Manchester has potential to overtake LA as ‘media hub’ says Simpsons writer

One of the driving forces behind The Simpsons believes Manchester has the potential to eclipse Los Angeles as a worldwide hub for the media industries.

During an ‘in conversation’ session with Manchester music legend Clint Boon at the Salford Media Festival, Josh Weinstein, former writer and executive producer for the American animated sitcom, told delegates that Manchester had all the infrastructure and talent to claim its place as the new centre for animation and scriptwriting excellence.

He suggested that anyone looking to develop their career in the sector should stay in Manchester where their creativity will be encouraged, rather than look to LA, where it could be stifled.

“Since my college years, when I became a huge fan of Manchester bands such as The Smiths, Joy Division, the Inspiral Carpets, the Stone Roses and James, I’ve known that Manchester is an incredibly creative and inspirational place,” he said.

“It was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and now I see it as being at the heart of a new revolution in the media industries, particularly animation. Manchester has such a proud history in animation, with such companies as Cosgrove Hall.”

Weinstein’s most recent role is as ‘showrunner’ or executive producer for Strange Hill High, a Children’s BBC and CBBC series made at Factory Transmedia’s studios in Altrincham, which uses a groundbreaking combination of puppetry and digital animation.

“I don’t think a show as innovative as Strange Hill High could get made in LA as people would be afraid to take that risk,” he added. “In contrast, in the UK I’ve found there’s a spirit of excitement and encouragement in trying new ideas. This spirit is particularly alive in Manchester.”

Weinstein was one of three keynote speakers and almost 20 panel sessions enjoyed by hundreds of attendees at the Salford Media Festival, formerly the Nations and Regions Media Conference, which is being hosted by the University of Salford at its MediaCityUK campus from Tuesday 19-Friday 22 November.

Fiona Hyslop MSP, Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, gave a speech in which she indicated that an independent Scotland would have its own publicly funded public service broadcasting function which would draw on the assets and staff of BBC Scotland and was unlikely to require funding through advertising.

Channel 4’s Director of Creative Diversity, Stuart Cosgrove, in his lively keynote, set out the importance of broadcasting in the UK’s nations and regions beyond London over the last two decades.

Today (Thursday 21 November) and Friday 22 November are the Festival’s ‘Next Generation’ days, when nearly 100 workshops, masterclasses and panel discussions will give aspiring media professionals, in particular Salford students studying at MediaCityUK, the chance to learn and enhance their industry experience through engaging with seasoned media industry experts.

The University’s Professor Seamus Simpson, Festival Content Director, said: “The Festival so far has been immensely enjoyable, with a wide range of delegates from across the media sector experiencing exciting and extremely thought-provoking presentations and panel debates among experts at the forefront of what they do.

“Our building at MediaCityUK has again shown itself to be a great venue for a large event of this kind, providing Festival-goers with a great setting in which to exchange ideas and thoughts on the current state and likely future development of the media sector. We’re looking forward to using the experience of hosting this week’s Festival as the basis for future events.”

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