Creative Scotland appoints new Director of Film & Media

Scotland's arts funding body Creative Scotland have appointed Natalie Usher as their new Director of Film & Media, it was announced today. She will take up the post in early May. Usher comes to the role with a background in entertainment law – she is currently a Partner at law firm Lee & Thompson. According to a press release issued by Creative Scotland today, Usher "specialises in the financing, production and distribution of film and TV, representing producers and financiers," and has extensive experience of working with Scottish filmmakers and producers. 

Usher offered some thoughts on her appointment, saying: "Scotland has a huge wealth of creative talent, both in terms of established talent that needs to feel supported and new talent that should be nurtured. I relish the opportunity to be part of a team whose ambition is to create an environment that can bring out the best that Scotland’s film and media industries have to offer by promoting greater inward investment, collaborating with existing partnerships and forging new ones. I am looking forward to working to realise a confident Scottish film industry with the potential to compete on the international stage."

Creative Scotland's vision for Usher's new role includes shepherding through the creation of Scotland's first dedicated film studio complex, and helping revive the money-starved Scottish film sector by addressing the perceived shortfall in film funding discussed at length by filmmakers such as Gillian Berrie, who offered harsh criticism of Creative Scotland in our feature on Scottish film, published last year. "I’ve been working in the Scottish film industry for nearly 20 years and I’ve been campaigning for so long for more support, more money, a film studio, and we’re still, I think, really way behind where we should be," Berrie told us. "Even ten years ago, when there was a more joined up approach to this film industry in Scotland." Whether Usher's appointment will address Berrie's concerns, and the concerns of others, remains to be seen.