BFI Film Academy Story Development Week | Online Masterclasses
Online
Admission: Tickets free, booking essential.
Online Lunchtime Industry Masterclasses
As part of BFI Film Academy Story Development Week, delivered by Nerve Centre, we are offering a series of lunchtime industry masterclasses across the areas of writing, directing, producing and acting.
These sessions are free for all programme participants, with a limited number of spaces are open to the public.
Leading industry professionals will share their journeys into film and television, offer insights into the current landscape for emerging writer-directors and producers, and provide up-to-date guidance for aspiring writer-actors across stage and screen.
From Monday 21 – Friday 25 July. Explore more below.
Monday 1pm | Break Into Screenwriting
Shannon Welby is a screenwriter from the North West of Ireland with credits including BBC’s Blue Lights, Cartoon Network’s Goat Girl, and The Gone. She is developing projects with Hat Trick Productions, BBC, BlackThorn Films and EZ Films. Her latest Screen Ireland-funded short premieres this summer. Shannon is part of the BBC Comedy Collective 2025 and has been selected for initiatives with BBC Writers’ Voices, BFI London Film Festival, and Element Pictures. Her mantra is: “good collaboration, good manners, and good craic.”
Peter Young is a Northern Irish writer/director specialising in thriller, horror, and comedy. His films have screened at BAFTA and Academy-affiliated festivals including BFI London Film Festival and Galway Film Fleadh. His debut Safe Inside was commissioned by the Arts Council in 2020, followed by several shorts including Pub House, funded by Northern Ireland Screen and BFI Film Academy. He has shadowed directors on major feature and HETV productions through the NI Screen Director Shadowing Scheme. His debut feature is in development with Village Films Ltd.
Monday 2pm | Preparing Your Pitch
Anna Hinds is a development producer and producer at Fabel Productions. Before joining Fabel, she held roles at Hat Trick Productions and BBC Writers in Belfast. Anna produced William of Orangedale for Channel 4 Blaps and the upcoming BBC Radio 4 afternoon drama A Safe Space.
She began her career in production, with credits including The Kid Who Would Be King, Stan & Ollie, Morgan, Dad’s Army, Sense8, RED 2, One Day, and The Da Vinci Code.
Tuesday 1pm | Break Into Story Development
Robin Taylor is a writer, script editor, and podcaster. His breakthrough came with the BBC Talent Sitcom Writer award for his original concept Marigold. He went on to write for My Family (BBC One) for four series and co-wrote series nine of Two Pints of Lager (BBC Three).
Robin now works predominantly as a freelance script editor and analyst, collaborating with BBC Writers, North East Screen, and Nerve Centre. He also hosts Thinking About Writing, a podcast for aspiring screenwriters, now in its third season.
Anna Hinds as above.
Wednesday 1pm | Break Into Producing
Ailish McElmeel is co-founder of Deadpan Pictures, known for championing socially relevant, darkly comic drama with heart. Her credits include Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope and the male-led Northern Lights. Ailish works closely with co-founder Paul Donovan to lead Deadpan’s creative team and international profile.
Mo O’Connell is a RADA-trained, multi-award-winning actor and filmmaker. She leads 3 Hot Whiskeys Films and founded the Dublin International Comedy Film Festival. Her latest feature Horseshoe premieres at Galway Film Fleadh 2025. Mo’s comedy SPA Weekend won at the Female Filmmakers Film Festival Berlin and she’s an alum of Screen Ireland’s Creative Leaders Course.
Dearbhla Regan is Head of Film & Talent Development at Wild Atlantic Pictures, whose credits include Black 47, Evil Dead Rise, and Saipan. She previously served as an executive at Screen Ireland, where she supported acclaimed titles such as An Cailín Cúin, Pray for Our Sinners, and Dating Amber.
Thursday 1pm | Break Into Directing
Zam Salim is an award-winning director, writer and producer. His debut feature Up There won Scottish BAFTAs for Best Film and Best Director. He has been commissioned by the BBC, BFI, Screen Scotland, and Channel 4, and is currently developing TV and film projects with partners including The Lighthouse and Early Day Films. A BAFTA Breakthrough Brit and Screen Star of Tomorrow, Zam is represented by United Agents.
James Doherty is an Irish-Mancunian writer/director whose work explores family, masculinity, and marginalised voices. His Channel 4 debut The Final Countdown was nominated for Best Single Drama at the 2025 Broadcast Awards. His acclaimed shorts Breathe, Neon Meets Argon, and Yara have screened internationally. He also runs animation studio Ruckus Visuals, collaborating with artists like Billie Eilish and Tame Impala.
Kate Haley is an award-winning filmmaker from Donegal with an MFA in Film & TV from SCAD and a Fulbright Scholarship. Her shorts have won awards including Best Irish Short (A Death in the Family), Best Cinematography, and Red Dot for Sound Design (Splash!). Her thesis film A Fairytale Romance won Best Student Short at the Kerry International Film Festival. Her debut feature The Shadow of Me is in development with Screen Ireland.
Friday 1pm | Break Into Acting
Jade Jordan is a versatile actor whose recent roles include White Mars opposite Lucy Hale, and Hallmark’s The Reluctant Royal. Her screen credits span Video Nasty, Blackshore, Harry Wild, Kin, The Catch, and Redemption, as well as films like You Are Not My Mother and How to Tell a Secret. Jade wrote, produced, and starred in The Colour Between (IFTA-nominated) and won the Súil Eile Award in 2021. She is also a published author of the bestselling memoir Nanny, Ma & Me, nominated for an An Post Book Award.
Michael Johnston is a Northern Irish actor and facilitator, with a background in theatre and screen. He has toured widely with companies such as the Lyric, Bruiser, and Big Telly, and appeared in The Fall, Dublin Murders, Vikings, Game of Thrones, and High Rise. He has also featured in national campaigns for Co-Ownership (NI) and Bulmers (Ireland).
About BFI Film Academy
BFI Film Academy opens up opportunities for young people aged 16–25 across the UK to explore filmmaking and build a career in the screen industries.
Funders
BFI Film Academy Story Development Week is delivered by Nerve Centre on behalf of Film Hub NI through National Lottery Funding.
BFI Film Academy in Northern Ireland is funded by National Lottery, Screen Scotland and Northern Ireland Screen.
