Almost 50 local youngsters hoping to pursue a career in film and television attended a Creative Industries ‘career chat’ as part of the Inverclyde Film Festival.

Students from Inverclyde secondary schools and West College Scotland studying film and media were invited to the Watt Institution to receive advice from industry professionals before asking them questions related to their future career plans.

Grace McKelvie, Heritage Outreach Officer, said the event was “something different and very successful.”

She told the Tele: “The panelists were brilliant as they filled the young people with a lot of confidence and gave them great tips for proceeding with their careers.

“They really highlighted it’s not all about going into higher education, and showed the young people how other paths, such as starting as a television runner, can lead to a career in the industry.”

The panel was made up of five industry professionals: including Head of Development at STV Ramy El-Bergamy, Glasgow based producer Edwina Madden-Egan, director Martin MacArthur, Freelance Production Manager Maggie Mutch and Technical Camera Operator, Alistair Girvan.

As well as the talk and Q&A session; the young people and panelists were taken on a tour of West College Scotland where they got to see the areas and equipment used by the students studying there.

The event was organised by the Watt Institution as part of their work during the Inverclyde Film Festival in conjunction with the Beacon Arts Centre, Waterfront Cinema and Inverclyde Libraries.

* Note event was before social distancing rules were in place.