Hollywood And Silicon Valley Senior Executives Visit Belfast

A delegation of senior executives from the entertainment and technology industries in Hollywood and Silicon Valley have been in Belfast, putting the city in the global spotlight once again.
The high profile visit was led by John Hartlett, Founder and President of the Irish Technology Leadership Group and comprises senior figures from the entertainment technology sector including Sean O'Donoghue, Chief Information Officer, Dreamworks; Jon Michael Bukosky, Advisor, Digital & Emerging Media at Untitled Entertainment and Anthony Clark, Head of Future Business Innovation, Sony.
The Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile, welcomed the delegation to the City Hall at a special reception in his parlour before they visited other parts of the city, which include a trip to the Paint Hall Studios in the Titanic Quarter, a visit to Argyle Business Centre in the Shankill and An Culturlann on the Fal's Road.
Councillor Ó Donnghaile said: "I am delighted to welcome to Belfast such a dynamic group of individuals from the entertainment and technology industries in Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Their visit is all the more significant taking place on the weekend when the world's eyes are on Belfast for the MTV EMAs.
"The visit also reflected how dynamic, connected and open for business Belfast is and shines a spotlight on our indigenous creative industries sector in the city which is thriving. We, at the council, have supported the sector with a number of programmes and initiatives this year such as the Digital Media Connections Programme and the Creative Entrepreneurs Club which brings creative industries together for regular networking meetings to develop products and learn from leading industry experts."
John Hartnett, ITLG President, said: "There is a burgeoning creative technology sector in Belfast and we have brought innovative leaders from the world's entertainment capital to develop links between the two locations. We have some of the best executives from Sony, Dreamworks and BBC joining us to discuss the latest in digital entertainment, cinema, mobile, gaming, social media and consumer electronics."
(LB)