com
There is also a Facebook Group in 2008 at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12251081247
Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2008 registration details:
Full delegate pass - £149 (ex VAT)
Scottish based developers and companies - £99 (ex VAT)
Students - £75 (ex VAT)
Delegates can also register for the Digital Interactive Symposium.
You can see more of Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2007 at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YktZnm_eRlQ
Edinburgh Interactive Festival has also forged a number of key relationships with partners and sponsors that will be announced shortly.