Film Expo South founder and CEO Gillian Tully is no stranger to the filmmaking sector as a professional actress, entrepreneur and auteur. She has worked in film, television and starred in the West End theatre.
Now in it's 3rd Year, FILM EXPO SOUTH is returning to Southampton:
Gill sees the event as a unique platform upon which to unify the South’s talents, professionals, businesses and financiers. She believes that it is through this event that filmmaking production can be expanded using the incredible skill set that is abundant in the region.
"Working with Gilly and her crew on Film Expo South 2016 was a breath of fresh air - a go-getting, no-nonsense, down-to-earth, lighthearted, get-things-done attitude that pulled a terrific event out of nothing."
"Gillian has shown incredible fortitude and tenaciousness in achieving her goal with Film Expo South...I have made some great connections through this event...Please book me in for 2017!"
Lynn Coleman - Respected Company Director, Business Counsellor and Director
Georgie is an experienced broadcast journalist and most well-known from her time as the weather presenter and entertainment reporter at BBC South. She is delighted to be part of the Film Expo South team and to be putting her skill set to such good use.
What is Film Expo South?
Film Expo South is the amazing brain child of Gillian Tully, an actress and entrepreneur from Southampton. Designed to bring filmmakers of any field together into one place for networking, exposure, passion, collaboration and sheer enjoyment of the craft that we all know and love.
2016 was Gillian's first ever year producing an expo show of this magnitude and was ultimately the birth of Film Expo South. Come February 4th, she would find out if her year's worth of hard work and effort would finally bring about the fruits she so richly desired, and yours truly was privileged to go along and find out.
Film Expo South was brilliant by simply offering so much to do. The talks featured expert panelists working on a range of different films from entry level to feature film blockbusters, such as James Bond, and everything in between. These talks offered variety as well. Ranging from talks aimed at producing a feature film to talks about scriptwriting, workshops on acting hosted by the teaching legend Mel Churcher, talks about what you need to know about contracts and how to even shoot underwater and finance your film. A true range for literally everyone.
So was that all? Heck no. The stands on display in the huge exhibition hall ranged from headshots, films in the making, special FX stands and even government funding to name but a few. Another brilliant idea was the networking wall. Simply pop your details and the people you are eager to meet and let the wall do the rest of the talking.
I hear Gillian is starting on 2017 already and I wish her the best of luck. If she needs any help, I'm game :-)
“Film Expo South delivered exactly what it said it would...Itasca Films will again be supporting it in 2017, so see you all there.”
“A very good event and highly recommended for anyone involved in the film making industry.”
"Really enjoyed the first Film Expo South, a great event for anyone working in or interested in film production. Couldn't believe 2016 was the first one as it was so well put together and well attended without being too busy and crowded."
" The show had an incredibly lively atmosphere with opportunities to network with a whole host of creative businesses as well as view short films and engage with professional speakers in a variety of seminars. It was very well run and for a first show of its kind, attracted large numbers of visitors. As a business we felt there were lots of opportunities to open up dialogue with others in the creative industries and came away with plenty of new contacts and some excellent leads."
“As a first time Expo the quality and scope of what was on was excellent. I especially enjoyed the sales and distribution side of things which was very useful and will help us in moving forward to get our feature film made.”
Production Liaison and Partnerships Manager (South)
"Film Expo 16 was a fantastic event for TNT Films. We made some great connections both at our stand and networking around the event. Hard to quantify but might generate thousands of pounds worth of business for ourselves and the region's freelancers. We'll be there come '17!"
"For film production companies like mine, it was an opportunity to meet people within the industry who I didn't even know existed. For students, it was the opportunity to realise that there is a film industry in the south...It gave people the opportunity to get together and share ideas and business cards. Under one roof, Gillian gathered the great and the good, gave a platform to over 30 individual speakers, and carried off the event with style. She's set a precedent and we expect the event to return 2017."
"Film Expo South really showed how much film talent there is in the area and brought it together all under one roof. Roll on next year."
Rebecca Snook, Production Liaison and Partnerships Manager (South) Creative England
