Inspiring the Next Generation - EDGE Lecture: OE Catherine Wignall

The EDGE Lectures have been a key part of Ellesmere College's Leadership and Entrepreneurship Programme for Sixth Form students for many years now - designed to enrich the offering given to students to give them the 'edge' when it comes to entering the world of university and work.

Each term, the College invites back key speakers from our network of over 5000 Old Ellesmerians (OEs), parents and local business people, who bring their expertise and experience to deliver inspiring and informative talks on subjects related to business, entrepreneurship and careers.

Catherine Wignall, BAFTA Scholar

This terms EDGE Lecture welcomed OE Catherine Wignall back to Ellesmere College to talk about her experiences studying for a Master in Fine Arts in Screenwriting at the University of California Los Angeles.

Catherine attended Ellesmere from 2000 to 2009, where she had a strong interest in English, Drama and Media. After achieving impressive marks in the International Baccalaureate, she went on to study English Literature at the University of Warwick where she graduated with a First Class Honours Degree but took every opportunity to take creative writing modules.

Shortly after graduation Catherine won the Euroscript-Underwire Screenwriting competition, before undertaking courses in screenwriting and young adult literature with the Open University and the Department for Continuing Education at the University of Oxford.

In September 2017 Catherine was offered a scholarship to the prestigious British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in Los Angeles - one of only 11 students to be offered this unique opportunity - to study a Screenwriting MFA. She was also awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, unusual for someone working in the creative arts!

The EDGE Lecture took the form of a chat show style interview with her father, Headmaster Brendan Wignall, in which Catherine shared her passion for television writing and inspired a packed audience of students and staff with her down to earth appraisal of the ups and downs of forging a career in this area. Her own writing now focuses on fantasy and science fiction with complex female leads.

Clearly, from Catherine's obvious passion, commitment to her chosen path, and her single-minded focus, we will definitely be seeing her work on our screens in the future.

Nick Pettingale, Director of External Relations, commented, "At Ellesmere we believe in the individual and therefore 'The Edge' lectures create a breadth of professional input and real life experience for our students to learn from. The most exciting aspect from my perspective is the individual connections that are created with our Old Ellesmerians. Anyone in business today knows that success is based on relationships and our goal with 'The Edge' is to create those relationships before our students even leave the Sixth Form".

For more information about our Autumn EDGE Lecture programme please visit: The EDGE Lectures

2nd April 2019  Back to News