The TV and film industry is bigger than ever, and Dundee seems set to finally get in on the action.
It's already a film location - the likes of Silent Witness and Traces have been among the handful of productions that have be found across the city.
But it will be this year which sees a real game-changer, when CoSTAR Real Time Lab opens its state-of-the-art facility at Water's Edge complex on the waterfront, creating and developing new technologies for the TV, film and gaming sectors.
But given that Dundee is a growing global tech hub, and already cementing itself as Scotland’s tech capital, this is a no-brainer. With it being a city that has pushed the boundaries of innovation for the last few centuries.
Extending those boundaries to film and TV is fairly a natural next step. The most exciting possibilities, though, are where those three collide - the opportunities in storytelling and production techniques at the intersection of tech, gaming, and film.
One company already on the move in this space is DC Thomson. Long the dominant player in newspapers, magazines, and comics, they've started to branch out into TV and film.
Beano Studios has already had success with the Dennis & Gnasher animated series, with multiple awards won. But that may be just the beginning.
With more than 120 years of storytelling, DC Thomson really has a treasure trove of characters, comics, and content.
Thus, realising the potential, in 2021 they created Emanata Studios, an in-house production company developing its extensive catalogue into television series, movies, and animations.
What they are doing in essence is building a "Beano Cinematic Universe", bringing favorite characters to life for new generations.
They've already created a Calamity James short film in alliance with the BBC, based on the classic Beano strip, and there is much more within the pipeline-developments include the creation of Bananaman Animation and a movie on Steelhead Sam.
Indeed, with such recent developments afoot, there's little doubt that Dundee might emerge very shortly as the nucleus for the TV and film industries for many years to come.
The infrastructure is taking shape, local studios are investing, and the creative talent is here within the city to make it happen.
Consider the city's history of innovation; now, imagine the next big leap could be taken in film and TV. The potential here is huge-just waiting to be made real now.
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