Lou Burns(II)

Hailing from working-class roots in the North, Lou possesses a deep-rooted passion for authentic and honest storytelling with a strong focus on narratives that embody the spirit of both the northern region and working class communities there. Following careers in teaching and social work, Lou embarked on a writing career in 2020 when she was shortlisted for a Northern Writers' Award with Lime Pictures. In 2021 she successfully completed a one to one mentoring program with BBC writer and producer Yvonne Grace and in March 2022 Lou was shortlisted for the 4stories initiative which saw her work with Blacklight Productions and be commissioned by Channel 4 to write a treatment as part of Channel 4's 'On the Edge' anthology series. Following Lou's script Riot ranking in the top 3% of over 4000 entries to the BBC Writersroom's Open Call, she was awarded a place on the BBC Northern Voices development program. During this Lou was mentored by Deputy Commissioner Alice Ramsey and developed a drama television series idea. Further to this, Lou was awarded a place on the 2024/225 BBC Writers' Access Group, where she is currently developing a Pilot fora procedural TV drama series. In 2024, Lou co-directed her first short film, Bruised, which she wrote also wrote. This working class, emotional drama has been selected and nominated for multiple national and international film festivals, going on to win a variety of awards. Her second short film, Night Warden - a high octane, action packed northern drama, is in post production as a proof of concept for a feature length version, currently in development. A third short film that Lou has written and co-directed, Gan Canny, is due to begin production in Spring 2025. This film sees Lou combining her skilled drama writing with hilarious bursts of comedy and is an eagerly anticipated release.