Free Turn Entertainment and Screen Yorkshire have announced the launch of LOOP, which the creators claim is the UK’s first audio drama fund offering paid development for writing talent living, working or from the North of England.
The initiative is aimed at published writers in film, TV, theatre, games, radio, or literature who have not yet been exposed to the creative opportunities presented by the rapidly growing immersive audio drama space.
The initiative, which will be delivered through a series of online and in-person sessions in Leeds will run for five months from August 2023. LOOP will offer writers from the North of England a best-in-class programme of paid development and mentoring to develop, pitch and create genre-spanning audio, for global audiences.
Applications open today via Screen Yorkshire’s website with ten writers being selected to work with a panel of UK audio drama experts, including commissioners, directors, producers and established audio writers to develop their projects. The full list of panel members will be announced later in April.
The development fund will help the North’s most talented writers define, develop and hone scripted audio ideas into creatively and commercially exciting projects that dare to challenge the audio format and ultimately grab the attention of listeners. The ambition is to work with a diverse group of Northern writers to develop a varied slate of genres including YA, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Fantasy and Comedy.
Jon Hamm, CEO of Free Turn, said: “The UK has some of the best writing talent in the world and a great tradition of producing high quality audio. However at the moment a lot of writing talent is unaware of the creative potential of sonic dramas and how to craft those ideas. We have a clear agenda for the initiative, to close this knowledge gap, develop underrepresented voices in the North of England and to support the UK’s potential to continue to lead the world. By funding this initiative as well as supporting it with our time and team we hope to give back a little to the medium that we love so much.”
Free Turn has a proven track record of supporting new talent. Recent projects include an original eight-part sonic drama created by Grammy nominated artist Justin Lockey, that will launch a major new British sci-fi franchise, and an exciting new audio documentary format in the style of Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” for award winning writer, creator and performer Kirk Flash whose podcast THIS IS GAY won him the Rising Star Award at the British podcast awards in 2022. Both are scheduled for release in 2023.
Hamm continued: “With massive advances in both software such as Dolby Atmos and immersive audio hardware such as the latest generation of headphones this is a completely new playground for creatives and we want to play our role in supporting this in the U.K.”
Jo Schofield, senior talent executive at Screen Yorkshire, added: “Our region is jam packed with talent who are eager to explore and experiment, shaping brilliant stories on a multitude of platforms. LOOP presents an amazing opportunity to do this, and I’m genuinely so excited to see what ideas take shape.”
LOOP is open to writers who live, work or are from the North of England and who are published or have a writer’s credit. Screen Yorkshire and Free Turn welcome applications from anyone who may not have followed a traditional route into the entertainment industry or faced additional challenges accessing support and opportunities.
