大象传媒

"Mae鈥檔 bleser gennym gyflwyno ein gr诺p Lleisiau 2024 i Gymru!

We are delighted to introduce our 2024 Voices group for Wales!

Over the last six months we have had the great pleasure of working with twelve fantastic and talented emerging writers to help develop their unique writing voices and a distinctive TV series outline that is ready to go to script.

Murder on the dance floor, mythical hounds unleashed, thousands of people compelled to walk into the sea are but a few of the brilliant and exciting ideas explored by our cohort this year.

Alongside their projects, our group have also been attending masterclasses from 大象传媒 Writers and industry professionals that have enabled them to hone their TV craft skills, gain knowledge of the industry and build their network.

We hope you enjoy reading their biogs and getting to know them as much as we did. We are excited to see what they will each do next!"

Celi Fowler, Commissioning Executive for 大象传媒 Drama and 大象传媒 Writers

Matthew Bulgo

Matthew is an actor and playwright based in Cardiff.

His debut play LAST CHRISTMAS (Theatr Clwyd/Dirty Protest) played at the Edinburgh Fringe before transferring to the Soho Theatre and the Traverse. Other plays include CONSTELLATION STREET (The Other Room), #YOLO (National Theatre, NT Connections), THE AWKWARD YEARS (Chapter/The Other Room), A NIGHT IN THE CLINK (Sherman Theatre/Papertrail), AMERICAN NIGHTMARE (The Other Room/Theatre 503), THE KNOWLEDGE (Royal Court) and MY FATHER鈥橲 HANDS (Paines Plough). Most recently, he wrote BLOOD HARMONY, a play with songs utilising the music of folk trio The Staves which was commissioned by ThickSkin and toured England and Scotland.

Matthew is a two-time winner of the Best Playwright accolade at the Wales Theatre Awards. His plays are published by Methuen and have been staged in the USA, Canada, Ireland and Romania and are due to be staged in Turkey and the Czech Republic. He is a former Writer-in-residence at Theatr Clwyd. His plays often deal with themes of class, grief and redemption.

大象传媒 Writers has been his first foray into writing for television. Matthew鈥檚 agent retired at the tail-end of the pandemic and after taking some time out to have a baby he鈥檚 now seeking representation again.

Mathew David

Mathew David, is a Cardiff-born actor, writer and producer.

He wrote, directed, and starred in SKINNY FAT (大象传媒 Wales, Ffilm Cymru Wales). The film had over 850,000 online views and was broadcast on 大象传媒 One Wales, 大象传媒 Three, 大象传媒 Four, and Channel 4. Mathew developed a TV pilot version of the film with NFTS Cymru.

His success earned him recognition as one of 鈥淲ales's influential LGBTQ+ figures鈥� by Wales Online and a spot on Buzz Magazine's 鈥淥nes to Watch 2023鈥�.

Mathew co-wrote and co-directed A CARDIFF GHOST STORY alongside filmmakers, Efa Blosse-Mason, Amy Morris and Jay Bedwani which was funded by FOR Cardiff. The film opened the Iris Prize Festival 2024.

Currently, Mathew is being mentored by Daf James, with support from Arts Council Wales, as he develops new writing projects while navigating being a neurodiverse writer.

His work centres on contemporary LGBTQ+ issues, body image, and family dynamics, all from a working-class lens.

He is currently developing his next short film, which he will write and direct, while also writing a new TV drama pilot. Mathew would also love more experience in a writers鈥� room environment.

厂颈么苍&苍产蝉辫;贰颈谤耻驳

Si么n is an exciting emerging screenwriter from Wales who currently lives nomadically across the world and writes wonderfully wild and original genre bending TV & film, in English and Welsh. Taking endless inspiration from the people, cultures and places he encounters, his stories often explore belonging and feature unforgettable characters that inhabit rich and vivid worlds.

After battling chronic illness, Si么n has recently returned to writing with a renewed passion to share his stories. He鈥檚 written 2 episodes of the upcoming YA thriller series HAFIACH (Vox Pictures/ S4C), had a cli-fi short film MIRAIN A鈥橰 M脭R (It鈥檚MyShout/ 大象传媒 Wales) broadcasted on 大象传媒2, iPlayer & S4C and received 大象传媒 Network development funding for his original sci-fi/ thriller series HIRAETH. Currently in development, Si么n has the wild west inspired crime/ dramedy THE SHERIFF OF BARRY (Triongl), the supernatural thriller ACADEMI (Mojo Productions) and is in discussions regarding several other projects.

Si么n is a WGGB member, BAFTA Connect member and during the 大象传媒 Welsh Voices he鈥檚 been developing his surreal dark dramedy series HELL ON EARTH, inspired by his experience of going through TSW.

Darren Ford

Darren used to write songs for a living. He now writes screenplays in Carmarthenshire.

The son of a soldier, his earliest memories are of East German border guards pointing weapons at the family Cortina and the IRA blowing his dad up 鈥� a backstory that may explain the dark humour running through everything he writes.

Soaring highs: debut feature and its follow-up optioned by Bafta-nominated indie Archer鈥檚 Mark, both currently at the financing stage. Reached the full-read stage of 大象传媒 Open Call in 2022 and shortlisted in 2023.

Thundering lows: Nothing beats the driving lesson incident. The seat had to be removed and destroyed.

We鈥檝e all got stories.

Ffion King

Ffion is a neurodiverse writer and actor from Aberystwyth and she graduated from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2018.

Ffion began her writing journey in 2021 and her play FREE SPIRIT reached the final eight recommended plays in the Play On / Am Ddrama collaboration between National Theatre Wales, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and Theatr Clwyd. She is excited to tour this production and share her story with more audiences this year. In 2023 she was chosen to join the Sherman Theatre鈥檚 Explore and Expand programmes. She has also recently completed her short film SWANSONG, which is a dark comedy exploring the cost-of-living crisis.

Ffion puts female characters at the heart of her stories and is passionate about illuminating the challenges surrounding mental health. She is currently working on two TV pilots, both inspired by her own life experiences. Ffion is over the moon to be part of Welsh Voices 2024.

Jennifer Lunn

Jennifer Lunn is a Cardiff based writer, director and producer.

Her debut play ES & FLO had its premiere at Wales Millennium Centre in April 2023 and then a transfer to the Kiln Theatre. It won the New York award 鈥� the Nancy Dean Lesbian Playwrighting Prize in 2022 and the Popcorn Group New Writing Award in 2020. It was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award and longlisted for the Bruntwood Prize. She was nominated for Best Writer at the Stage Debut Awards 2023.

Her play CORE was shortlisted for the RSC 37 Plays project, the Papatango Prize and the Women鈥檚 Prize for Playwrighting. 

She is currently under commission at the Sherman Theatre.

Other commissions include TERROIR for RWCMD/Sherman Theatre and STOP THE DROP for Theatr Clwyd as part of Curtain Up.

She has worked in TV writers鈥� rooms for Pulse Films and Mash Pictures on shows currently in production/development and was shortlisted for the Channel 4/Blacklight 4-Stories project in 2022 and the Channel 4 Screenwriting Scheme in 2019.

She鈥檚 keen to work in more writers鈥� rooms and develop her own work for screen and audio. Her work often centres around queer women and deals with loss, change and legacy.

Sara Nourizadeh

Sara Nourizadeh is a Welsh-Iranian Writer, Producer and Director with a background in documentary film-making.

Her writing explores themes of class, cultural identity, and family. Recent projects include 'BUBBLES鈥� (in development with Expectation Entertainment), and FRANK (which reached the top 3% in 大象传媒 Open Call). She is also developing a new drama, 鈥楥OLEBROOK鈥�, set in the cutthroat world of the ballet industry.

Sara鈥檚 documentary credits include KIDS WITH CAMERAS: DIARY OF A CHILDREN鈥橲 WARD (ITV) and the Grierson-nominated AGONY & ECSTASY: A YEAR WITH ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET (大象传媒). Sara is currently directing a 大象传媒2 documentary about the plight of refugee children, co-produced through her production company with Boom Cymru, and backed by Creative Wales.

Sara is represented by Julia Mills at Berlin Associates.

Plum Savill

Plum Savill is a Newport-born writer now living in London who, when it comes down to it, just loves a blooming good story. With a background in desperation, frustration and procrastination, Plum feels she has all the necessary qualifications to become a seasoned writer. (Thankfully imagination, determination and completion are some of her other skills.)

Plum writes drama that focuses on complex communities, queer dynamics (especially from an older perspective, not just a YA point of view) and deliciously complicated relationships, often with a comedic POV. Plum was trained in screenwriting at the National Film and Television School and Curtis Brown Creative, and has written a number of pilot scripts, a micro short, a single drama and is working on her second radio drama.

After studying communications at Goldsmiths, Plum has come to writing as a second career. She鈥檚 plundering the experience she鈥檚 gained in the crazy world of PR and ethical business to shape her perspective as a screenwriter, which she aims to use to positively change attitudes and start conversations. 

Elen Mair Thomas

Elen Mair Thomas is a Welsh Writer and Director who enjoys regular collaboration with a number of Wales-based companies. After over a decade as a Drama teacher, Elen developed an interest in writing whilst being one of four Directors on Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru's directing course in 2019, where she was encouraged to write her own material as well as direct, and subsequently received a full commission to write her first full length verbatim play GWELY. She has a particular interest in writing bilingual work and as a playwright has recently had two bilingual theatre shows for children and young people, TRYCHFILOD A'R CAMPAU CAMPUS - THE GREAT INSECT GAMES and BROGS Y BOGS - FROGS IN BOGS, tour extensively across Wales to venues including Wales Millennium Centre, Chapter Arts Centre, Theatr Clwyd, Eisteddfod Genedlaethol and Greenman Festival.

Elen's most recent work as a writer includes DEEP SWIMMING, a play in  development with Chapter Arts Centre which tells the story of the women affected by the Spycops scandal. She is also currently being supported by Articulture to develop an outdoor theatre piece and was commissioned recently to write a monologue as part of a wider piece in development exploring the relationship between motherhood and womanhood.

Elen developed an interest in writing for television in 2023 when she was commissioned by Boom Cymru to write a series of sketches for CHWARTER CALL, a comedy show for young people aged 8-11, which was broadcast on S4C earlier this year. She hopes to continue to write television for children and young people.

Elen has an interest in female led stories in particular, which focuses especially on women who feel marginalised and othered by society. Themes of social justice  and politics also feature in her writing and Elen is looking forward to explore these issues in more depth as she continues her journey into television writing.

Rhys Warrington

Rhys is a Welsh writer and actor who grew up in rural Carmarthenshire in South West Wales.

His debut play 鈥楤LUE鈥� (produced by Chippy Lane Productions) opened in January 2019 at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff and has since been published by Methuen.

Following 鈥楤LUE鈥�, Rhys has been working on a new studio play 鈥楩ossils鈥� with director Francesca Goodridge (associate director Theatre Clwyd) which went into R&D at the Manchester Royal Exchange. He has also written a short play 鈥楪et Ready With Me鈥� as part of Pentabus鈥� Young Writers cohort 2023.

Rhys has recently finished writing a feature film for Jagged Edge Productions 鈥楤ambi: The Reckoning鈥�  which is set for release in January 2025. As well as a new short play for the Llandovery Heart of Wales Festival 2024.

Rhys is one of the shortlisted BOLD Playwrights 2024 and is shortlisted for the Bread and Roses Playwriting Award 2024.

Currently Rhys is writing a new play 鈥楳onument鈥� which has been supported by the Peggy Ramsay Foundation as well as developing TV ideas.

He is interested in telling dynamic rural stories, finding the Welsh answer to 24 and鈥�sex; because, well鈥�who isn鈥檛. 

Matt White

Matt White is a screenwriter who lives in rural Powys.

His dark comedy feature film PAUL DOOD'S DEADLY LUNCH BREAK (Belstone Pictures) premiered at SXSW in 2021, winning the Final Draft Screenwriter's Award. It also won seven awards at Toronto After Dark 2021, and is on SKY Cinema in the UK and Shudder in the US.

Matt was a member of the 2022/3 BIFA Springboard programme. His latest film project is THE SIN-EATER (Gallus Films), a spooky Welsh gothic short which was made with BFI Network funding and had its UK premiere at Abertoir in October 2023. He's written or co-written one more produced feature and four shorts.

Matt's ambition is to write emotionally powerful genre TV and radio, using frenetic comedies, tightly-wound thrillers and unsettling folk horror to explore big themes and take everyday characters on life-changing journeys.

Cellan Wyn

Cellan Wyn, originally from Pontaman is a Welsh Writer and ArtsEd trained Actor (graduated 2018). He dipped his toes in writing when his debut play DEAD END won Best Comedy and Overall Winner at the Worcestershire Theatre Festival 2022. He鈥檚 been commissioned by 大象传媒 Radio Cymru three times with T脢, ALOE VERA A FI, PONTAMAN FC and RHYWUN FEL FI which was nominated for best drama (sound) at the Celtic Media Festival 2023. Recently he鈥檚 been working at the 大象传媒 as a Script Editor for the Welsh soap opera Pobol Y Cwm on series 50 & 51. Currently he鈥檚 co-writing a site-specific play that will be performed at the Llandovery Fringe Theatre Festival this year.

Cellan鈥檚 experience as an actor influences his writing. He enjoys character driven storytelling and if this can be done through humour then even better!  鈥淭he characters who make me laugh the most, make me cry the most.鈥� Inspired by male mental health and its complexity in the 21st century, he鈥檚 currently developing a play about his personal experiences of living with OCD.