We are delighted to announce that Zia Holloway and Clare Byrne have been named the winners of the World Productions Writers’ Award.
and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom Wales joined forces over Summer 2021 to find two ambitious and exciting, up-and-coming TV writers with a strong connection to Wales. As part of World’s commitment to developing its creative base in Wales the award is an investment in original writing talent. The two winning writers will now be offered a paid development deal to work on original ideas aimed for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Network TV.
After a highly competitive process in which Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom Wales received a large number of scripts, six writers were selected and invited to pitch their original TV ideas to a judging panel which included Ben Irving (Drama Commissioning Editor for Wales, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ) and Laura Cotton (Head of Development, Wales for World Productions).
The judges are delighted with the two winners and look forward to the innovative work they will undoubtedly create.
Meet the winners below:
Zia Holloway
I’m thrilled to be working with World Productions on a series that has the potential to reflect Wales in a way that hasn’t been shown before and take an interesting spin on drama with distinct and compelling characters at its core. World Productions is a well-renowned production company that have produced some of Britain’s best dramas, so it’s an absolute privilege to be given this award at this exciting stage of my career.
World’s commitment to celebrating Wales and championing different voices is one of the reasons why I applied for this award and why I am so excited to work with them to develop a series that means so much to me. I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes from this award and the creative process.
Zia Holloway
Zia Holloway is an emerging television screenwriter. She is a Script Angel scholar and was a recent student of the NFTS Screenwriting MA. She has worked with a range of exciting production companies such as Bad Wolf and has original series in development with The Forge, The Ink Factory, and Studio 21. She has gained experience across a range of mediums including television, animation, and theatre. Zia specialises in writing drama, magical realism and sci-fi and her characterful writing has received praise for weaving the fantastical with the recognisable to create rich worlds and authentic stories.
Clare Byrne
Having long admired World Production's stellar output, it is such a privilege to be afforded this opportunity, through the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom, to develop my idea with them. My goal is to create a captivating, contemporary and sometimes humorous Welsh drama, reflecting life in today's Wales, which will connect with audiences across the UK. I'm very excited to start this journey and learn from the experienced team at World.
Clare Byrne
Clare Byrne started her career as a writer and director in theatre whilst studying for a BA in Politics at the University of Warwick. After which, she co-founded the theatre company Ginterval and went on to work in various theatre and TV jobs in London. In this time, she wrote several pilots and short films, including the short Y Mor, shot in Pembrokeshire.
In 2018, she began developing a crime drama series with Germany's TV60 and Südhang Films. Recently, with the help of a BAFTA scholarship, she gained an MFA in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California. Clare spent the last year on location in Sweden, serving as an Associate Producer on showrunner Adi Hasak's upcoming psychological thriller series, The Box, starring Anna Friel, for which, she also co-wrote the final episode. She is currently back in Wales working, thanks to the powers of Zoom, with Hasak on several other TV shows whilst developing her own projects.
Find out which which writers reached the shortlist of the World Productions Wales Writers' Award