London, 10th August 2016: The National Film and Television School announces it has appointed Deborah Rowland to lead its new Marketing, Distribution, Sales and Exhibition MA, which is supported by the UK Cinema Association.
Deborah has over 24 years’ experience in entertainment marketing and all aspects of film distribution. She has held senior marketing and distribution positions at Koch Media, Artificial Eye, Curzon Cinemas, Icon, Contender Entertainment (now EOne), Twentieth Century Fox, Disney, Medusa Pictures and The Pearson Group.
The UK Cinema Association will award two scholarships to students on the new MA to support them through their two-year courses.
Duncan Clark, President of Distribution for Universal Pictures International and global branding expert, renowned for worldwide success in motion picture distribution and marketing, is a supporter of the new MA: “I would thoroughly recommend this MA course to anyone interested in building a career in marketing and distribution within the film and wider creative industries. The industry is crying out for new talent and the NFTS is renowned for producing graduates with practical experience who can hit the ground running as soon as they leave.”
Deborah Rowland says: “It is a privilege to run the new Marketing, Distribution, Sales and Exhibition MA at the NFTS, which has an incredible reputation for building careers and industry pioneers. The entertainment business is a fast-changing and incredibly exciting area to work in, and I look forward to inspiring new talent and developing future leaders in the film, TV and games industries.”
Phil Clapp, UK Cinema Association Chief Executive says: “We are delighted that the NFTS has appointed Deborah to lead this course; she seems the perfect fit given her extensive experience across the entertainment business. We are proud to be associated with the new MA and to support such a prestigious institution which has produced so many successful graduates who continue to entertain many millions of UK cinema-goers. We look forward to supporting Deborah with the course design and providing speakers to further the training of the students within the commercial film business.”
The two-year course will equip students with the tools and experience to pre-sell, market, distribute, retail and exhibit films, television shows and games in the digital age.
As with all NFTS courses, the MA is both hands on and practical and students will benefit from full time work placements at the UK’s major media companies.
Applications for the Marketing, Distribution, Sales and Exhibition MA are open until October 13th 2016 and the course will commence in January 2017.
For more information, please visit www.nfts.co.uk
ENDS
Contact for further information:
Vicky Hewlett, Head of PR and Communications, NFTS: VHewlett@nfts.co.uk
About the National Film and Television School
The NFTS is one of the world's leading film, games and television schools. It has been cited by some media as one of the top five film schools globally and by one as the No.1 international film school. In 1967, the government recommended the creation of a national film school for the UK and in 1971 the National Film School opened its doors for the first time focussing on postgraduate education. In the 1980s, the school officially changed its name to the National Film and Television School to incorporate the demand for courses in television production and has since added games to its remit.
NFTS prides itself on producing world-class, award-wining industry leaders. It has more Student Academy Awards (Foreign Category) than any other film school. NFTS students and graduates also regularly win BAFTAs and have won the short film category for the last three years. Other prestigious accolades include the Grierson Award for Best Student Documentary, which NFTS students have won for the last three years as well as multiple Royal Television Society student awards and Annecy Animation Awards. NFTS graduates have gone on to win seven Oscars and 100 BAFTAs with alumni including cinematographer, Roger Deakins (12 times Oscar nominee); BAFTA winning director, David Yates, (best known for directing the Harry Potter films); Oscar winning animator Nick Park (creator of Wallace & Gromit) and Oscar winning composer Dario Marianelli among others. The NFTS is a registered charity (313429). For more information see www.nfts.co.uk
