As part of its ongoing Women in Focus evening series, IFTA has confirmed events with Broadcaster Gráinne Seoige and one of Ireland’s thriving comedy talents, Actress, Writer and Producer Sharon Horgan, as its next leading industry speakers.
The Academy’s recent Women in Focus Conference at the Foundry, presented in partnership with Matheson, was a resounding success, with insights shared from broadcasters Miriam O’Callaghan and Elaine Crowley, filmmakers Colin and Darren Thornton (A Date for Mad Mary) and Girl Crew Co-Founder Aine Mulloy to name a few. IFTA-winning Actress and Comedienne Deirdre O’Kane was IFTA’s guest at their first Women in Focus guest event in April earlier this year.
In Conversation with Gráinne Seoige will take place Tuesday November 29th at the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin. Sharon Horgan will speak to Members and invited guests at a separate event, on December 10th. The Women in Focus evening series is presented in partnership with Davy.
Gráinne Seoige
Seoige is one of Ireland’s foremost and distinguished Broadcasters, TV presenters and Journalists. She has worked with RTÉ for the past 10 years, where she has presented a range of television shows throughout the decade including one of RTÉ’s flagship afternoon shows ‘Seoige’, the ‘All Ireland Talent Show’ a music talent show, ‘Up for the Match’ a sports talk show; the ‘People of the Year Awards’; the documentary series ‘Gráinne Seoige’s Modern Life’ and ‘Great Irish Journeys’ about the Irish famine; and the ‘Crime Call’ programme series.
Seoige has also presented three UK breakfast television shows; ITV's breakfast show ‘GMTV’; she was Features Editor on ‘Daybreak’ in 2010 and 2011 and she also presented ‘Sky News Sunrise’ with Eamonn Holmes.
She is unique in Ireland as she is the only broadcaster to not only have worked with all four Irish TV channels RTÉ, TV3, TG4 and SKY, but was also the original News Anchor who launched three of those channels - TG4 in 1996; TV3 in 1998 and SKY News Ireland in 2004. Grainne is a previous IFTA nominee for the Award for TV Personality of the Year.
More recently Seoige splits her time between her business work in Ireland and South Africa where she has developed and launched a specialised Diamond and jewellery business called ‘Grace Diamonds’ which is actively delivering high quality diamonds to an Irish and international market, at cost-effective prices from her local African-based network and resources.
Sharon Horgan
Horgan is a leading figure in the fields of acting and comedy in Ireland, with an array of Award nods for her hit series ‘Catastrophe’, which she writes and executive produces as well as portraying lead character Sharon Morris.
It was announced by Channel 4 in July of this year the series has been greenlit for a third and fourth season. ‘Catastrophe’ has earned Horgan a BAFTA for Best Writer Comedy, as well as double IFTA wins for Best Writer – Soap and Comedy and Best Female Performance, for two consecutive years at the IFTA Gala TV Awards.
As well as her success with ‘Catastrophe’, Horgan will discuss her road to success from earlier series such as ‘Pulling’, which earned her the British Comedy Awards’ Best Female Comedy Newcomer and Best Television Comedy Drama Awards in 2007 and 2009, respectively.
Horgan’s latest series ‘Divorce’ premiered on HBO in October 2016, with ‘Sex and the City’ star Sarah Jessica Parker in the lead role. It was announced by HBO this week that ‘Divorce’ has been renewed for a second season. Horgan and Parker also produce the series alongside Paul Simms, Aaron Kaplan and Alison Benson.
Other work from the Co. Meath talent include series ‘Little Crackers’ and ‘Moone Boy’, with a wide range of acting, writing and production credits on films such as ‘Man Up’, ‘Run & Jump’ and Lolly Adefope Christmas’.
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