Fife student is first recipient of scholarship to mark Adam Smith’s tercentenary

HND creative industries television student, Jeanette Sendler, was the stand out applicant to take the inaugural award. It was created by Adam Smith Scholarships, part of Fife College, with Fife Council’s economic development department, OnFife and Business Gateway Fife to mark Smith’s 300th anniversary. She will now be supported as she makes her first steps into setting up her own creative and digital filmmaking business.

Jeanette will benefit from financial support to take her business to the next level. She has also taken up a residency within the new design suite in the recently refurbished Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy, and will also receive mentoring support and guidance.

Jeanette, from Newburgh, plans to start a filmmaking business that creates historical video content exclusively for museums, galleries, collections and archives. She has already produced documentaries about the linen history of Fife and 19th-century seaweed collector Margaret Gatty, whose work is partially stored at the Botanical Gardens in St Andrews.

Jeanette said: “Winning the scholarship is the next level up on my creative and digital filmmaking journey. I am pleased to return to a theatrical environment after a long time out teaching and nurturing others. I realise that traditional theatre has made a leap into a digital world too, and I hope to be part of this transition.”

Geoffrey Proudlock, director for faculty of business, enterprise and tourism at Fife College, said: “Jeanette’s passion and dedication to the field of creative and digital filmmaking stood out in the application process, she is very much a deserving first winner of this special scholarship.”

Praise also came from Heather Stuart, chief executive, OnFife, who said: “In this 300th anniversary year of Adam Smith when the theatre bearing his name has just reopened as the cultural heart of Kirkcaldy, it’s fitting that this new scholarship is backing an ambitious creative entrepreneur. We welcome Jeanette to our new design suite and we’re sure the residency will provide her with a fantastic environment in which to work and network.”

Pamela Stevenson, Service Manager, Fife Council Economic Development, added: “We wish her success on her entrepreneurial journey and remain committed to fostering economic growth and a thriving business community in Fife."