A new initiative for the global media and creative industries is set to be developed for Edinburgh’s August festivals.
Launched by Màiri McAllan, Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic, the new initiative will build upon Edinburgh’s unique position as a global shop window for talent, content and creative ideas, bringing together the city’s creative ecosystem with international media industries and audiences.
The launch event was also attended by Baby Reindeer and Half Man creator and star Richard Gadd, who spoke on the importance of Edinburgh during August as a place for new talent discovery, for ambitious work, and to progress careers.
Initial development work towards the new event was funded by Screen Scotland and completed in early summer 2026. This work was undertaken to consider, with fresh eyes, how Edinburgh’s August festivals partner to present a new offer to the global content industries, in response to the increasingly blurred boundaries between the different creative artforms and the way creative talent, intellectual property (IP) and ideas move fluidly between them.
Independent consultant Rowan Woods has now been appointed to lead the next stage of development, which will again be funded by Screen Scotland and delivered through the Fringe Society. Working with the Fringe Society, Screen Scotland and a broader advisory group, Woods will consult widely across the August festivals and with producing venues, broadcasters, platforms, content creators, publishers and other potential participants and audiences to establish the shape of the new initiative and how it can best support the connection of new talent and IP to content commissioners worldwide.
The consultation will inform the shape and intent of the new initiative, including audience, dates, venues, programme and participants. This consultation phase is expected to conclude in early spring 2027, with an initial pilot planned for August 2027.
The new initiative will build on the strong relationships that already exist between the screen industry and Edinburgh’s August festivals, including the work of Screen Fringe, an ongoing collaboration between Screen Scotland and the Fringe Society, which supports hundreds of television and film executives to make the most of their time in the city each year. Screen Fringe is expected to remain part of the August festivals offer to the global screen industry.
Separately, Screen Scotland has confirmed that it will establish the Lynda Myles Debate as a keynote element of the August festivals from 2027. The debate will honour the contribution of Lynda Myles, formerly Director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival and co-creator of the Edinburgh TV Festival, and her long-standing belief in Edinburgh as a place for ambitious and rigorous debate about the future of the screen industries and wider media landscape.
The Scottish Government is providing funding support for the new event’s development via Screen Scotland, and more details will be announced in 2027.
Culture Secretary Màiri McAllan said: 'We are so proud of Scotland’s screen sector and this exciting addition to the August festivals line-up will provide a new way to embrace the creativity and cultural innovation which makes our capital unique.
'As a global hotbed of emerging talent, where new voices are heard and fresh stories are told, Edinburgh will continue its world-leading offer for the television industry with the support of the Scottish Government – and will do so alongside our other Edinburgh festivals, showcasing brilliance across artforms.'
David Smith, Director of Screen Scotland, said: 'Edinburgh has a unique role to play in bringing together the people, ideas and creative work that will shape the future of the screen and wider creative industries. Every August, the city becomes a remarkable meeting place for talent from around the world, alongside audiences, producers, commissioners, artists and creative thinkers. We have an opportunity to build on that extraordinary concentration of talent and energy and create something new, ambitious and genuinely distinctive for the global industry.'
Tony Lankester, Chief Executive at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: 'Edinburgh’s August festivals create an unparalleled environment for discovering new talent, ideas and creative work. We know there is a strong appetite from people working across the global screen and creative industries to connect with that ecosystem, and we are excited by the opportunity to explore what a new offer could look like, particularly in a rapidly evolving media landscape. The development of this initiative gives us a chance to think afresh about how Edinburgh can serve the sector in August and to create something compelling for the future.'
On the announcement of the Lynda Myles debate, Lynda Myles said: 'I’m deeply touched and honoured to have the debate named after me. It’s exciting to see the importance of ideas and discussion being recognised in the plans for the new event, especially as this was the initial intention of the creation of the Edinburgh Television Festival in 1976.'
