INTRO.......PRESS RELEASE........SUBMISSION GUIDELINES.......SUBMISSION FORM

PRESS RELEASE

STRIPSEARCHERS—Exposing Birmingham’s Talent

(Click here to download Word version)

Due to the International success of StripSearch 1&2, Hi8us Midlands Ltd is launching StripSearchers; an exciting talent finding competition for amateur comic illustrators from the West Midlands, taking place in Birmingham, UK. StripSearchers is open to anyone over 16, who believes they have the talent and commitment needed to crack the comic industry. We are especially keen to receive submissions from female artists. We aim to discover, nurture and inspire a new breed of graphic novel illustrators and to highlight the West Midlands as a hub for creative talent. Why not show the world that we can beat the best!  The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 22nd February 2006.

Over 8 months, 15 finalists will work with some of the most well respected and professional comic illustrators in the UK, such as; John McCrea (X-Men, Batman and The Hulk), Hunt Emerson (Firkin the Cat, Alto Ego and Max Zillion) and Phil Winslade (2000AD, Daredevil and Spiderman). They may also get their work reviewed by one of the most successful female comic artists. The professionals invaluable experience of the industry and undisputed illustrative expertise will be used to support and develop the skills of the participants who, throughout the scheme, will work towards creating their own published comic book. The scheme will culminate in a VIP visit to the largest comic festival in the UK, where the finalists will have their work reviewed by other great comic artists and top executives from DC, Marvel, The Beano and 2000AD comics. 

Hi8us Projects Ltd is an established charity with an impressive history of utilising the skills of experts to guide amateurs, with professional results. “This project is our way of responding to the needs of the gifted individuals we know are out there. We are especially delighted as this is the first time we are able to invite submissions from across the West Midlands. The past 2 StripSearch schemes have generated international award winning illustrators, we hope to continue this success” Kulwant Dhaliwal, Hi8us Midlands Director. This is a great scheme; I am really excited about the possibilities. I would have loved to have been on it when I was starting out.” comments John McCrea  

Wannabe illustrators are asked to submit examples of their best and most recent work. We are looking for good photocopies of 2-4 pages of original continuous comic strip (no posters), preferably without lettering. 

For further details about submissions contact Jemima Cattel on 0121 693 0242 or jemima@hi8us.co.uk

Full submission guidelines

This scheme has received funding from the EQUAL ICI Partnership, an initiative that strives to combat and prevent discrimination in the labour market.

-ENDS-


NOTES TO EDITORS

1. This scheme will start in March. The first workshop will take place on Saturday 4th March 2006. It will last for eight months. As well as 15 professionally led workshops the finalists will also attend an annual comic festival in Bristol in May 2007. The participants will be encouraged to develop their skills through tuition and set tasks. All of the workshops will be on Saturdays. 
   
   
2. Hi8us has a unique record of award winning production for film and television. Over the last nine years the company has pioneered participatory youth drama for broadcast, piloted new media technology as a tool for young people to create interactive drama and supported a series of talented young people to enter the film, media and broadcasting industries.
   
   
3. Hi8us develops and delivers a range of arts and media projects collaborating with young people. Since 1999, Hi8us has taken its experience of media, education and training to create innovative new media and online educational tools.  Significantly, funded by Nesta, Hi8us has developed edrama, an online tool that provides an immersive educational experience. Hi8us is pioneering the use of multi-user software to deliver an absorbing and engaging educational experience for educators and young people alike.
   
   
4. Current Hi8us projects and partnerships include First light – Film Council’s £1million per year investment into young people’s filmmaking; L8r with the Teenage pregnancy unit; Alice with Wednesbury Education Action Zone; ADSUP with YPHP; 54p an Hour Birmingham Teenage Pregnancy Partnership; Ideas Factory Channel 4’s Creative Industries portal which we and our partner Maverick television have developed. Visit www.hi8us.co.uk for details.
   
   
5. John McCrea was born in Belfast in 1966, all John ever wanted to do was draw: specifically comics, and a product of his primary school days was the Bionic Emu. In the midst of dropping out of a degree in Art and Design in Belfast, John hawked his steadily maturing work around the UK comic conventions and the British comic editors: at 2000 AD, and British Marvel. His first professional job was on the cartoon adaptation the Centurions before he went on to work on Action Force (British GI Joe), BLAAAM! And eventually drawing a few Future Shocks stories for 2000 AD. The big break came in 1988, when Garth Ennis (then 18 years old) wrote 'Troubled Souls', and a Northern Irish artist was required. A productive partnership was born between John and Garth that has lasted more than 10 years. They collaborated on For a Few Troubles More, Judge Dredd, the Demon and 'Hitman', to name a few. John also works for Marvel and has illustrated for many of the classics, including Spiderman, Batman and X-men. For details visit: www.dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/way/xmi94/Biography.htm
   
   
6. Phil Winslade a man famed for his detail. Phil’s art can be seen on in an impressive array of comics including; Daredevil, Spiderman, Wonder-Woman and Ant Man.
   
   
7. Hunt Emerson has drawn cartoons and comic strips since the early 1970s. He has published around thirty comic books and albums, mainly with Knockabout Comics (London), including 'Lady Chatterley's Lover', 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', and 'Casanova's Last Stand'. His characters include 'Calculus Cat', (the cat that hates television), 'Firkin the Cat', (a strip of sexual satire that has run in Fiesta magazine since 1981), 'PussPuss', (yes - another cat!), 'Max Zillion' and 'Alto Ego', (a jazz musician and his saxophone), 'Alan Rabbit', and many more. His comic strips have been translated into ten languages, and he has been awarded several Comic Strip prizes. His work appears in publications as diverse as Fiesta, Fortean Times, and The Wall Street Journal, and he has also worked widely in advertising.
   
   
8. Equal is an initiative which tests and promotes new means of combating all forms of discrimination and inequalities in the labour market, both for those in work and for those seeking work, through transnational co-operation. Equal also includes action to help the social and vocational integration of asylum seekers. Equal operates across identified thematic fields, which embrace the four pillars of the European Employment Strategy and support for asylum seekers. Equal funds activities implemented by strategic partnerships called Development Partnerships (DPs). Each Development Partnership will address one thematic field of its choice.
   
   
9. Equal encourages participation and transnational co-operation through partnership building across five priority areas, which are closely focussed on key issues of concern in Britain. It will, over time, develop good practice that can enhance the delivery of mainstream UK and Structural Fund activity. www.equal.ecotec.co.uk
   
   
10. Arts Council England is the national development agency for the arts in England. Between 2005 and 2008, we are investing £1.7 billion of public funds from government and National Lottery. This is the bedrock of support for the arts in England.
    We believe that the arts have the power to transform lives and communities, and to create opportunities for people throughout the country.