THE head of communications at the national agency for sport in Scotland, sportscotland, is leaving for a new job.
Matt Lock is leaving in November, after almost six years, to join a consultancy, Neish, that specialises in ‘senior executive coaching, team dynamics and leadership training’. He will be joining the Edinburgh-based Neish in February, following a break.
Prior to his current role, he was, for four years, responsible for marketing and communications at the sportscotland Institute of Sport.
Lock joined the Institute following two years in London (working for a consultancy, Prevista) and ten years working in various sports-related roles in his native New Zealand.
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BEGINS a fascinating column by Iain Macwhirter, in The Herald (here): “Don’t bemoan the media, become the media – or so the digital democracy slogan goes.
“Well, a group of us tried it at the Edinburgh Festival, purely as an experiment, producing and transmitting a live daily show from the Hill Street Theatre. You can see the results on referendumtv.net.
“And no, it is not going to replace the BBC in a hurry. But considering it was done with no rehearsals by a handful of unpaid volunteers armed with cheap off-the-shelf cameras and only one computer, it shows broadcasting can be done – and will be done in future – by just about anyone with the will and the imagination.”
The column appears the day after fears were raised by the Shadow Scottish Secretary, Margaret Curran, about broadcasting in Scotland were the country to vote yes to independence. As The Scotsman begins (here): “Television viewers in an independent Scotland would have to pay more for licence fees or watch lower-quality programmes, the shadow Scottish secretary has claimed.”
The Scotsman also carries a cartoon in its leader pages, featuring Curran holding a book with a sledgehammer-wielding Alex Salmond on its cover.
Read the BBC’s online report of Curran’s claims, here, and watch accompanying Reporting Scotland coverage (around the 3’10” mark), here.
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A BOOK celebrating the managerial career at Aberdeen Football Club of Sir Alex Ferguson is being launched today – by the chief football writer at The Herald newspaper.
‘Fergie Rises’ is the latest book by Michael Grant, who is being joined for the launch by former players from the Ferguson era at Aberdeen: Alex McLeish and Willie Miller.
The blurb for the book claims how Ferguson was ‘lucky to get Aberdeen’.
Read more – and buy the book – here.
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A NEW TV production company has been set up in Glasgow, by a recent former creative director at the production arm of STV, STV Productions.
Hello Halo has been set up by Wendy Rattray and it has received funding support from London-based Greenbird, described as a “production company incubator, investor and business accelerator”.
This is Greenbird’s first investment in a Scots TV production company.
Says a media announcement: “BBC Worldwide has a first-look distribution deal with Hello Halo programming.”
Read more, here.
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THE Scotsman newspaper today carries (here) an obituary of football results broadcaster – Scot, James Alexander Gordon – whose death was noted on allmediascotland.com (here).
The Herald also today runs an obit – here.
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SAYS a BBC announcement, issued today: “Acclaimed author, Iain Banks’ novel, Stonemouth, is to be dramatised by BBC Scotland and Slate North for UK audiences, the first TV adaptation of his work since his death in 2013.
“A BBC Scotland/Slate North co-production for both BBC One Scotland and BBC Two, the two-part (2×60) drama is a rite of passage tale set in the fictional Aberdeenshire village of Stonemouth.”
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BEGINS a media announcement issued by Global Radio: “Popular TV and radio presenter, David Farrell, is to join Heart Scotland from this weekend, to host his own Saturday afternoon show on the station.”
The announcement continues: “In joining Scotland’s newest radio station, David, formerly known to radio listeners as Romeo, will be part of the exciting Heart line-up, which includes Heart Breakfast with Ewen Cameron and Cat Harvey, Early and Sunday Breakfast with Jenni Falconer and Celebrate Saturday with Emma Bunton.
“David will be hosting his Heart show in addition to co-presenting STV Glasgow’s magazine programme, The Riverside Show.”
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A PR account executive, senior account executive or account manager is being sought by Citypress, to be based at the company’s Edinburgh office.
For more details, view the advert here, on the allmediascotland.com media jobs board.
Check out too twitter.com/allmediajobs.
Please do mention allmediascotland.com when applying for any job vacancies you see advertised on the site.
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BEGINS a media announcement: “Production company, The Gate Films, continues its recent expansion by launching Pen Animation – a dedicated animation arm under the wing of producer Victoria Watson.
“Despite production offices in Manchester and London, the business chose its Edinburgh base to locate Pen due to the wealth of local talent and Watson’s experience.”
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