Iain Glen gets reading going with Nook and ESI Media
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ESI Media and Nook Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. has announced that Iain Glen, previous winner of the Best Actor award at the Evening Standard Film Awards, is the latest star to visit London primary schools as part of the ongoing Get London Reading initiative to encourage reading among children.
Following the success of last year’s joint campaign, Nook and ESI Media signed a multi-platform partnership in September and have since re-launched their initiative to address low literacy rates in London schools, whilst highlighting Nook’s commitment to making reading more accessible and affordable across the UK.
Iain read Treasure Island by fellow Scotsman Robert Louis Stevenson at Jubilee Primary School in Brixton on 18th November, using the critically acclaimed new Nook GlowLight eReader. Iain, who graduated from RADA in 1985, is widely commended for his work across both stage and screen, in particular for his award-winning performance as imprisoned Scottish poet Larry Winters in Silent Scream. He has also appeared in Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones and will be starring alongside Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman in the upcoming feature film Eye in the Sky, as well as in the Northern comedy, Slapper and Me.
The visit follows Cush Jumbo’s reading of an extract from Roald Dahl’s The Twits in September, which kicked off the new campaign. Last year, the pioneering initiative included a read-a-thon take-over of Trafalgar Square, which saw a number of West End shows such as War Horse, Billy Elliot and Matilda perform in front of an audience of around 20,000 people. This year’s activity will help highlight the importance of reading in creating the next generation of theatrical talent, from actors such as Cush, through to playwrights.
The joint campaign will include a free eBook offer and other special co-branded promotions, alongside display advertising campaigns across the Evening Standard’s print and digital platforms. Nook will also sponsor the Best Play Award at the prestigious and star-studded Evening Standard Theatre Awards, to be held on the 30th of November, which celebrates its diamond anniversary this year and will be championing the importance of literacy in developing the next generation of dramatic talent.
Iain Glen, actor, said: “The Evening Standard’s Get London Reading campaign is such an innovative way of allowing kids to experience the wonder of children’s literature, such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. I’m delighted to be part of an initiative that makes reading more accessible and affordable across the UK, and which also enables me to share my love of theatre with a younger generation.”
Dominic de Terville, head of sponsorship, Branded Content and Events, ESI Media, said: “Iain’s commitment to theatre and screen makes him the ideal voice to encourage today’s youth to get reading. It was amazing to see the difference that last year’s campaign made, and the support that it has gained this year, from actors and its association with the Theatre Awards, will help us to continue to make an impact.”
Colin Eustace, general manager, Barnes & Noble said:
“As this year’s Get London Reading campaign builds towards the Theatre Awards, it’s very fitting that an actor of Iain Glen’s stature lends support to the campaign to help us instill a love of reading in children. Nook is committed to furthering the cause of literacy in the UK, and when influential talents like Iain Glen take the time to come to a school in London to read, it helps instill a love of reading in those children.”
