Business and Market Development

Louise Acheson is the Head of Business and Market Development for Screen Scotland. She joined the team three years ago as a Screen Executive Officer, originally working across a range of film & television development and production projects. She now leads on a programme of interventions to support business resilience and build capacity within the sector, including high quality third party delivery of business support, and market development and engagement of producers, nationally and internationally. She has led on a number of partnership initiatives with broadcasters, such as Sky Documentaries and BBC Three, to provide market and growth opportunities for TV production companies in Scotland.

Before joining Screen Scotland, Sarah worked in the cultural cinema sector in Ireland specialising in film festival delivery. Former positions include Marketing and Development Manager at Dublin International Film Festival and Festival Director at Kerry Film Festival as well as providing event management consultancy to Cork Film Festival and Queens Film Theatre, Belfast. 

Sarah has an MA in Media Studies and holds a PhD from the University of St Andrews where her research addressed the role of film festivals as a form of cultural regeneration in post-industrial cities. She has taught courses on cultural event management, global cinema and film theory.

For the last ten years Samuel has worked in the creative industries, latterly working as the Senior Producer for the Royal Albert Hall in London. There he produced large scale creative projects in dance, theatre, music, and film. Credits included ‘Cinderella’ with the English National Ballet, ‘Guys and Dolls’ with Fiery Angel, bands such as Snarky Puppy and Nine Inch Nails, and the annual ‘Films in Concert’ and ‘Christmas at the Hall’ series. Film and TV productions include co-productions with BBC Studios, Eon Productions and Altitude Films. Since completing a Master’s in Business Administration at the Adam Smith Business School University of Glasgow in 2022, he co-founded the producing company ‘esk film’ and works across a range of live and screen related projects.

At Screen Scotland, Samuel works part-time and supports the Business and Market Development team in helping Scotland based film and TV companies to be competitive in the international marketplace.