Lauren in Edinburgh: chapter four
Hello! It’s been a hot sec since I’ve written one of these. Since the last time you heard from me, I’ve written two TV pilots, volunteered at the International Edinburgh TV Festival, and officially completed my Master’s degree in Screenwriting! Woof. It’s been a busy, kind of stressy time, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about braving the world of working, fully-functioning, adult people— especially while trying to get a Visa to work in the industry here in the UK. But at the same time there is something exciting about being on the precipice of chasing a dream I’ve had since I was a little girl: becoming a writer for TV.
And I know it’s going to be hard, I’ll probably only be able to afford buttered noodles for dinner, and I’ll have moments where I seriously consider becoming a full-time barista, but that’s all part of it! When I was nine I was fully convinced I’d have my own Disney Channel TV Show by the time I was 15 and from there become a famous actress like Miley and Selena. Looking back, first of all I think “LOL” and then I think “thank God that didn’t happen.” Even though I do get this gnawing feeling of being “behind” the older I get, I realize there’s no such thing and I feel really lucky to be entering the entertainment industry at a time in my life where I feel really whole. I understand who I am and what my sense of humor is (although I’m still figuring it out, I feel grounded in who I am at the moment… mostly). Imagining 15 year-old Lauren becoming successful makes me cringe big time. I mean, that Lauren would’ve been insufferable… like YIKES. Trust me, it’s better for humanity that I didn’t get my own Disney Channel series or star in a DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie, for you nerds not in the know… jk, it’s clear who the nerd is).
Welp! Turns out being in limbo churns out a lot of thoughts and feelings, but regardless I’m excited for what’s to come! Now that you’re caught up with my inner-monologue, I thought I’d also talk a little bit about what I learned working at the Edinburgh TV Festival.
While in limbo I seized the opportunity to work at the International Edinburgh TV Festival which takes place from August 24-26. It was really exciting to be working at a festival again, because the last time I was at a film festival was when I interned at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, which was an entirely different shabang. Plus, I was just a lil lost baby back then with really no clue about how the industry worked or what I wanted to do. So it felt really good to be going to a festival that revolved around the industry I wanted to work in: TV. And! It was their first festival since the pandemic!
I’ve gotta say, I was assuming it would be a super intimidating gig working as a Steward (it sounded so official) when actually most of what I did was ensure people had their passes, made sure not to let people weren’t let in after the room was at capacity, and cleaned up after each session. It was such a relaxed environment and everyone I worked with was lovely! About 99.9% of the stewards were all recent grads from film school, we all clearly had the same idea after turning in our major projects. But everyone was so friendly and it felt really good to be surrounded by creative people in the same career stage as me. I even got to work alongside some of my screenwriting pals from my master’s courses.
That’s me in the middle!
I have to say my favorite part of working the TV Festival was getting to pop in to different sessions. I got to see Dame Judy Dench herself and I got to meet Rose Matafeo from Starstruck and Dolly Alderton (author and showrunner of Everything I Know About Love). They did a panel together called “When Dolly Met Rose” and it was perfect and they were perfect and when I spoke to them I literally forgot how to speak. I sneakily brought my book with me and asked Dolly to sign it for me, which felt a smidge like a fever dream and I almost forgot how to spell my own name but hey-ho, I’m so glad I asked!
Their panel was definitely a highlight for me (as a lover of old-movies, Rom Coms, and someone who dreams of writing comedies about women for women) they are truly gals after my own heart. I felt really seen by everything they said.
If you haven’t watched Starstruck or Everything I Know About Love , I could not recommend them enough. Please, please watch them for your own health and heart. Scientific studies have shown that after watching these series an extra ten years are added to your life span… allegedly… but you can trust me, I’m about to have a master’s degree in Screenwriting.
Anywhoo, that’s the update! As they say in Scotland:
“I’ll catch y’all on the flippity flip.”
