Graduates win Royal Television Society award

Four Media Production graduates have won a prestigious Royal Television Society (RTS) award for their film Gnomes.

Judges commented that the horror-drama, created by Josh Mullins, Mike Priest, Colin Donaldson and Shani Vizma, terrified them with its dramatic opening and also praised the music and casting. The film was produced for a final year module.

The RTS awards recognise the best in student talent from across the region, and were this year hosted by Good Morning Britain's Ranvir Singh.

Alex Connock, Chair of the RTS North West Centre and Managing Director of Shine North, said: “How fantastic it is that the next generation in TV and video creativity are already proving that the North West is at the top of the game. There are a good number of colleges and universities in our region helping students to reach excellence in scripting, shooting and editing before they are even into their twenties – and that can only be good for the industry long term.”

The awards ceremony followed a half-day event produced in partnership with Salford University, which was attended by students from across the North West. The ‘RTS North West Student Conference – Engaging with the Media’ consisted of a range of informative sessions with high profile speakers.

ITV News Senior Programme Editor, Richard Frediani; ITV News Political Correspondent, Dan Hewitt and BBC North West Political Correspondent, Arif Ansari delivered a session entitled ‘Order Order,’ discussing how to deliver a general election.

Coronation Street's Digital Producer, Alan Toner, talked about the world's longest running soap in the digital age; CBeebies Series Producer Jo Allen, Head Writer Ian Carney and Series Creator, Barry Quinn, revealed how to create a children’s series; and ITV Reporter Adam McLean presented a session on the use of drones.  

Pictured left to right are Karina O’Malley, who starred in Gnomes, and winners Mike Priest, Josh Mullins, Shani Vizma and Colin Donaldson, all 2015 LJMU graduates.