Bonhill man gets a BAFTA

Apr 17 2009 by Tina Kemp, Lennox Herald (main ed)

A BONHILL man, who turned his computer hobby into a career, is celebrating helping to secure a coveted BAFTA.

Dave Heslop was behind the team that won the BAFTA Scotland New Talent Award 2009 in multimedia.

The former Vale of Leven Academy pupil was instrumental in achieving the award for Edinburgh-based Running Productions for its film work on www.mission1212.com, part of a digital marketing campaign for LG Electronics and the Keanu Reeves’ blockbuster The Day the Earth Stood Still.

This week Dave, whose family still lives in the area, spoke of his delight at the award – and encouraged other young people to aim for the top.

He said: “I know all too well what it’s like to grow up in a deprived area, to have to go and find opportunity.

“It’s important for the youth of today to know that real opportunities exist out there, and there are a lot of people and organisations willing to help and to invest their time and energy. It doesn’t matter where you come from.”

Dave, 33, executive producer for mission1212 and Bluemoon’s former head of digital, commissioned two Edinburgh-based firms to work on the website and its content.

He said: “When I was in London I was in the thick of it with all the best talent in the world. My eyes were wide open to the fact that there are people just as good in Scotland who never get a chance to pitch for this kind of stuff. Getting the BAFTA was just immense. My job now is to spread the word about that achievement.”

Dave, who attended Ladyton Primary and whose mum still lives in Redburn, became interested in computers through his uncle.

“He was a programmer with Atari and so the whole of the 1980s I was surrounded by computer games,” explained Dave. “I left the Vale Academy to study architecture and ended up in Edinburgh where I got a degree in engineering. It wasn’t until I graduated that I realised I didn’t want to go down the traditional career path, so I jumped ship and set up a 3D modelling business with a friend.”

Dave eventually set up on his own and six months ago moved back to Edinburgh where he now runs a digital consulting company, specialising in digital marketing, strategy and branding.

He said: “I still live by a few very simple rules. If you’re absolutely passionate about something, you will always find your path. How you use the opportunities you are presented with dictates how fast you move along that path, and the direction you move in.

“Goals are everything and, once you reach one, it’s important that you set yourself another straight away, you’ll always get there.”