ONE of the world’s most successful comic book writers - who is now a key executive with streaming giant Netflix - thrown his hat into the ring to Creative Scotland... in next ten years time.
Scottish writer and film producer Mark Millar has re-iterated his strong desire to take the helm of Scotland’s arts and film funding body insisting he would run the troubled unit like Hollywood.
His interest comes one day after the resignation of Creative Scotland's second chief executive, Janet Archer, over controversial funding decisions.
Netflix acquired the comic book writer's company Millarworld in August last year with a multi-million pound deal.
The Coatbridge creator, now based in Los Angeles, has this week unveiled a major slate of projects with the company.
On Twitter, noting the changes at Creative Scotland, he wrote: “Everyone would moan, but my idea for Creative Scotland would be running it like Hollywood and have government invest in projects, owning a piece and growing annual budget via cash return to reinvest next year.
“Plus encouraging private investment/ ownership in all arts projects.
“This would increase revenue for creatives year on year and encourage writers, artists, musicians, film-makers, etc, to treat their work like other businesses and be self-sustaining after initial govt leg-up.
“You could have an industry within a decade.”
Mr Millar later noted he was not making an official bid for the job and was merely discussing ideas on social media, and that he is very busy with Netflix for the foreseeable future.
Deputy Chief Executive Iain Munro has been appointed acting chief at Creative Scotland, following Ms Archer’s departure.
Mr Millar added: “If nobody’s done this by 2028 I’d bite their arm off to run this enterprise for three years and would donate my annual government-funded salary entirely to charity.
“It would ruffle feathers of course, but it could be amazing.”
His intervention prompted mixed reactions online, with some enthusiasm, while others, such as writer and editor Henry Bell, noted: “Art is not a business.”
- Herald View: Let Creative Scotland get back to basics
In 2016, before the Netflix deal, Millar, said that running Creative Scotland was his “dream gig”.
Then, he said: “I’d love to bring my experience in the arts and in business to a role like this and try to reshape the way people see the arts in Scotland as a whole.
“It’s a job I’d take really seriously and would need to come three years down the line after I’ve finished all my current projects, but I will absolutely apply for it when the time comes if there’s a vacancy.”
Millar has been a successful writer in the comic industry before films based on his Kick Ass and Kingsman comic books became world wide hits.
The Netflix productions based on his ideas include Jupiter’s Legacy and American Jesus, which is about a 12-year-old boy who discovers he’s reincarnated as Jesus Christ.
Millar’s Netflix shows also includes three feature films, named as Empress, Huck and Sharkey the Bounty Hunter.
In a statement, he said: “My wife Lucy and I are 11 months into our jobs at Netflix and it’s everything we hoped for to the power of ten.
“To see a movie based on your work every couple of years is incredibly exciting, but to see them all happening at once like this and with talent this high-end is just off the scale.”
- Mark Millar: From Coatbridge to the superhero universe, with Netflix deal a major milestone in glittering career
Ms Archer’s departure was announced this week, several months after a series of controversies over its decision making over long term funding for arts companies, the Regularly Funded Organisations (RFO).
The funding decisions, removing core grants from theatre, disability and music groups, led to outrage, and some were quickly reversed in a series of U-turns after an emergency board meeting.
The RFO decisions led to two board resignations, and a tense Scottish Parliament Culture Committee hearing followed by its strongly worded report which said that Creative Scotland had fallen “well below the standard that is expected from a non-departmental public body.”
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