QMU students join the Scotsman for Edinburgh Festival Fringe
As part of Queen Margaret University’s renewed partnership with the Scotsman, four students had the opportunity to gain invaluable, hands-on experience in arts journalism and digital media production during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The students were able to support the Scotsman’s extensive arts coverage – from producing red-carpet-style interviews with Fringe First Award winners, to assisting arts correspondent Jane Bradley with her daily video diary. Their work helped to capture the energy, creativity, and diversity of one of the world’s most exciting cultural events.
The student interns included BA (Hons) Film and Media students Quinn Lorimer and Vanida Ashell Fernandes, and BA (Hons) Theatre and Film students Arran Donnelly and Simra Aslam. Each brought a fresh perspective, technical skills, and enthusiasm to the festival coverage.
For third-year Film and Media student Quinn Lorimer, the experience has been both inspiring and career-shaping. Born in Edinburgh and raised in Penicuik, Quinn has been attending the Fringe for as long as he can remember – but this was his first time working behind the scenes.
He said: “The Fringe is such an important part of the arts scene here. I’d tried applying for jobs at the Fringe before, but roles like flyering or working at the box office never felt like the right fit for me. When I saw the email from QMU about media opportunities with the Scotsman, it seemed like the perfect match."
You really can’t work in media production without first-hand experience, and my time with the Scotsman has been invaluable. I supported Jane Bradley with her video diary, edited segments, collaborated with the audio team, and even organised and produced my own interviews – including with fellow QMU students who were directing or performing in their own shows. The Scotsman team encouraged us to follow our own interests, and because I love editing, I was given plenty of chances to hone my skills in a fast-paced environment. It’s been brilliant.
Quinn particularly enjoyed the challenge of producing quick-turnaround interviews with the winners of the Fringe Firsts each week – awards established by the Scotsman to celebrate outstanding new writing premiered at the Festival. For the second year running, QMU was a co-sponsor of the awards.
“It’s definitely helped me build confidence,” Quinn said. “The Fringe can often feel overwhelming at times, but this role has shown me how exciting it is to work under pressure. Jobs would come up really last minute, so I never knew what I’d be working on from week to week.
“The Scotsman team were very supportive and motivating, and my experience with them has given me a clearer sense of where I want to go in the future – I’d love to keep working in editing and come back to the Fringe in a similar role at some point.”
The QMU internship programme ran throughout the festival, with students working several days each week on a variety of projects.
The Edinburgh Festival is such a busy time, especially for the Scotsman. We are the festival newspaper - we have been for many years - and having the support of the interns from Queen Margaret University has been such a big help. They've built our team out, meaning we’ve been able to bring more video and more stories to our readers and viewers online. They've been so enthusiastic and really got stuck in. Some of the work that they have produced is really beautiful. It’s great to see and it’s been an absolute pleasure having them on board.
QMU’s partnership with the Scotsman continues to provide students with opportunities to develop industry-level skills, build confidence, and contribute to Scotland’s world-renowned cultural landscape.
