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Lord Puttnam sees EU digital strategy shift

David Puttnam at FDA

FDA president hopeful of less seismic EU digital reform.

Labour Lord and former film producer David Puttnam is hopeful that controversial EU plans to introduce a Digital Single Market will not include the outlawing of geo-blocking, as feared by many in the creative industries.

Speaking to ScreenDaily in his capacity as president of the Film Distributors’ Association, Lord Puttnam yesterday said that cultural lobbying groups could still have a significant impact on policy.

“The Commission will be driven towards the cultural diversity aspect by Francoise Hollande and Angela Merkel, because the film groups around both of those leaders are quite powerful,” said the Oscar-winningChariots of Fire producer.

Puttnam cited an interview with EU digital commissioner Gunther Oettinger in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper on Monday (March 30) as evidence of a softening approach.

Activities Media

New press regulation regime is ‘business as usual’, says Lord Puttnam

Lord David Puttnam Labour peer and film producer Lord Puttnam has slammed the lack of progress on press regulation and called the regulatory regime under the Independent Press Standards Organisation “business as usual”.

Delivering the inaugural Media Trust annual lecture, the Chariots of Fire producer, who was also deputy chairman of Channel 4 until 2012, said David Cameron had “bottled” his chance to take on press barons over regulation.

He said that in the two and a half years since Sir Brian Leveson published his report on press regulation, “no progress of consequence, certainly nothing that would signal a change in our culture or compassion, is in any way evident”.

Activities Media

Precious, fragile, easily squandered. Is there any hope for trust?

Protesters at the Leveson The British public is reeling from scandals afflicting many UK institutions – the media among them; we are in danger of losing a prize that will not be easily won back.

We’ve suffered a cascade of “scandals”; from the financial crisis of 2008, to the parliamentary expenses catastrophe, press misdeeds and police malpractice. Never far away, deep anxiety about business ethics. Little wonder the public find themselves reeling from mistrust of the entire system.

You would have hoped that any observer of these events might have taken note of the enormous premium the public place on trust and authenticity. Some hope.

It’s now almost two and half years since the Leveson report on press regulation was published. It’s 18 months since the subsequent royal charter was established. Yet, for the victims of press intrusion it must seem like several lifetimes, for no progress of consequence, certainly nothing that would signal a change in our culture or compassion is in any way evident.

Activities Film

Gateshead’s leading lights granted admission as Honourary Freeman of the Borough

David Puttnam at Gateshead Freeman Ceremony The great and the good of Gateshead gathered at The Sage to honour the people behind its success.

Oscar-winning film producer Lord David Puttnam, Sage general director Anthony Sargent and the Royal Northern Sinfonia were all granted admission as Honourary Freeman of the Borough.

Gateahead’s mayor was joined by Sir John Hall and leader of the council Mick Henry to celebrate the contributions made to the town.

They were the first inductees since November 2013, when actress Jill Halfpenny was handed the freedom of the town.

Activities Education

Lord Puttnam officially opens Studio West School in West Denton

Lord Puttnam at Studio West School An Oscar winner, turned university chancellor and politician has officially opened one of Newcastle’s newest schools.

Chariots of Fire producer Lord Puttnam visited Studio West in West Denton to see how it tries to immerse its 120 students in the world of work to give them an advantage when looking for jobs.

“I was very impressed with what I have seen at Studio West,” Lord Puttnam, who was chancellor of the University of Sunderland from 1997 until 2007, said.

“Not only the quality of the premises, its equipment and classrooms, but the confidence, attitude and potential of its students.

“Studio West’s business-focus is a fantastic concept that will ensure students leave the school work-ready, equipped with workplace experience and the hard and soft skills that are increasingly sought after by potential employers.”

Activities Education

Lord Puttnam launches ‘Shaping the future How Technology Can Lead to Educational Transformation’.

Deirdre Margaret LordPuttnam

On Wednesday, 11th March, Lord Puttnam, Digital Champion of Ireland, was in St Patrick’s College Drumcondra to officially launch Shaping the future – How technology can lead to educational transformation, which was edited by Dr Deirdre Butler and Margaret Leahy – both members of the Education Department, St Patrick’s College Drumcondra and Kevin Marshall of Microsoft.

The twenty-first century presents challenges and opportunities in equal magnitude to policy makers for information and communications technology (ICT) use in education. In today’s world of a changing workforce, rapid advancements in technology and in-creased global competition, learning is more critical than ever. The need to have a long-term vision for education that ensures all students experience success and have the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies to be successful in the twenty-first century was never more important.

Activities Education

Throwing down the gauntlet: Lord David Puttnam challenges aspiring North-East filmmakers

David Puttnam at North East

Oscar-winning producer Lord David Puttnam has challenged aspiring filmmakers from the North East to lead the way in a new cinema genre. Arts writer Gavin Engelbrecht meets the 74-year-old life peer.

OSCAR-WINNING film producer Lord David Puttnam is clearly proud of his new watch.

“It is called a Shinola,” he said, taking it off his wrist to show.

“Unemployed people in Detroit, seeing there was no future in the auto industry, got hold of an empty building and made a decision to do something about it.

“They decided to start making bicycles and watches. They got some guy from Switzerland to teach them and what they have done is create a fantastic business. It is a wonderful story.

“I got my wife to buy this watch for my 74th birthday. When my granddaughters, who are in their 20s, saw it they said ‘Grandpa, that is a Shinola. It is the coolest watch anywhere’. And do you know how they knew about it? Through social media.”

Lord Puttnam is not just showing off his gift but illustrating the fact that there are no barriers to success in the creative industry.

Activities Education

Digital ‘champion’ visits Bantry school

LORD David Puttnam, in his capacity as ‘Ireland’s Digital Champion’ visited Saint Finbarr’s Boys’ National School of Bantry last week.

Puttnam was accompanied by Sean Kelly, chairman of the Board of Management, as they heard about the school’s involvement in digital media and the positive benefits of technology in education.

The younger classes enjoyed an enthusiastic discussion with Lord Puttnam about the educational benefits of Google Earth and Apps such as ‘Save the Pencil’.

Puttnam enthused them all by exploring the advantages of their Edmodo system, in which the children can, and have, safely shared photographs and experiences of foreign and national trips.

Activities Future Skills

David Puttnam talks to the high school students about education development

David Puttnam talks to students in Le Hong Phong Senior High School During the visit to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and Burma, Lord David Puttnam, the UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy had a talk with students and teachers in Le Hong Phong Senior High School on January 29 about how to develop education to meet globally intellectual economic market and technology to improve skill workforce.

The conversation generated around what globally intellectual economic market and what education should grow to meet the developing trend of intellectual economic market.

Activities Future Skills

Queen Elizabeth Academy pupils take inspiration from Oscar winner Lord Puttnam CBE

Lord David Puttnam at Queen Elizabeth Academy

Nine pupils from the school were given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the producer of 1980s hit Chariots of Fire face-to-face, while he visited a school in Stoke. More of the Atherstone-based students were able to take part in a live Skype chat with Lord Puttnam from their pioneering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) lab.

The former head of Columbia Pictures in Hollywood and House of Lords representative had been invited to the Innovation School Stoke, which is part of the Erudition Schools Trust, on Thursday, January 15 to officially open the alternative education centre.

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