Television and Photography student wins national competition

A former Aboyne Academy pupil with aspirations of working in the film industry has won a prestigious national competition staged by a major broadcaster.

Twenty-three-year-old Emily Cruickshank, a student at Glasgow Clyde College, successfully applied for Channel 4’s C4 Pop Up programme – a series of skills workshops and challenges for young people – and emerged victorious from a competition whereby contestants were tasked with producing a short film.

As a result, Emily, from Aboyne, won the opportunity of an experience day at Channel 4, receiving a tour of the studios and advice from employees there.

“I gained a lot of self-belief from the competition,” said Emily, who is set to graduate with an NQ Television with Photography qualification from Glasgow Clyde College in summer. “I felt at the start that I perhaps was not as experienced or creative as the rest of my team, but I played the role of director and we did really well.

”The three-hour-long challenge saw teams tasked with conceiving an idea for a short film based on equality and inspired by the Paralympics.

“We decided to use a microphone as a baton, symbolic of a relay race,” explains Emily. “Our film consisted of our team running around Glasgow with the ‘baton’ and talking about our ideas of equality.”

Directing the winning entry served as encouragement for Emily to pursue her ambition of working behind a camera. Upon graduating this summer, she aims to enrol on Glasgow Clyde College’s two-year course HND Creative Industries: Television.

“After leaving school, I worked for several years before deciding to go back into education,” explains Emily. “I thought Glasgow Clyde College was the best place for me as I knew of the reputation of its Cardonald Campus as being the best place to study photography. Industry-standard equipment is available to the students and I’m really enjoying studying here.”

Jim McIvor, senior lecturer at Glasgow Clyde College, said: “Emily is a bright, enthusiastic student who will do well in the creative industries. She has shown during her short time here at Glasgow Clyde College that she has the talent and skills required to succeed in the industry. We are so proud that she managed to win the competition as the director of her team.”