A Ballymoney woman is encouraging those interested in film, television, and media to attend this year’s Belfast Media Festival (BMF), an event which she accredits with kick-starting her career.

Now based in England, Stacey Dickie works as a Producer/Director and Edit Producer, with credits including her first Channel 4 programme.

Stacey said: “In 2015, I went back to university to study Media and Production, and as part of one of our courses we attended BMF.

"I went to a session where Kieran Doherty of Stellify Media was in conversation with Campbell Glennie of the Edinburgh TV Festival.

placeholder image — Ballymoney woman Stacey Dickie.

"I needed to complete work experience for my assessment, and I plucked up the courage to ask Kieran directly. That chat resulted in two weeks work experience, which then led to the company’s first ever internship which launched my career.”

Stacey, who proudly calls herself a “born and bred North Coaster,” hopes her story inspires others from Northern Ireland to take that first step toward a creative career.

“People should visit BMF because you never know who you might bump into, what conversation you might have, or what opportunity it might lead to,” she said.

"I want to back young people who don’t think they deserve to be in the industry. Northern Ireland has so much talent, and we should continue to produce programming that shouts loud and is proud of our roots.”

Belfast Media Festival, now in its 16th year, will return to The MAC, Belfast, from November 11-13.

For more information and to register, visit www.belfastmediafestival.co.uk or follow @BelfastMediaFestival on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest updates.