Media Labs

Every year Scottish Book Trust offers writers the opportunity to develop their cross-media careers through our Labs.

Scottish Book Trust is an equal opportunities organisation. If you have specific access requirements, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate your needs. This information is available in alternative formats, including large print format on request. 

Scottish Book Trust CBBC Lab

Are you interested in writing for television? Would you like to write for six to twelve year olds?

Scottish Book Trust is working with the BBC on a CBBC Lab which will help you to develop your writing for a young audience. As well as providing nuts and bolts industry advice, sessions will include brainstorming original ideas, writing proposals and making a pitch.

CBBC

CBBC is the home for all the BBC’s content for six to twelve year olds and includes some of the biggest, brightest stars in kid’s TV including Tracy Beaker Returns, Deadly 60, Horrible Histories, Dick and Dom, Sam and Mark’s TMi Friday and Shaun the Sheep- as well as shows like Blue Peter and Newsround.

CBBC’s programmes can be found on the CBBC channel, as well as BBC one and BBC two. There is also plenty of interactive content available through the red button, as well as on the CBBC website.

Course Leader

The lab will be led by Louise Corbett. Louise is Executive Producer infor BBC Scotland’s Children Department and currently works on Who Let The Dogs Out?, All Over The Place and oversees the development for CBBC Scotland.

She has worked in TV for eighteen years, both inside and outside the BBC and has has worked on This Morning, The Holiday Show, Live and Kicking, Wife Swap and The One Show. Louise has worked in children’s television for ten years.

Eligibility

The CBBC Lab is open to writers at all stages of their career, but applicants must be able to demonstrate their commitment to a career in writing and a genuine interest in writing for a young audience.

Deadline for applications: Wednesday 8th February

Lab Dates (You must be available to attend all dates)

• Day 1 Pacific Quay, Glasgow, Friday 2nd March
• Day 2 Scottish Book Trust, Edinburgh, Friday 9th March
• Day 3 Scottish Book Trust, Edinburgh, Friday 16th March
• Day 4 Pacific Quay, Glasgow, CHANGE OF DATE Monday 26th March  
  

Fee: The CBBC Lab is completely free of charge to successful applicants. Lunch will be provided

Application Guidelines

Please send the following:

• A writing CV (including anything relevant to your writing career)
• A sample of your writing (three chapters of a novel, a short story, or picture book text in a word or pdf document)
• A statement about why you would like to participate in the Lab and why you find the idea of working for a young audience appealing, with references to your favourite programmes and books for this audience.

Documents should be saved in your name e.g. ‘John Smith CBBC.doc’
Emails should have ‘CBBC Lab as the subject
Emails should be sent to caitrin.armstrong@scottishbooktrust.com

Whilst the CBBC Lab offers writers the opportunity to learn about writing for this audience, it doesn’t constitute an offer of work.

Find out more about CBBC commissioning

Screen Lab 

We are currently closed for applications for Screen Lab. Join the mailing list to be kept up to date with information about the Labs.

Screen Lab is led by award winning writer and director Adrian Mead. Over three days Adrian takes writers through the realities of the script development process and the strategies that writers need to adopt in order to break into the industry.   

You can find out more about Adrian and read rave reviews of his book: 'Making it as a Screenwriter' at www.meadkerr.com  

Watch Adrian's Making it as a Screenwriter podcasts

BBC Radio Masterclass and Lab

We are currently closed for applications for the Radio Masterclass and Lab.

Join the mailing list to be kept up to date with information about the Labs.

Scottish Book Trust is delighted to be working with BBC Scotland Radio Drama on the Radio Drama Masterclass and Radio Lab. BBC Scotland Radio Drama has established a strong track record producing a wide range of drama for Radio 4, Radio 3, Radio Scotland and BBC 7. Working with writers in Scotland and beyond, the department's output is both original and international.

Over the past ten years the Department has run a series of Radio Labs to develop new writing for radio. The Radio Labs have led to first radio commissions for a new generation of writing talent from Scotland including, Gregory Burke; Louise Ironside; Linda Cracknell; Louise Welsh; Simon Little; Maggie Graham; Andy Macdonald; Melanie Garrett; Lorraine McCann, Laura Marney, Zoe Strachan, Iain F. MacLeod, Nick Underwood, Merryn Glover, Alistair Rutherford, Hannah McGill, Clara Glynn and Nick Thorpe.

The Masterclass and Lab are aimed at emerging and established professional writers who are already working in other media. It is open to poets, prose writers and dramatists.