The name DigiCult first appeared on the independent UK film scene in 2001 – a short film strand funded by the UK Film Council in Scotland through the Glasgow Media Access Centre (GMAC).

Working with a tiny amount of resource, the project’s founder producer Paul Welsh worked with GMAC’s core staff over five years, developing and producing over 25 shorts with budgets ranging from £1k to £8K. These included a number of BAFTA Scotland winning films including Chris Waitt’s comedy classic Dupe (2005) and Martin Smith’s Tracks (2006).

Early in 2007 – as part of GMAC’s general shorts re-branding – the DigiCult short film strand was wound down before the name and original philosophy of the project was resurrected in Autumn 2008 through a new independent company, set-up by Paul Welsh and partner producer David Smith.

Since DigiCult’s reboot – partnering with Scottish Screen, UK Film Council, BBC Scotland and more recently Creative Scotland, Screen Hi and Glasgow Film Festival – the company has established itself as one of the longest running and most successful independent talent development organizations in UK film, producing 13 live action, animation and documentary projects with emerging talent in the last three years alone.

Based between Glasgow and London, over the last ten years the company’s producers and talented creative associates have made over 50 short, medium and feature length films, many of them prize-winners for first and second time filmmakers who continue to light-up the film industry in the UK – people like Chris Waitt, Zam Salim, the Berties, Peter Baynton, Nick Whitfield, Scott Graham and Michael Pearce.

Since the early ground-breaking GMAC commissions, DigiCult films have been nominated for BAFTA and BIFA awards, the Golden Bear (Berlin), EIFF’s McLaren Animation Award, the Silver Lion (Venice) and many other prestigious international awards.

Looking forward, DigiCult will continue to push its talent, scripts and budgets to deliver great stories for the screen.

A production graduate from RSAMD (Glasgow), Ashley has worked with DigiCult for two years, coordinating activities across the Scottish Digital Shorts programmes in 2009 and 2010. She is now involved in the day-to-day management of Incubator with Paul Welsh. Ashley responsibilities include development scheduling, special events, the production and delivery of short films, online marketing and festival distribution of DigiCult’s catalogue.

With 15 years experience in broadcast, advertising and short drama production, Philippa has joined DigiCult to manage the Incubator short slate and explore the possibilities of feature length drama development and production with the company.

Her practical talents range across casting, production management and line producing for companies including Matchlight TV (documentary) and Richocet, Rogue, Nice Shirt Films and Radical Media LA (all commercials).

Pip’s presence across DigiCult’s slate will be invaluable for the emergent producers working the company.

Anna Odell is an independent producer working between Glasgow, Sheffield and London. She has a background in motion graphics for broadcast and museum installation.

Fixing Luka is Anna’s second stop frame animation after previously producing DigiCult’s ‘Battenberg’ (Dir: Stewart Comrie) in 2009, a BAFTA Scotland and Jim Poole award winner for Best Scottish Short Film.

Anna graduated in Visual Communication from Chelsea College of Art & Design where she specialised in 2D animation.

Currently on sabbatical from the company, David re-booted DigiCult with Paul Welsh in 2008. His current projects with the cult include You Are Here (Writer Ross Dunsmore), a feature in funded development with UK Film Council and Creative Scotland.

At present, David manages the CEO’s Starter For Six programme across Scotland as his independent company Brocken Spectre closes finance on Scott Graham’s debut feature Shell.

Paul Welsh is an experienced commissioner & producer of live action and animated shorts, documentaries and feature films. As producer, his successes include the Scottish Screen/EM Media funded Skeletons, winner of the Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature at EIFF 2010.

His second feature Lore is financing to shoot Summer 2011 in Germany. Directed by Cate Shortland (Somersault), Lore is based on Rachel Seiffert’s Booker nominated title The Dark Room, a co-production with Rohfilm (Berlin) & Porchlight Films (Sydney) set at the end of World War 2.

Through GMAC, DigiCult, EM Media and working independently since 1997, Paul has developed, produced and executive produced over 50 short and medium length films, helping establish and further the careers of many exciting UK  filmmakers including Chris Waitt, Joern Utkilen, Zam Salim, Peter Baynton, the Berties, Martin Smith, Michael Pearce and Stuart Comrie.

Apart from INCUBATOR – DigiCult’s current call for emerging talent and ideas – the company will only accept project submissions from experienced filmmaking teams.

If you are interested in working with DigiCult, please send a short biography detailing the creative talent involved in your project, including past and current projects. From that introduction, we may get back in touch to ask for a short outline of your film proposal.

As DigiCult has limited development resources, we can only consider spec submissions from teams with a solid track record. We do not accept unsolicited material unless it arrives through an agent.

If you would like to submit your project for development consideration, please email Paul Welsh with short biographies of your team.