MASANAS Celebrates a Successful Black Swan Verticals Launch in Cardiff

MASANAS was proud to support Black Swan Productions in bringing Wales' creative community together in Cardiff on Friday 16 October 2026 for the Black Swan Verticals Launch + Creative Industry Night.

The evening brought together people from across Wales' creative industries to share experiences, exchange ideas and celebrate what Black Swan Verticals is creating. From the panel discussions to conversations throughout the venue, it was a successful night of connection and collaboration.

The Wales Interactive team — Dr David Banner MBE, Mark Hindmarsh and Ben Tester — shared their time, experience and insights, exploring the connections between film, games and interactive storytelling.

Emma Stacey, Gerwyn Evans, Keri Collins and Darcey Harcombe also contributed to a discussion about the future of scripted filmmaking in Wales. Their contributions brought a range of perspectives and experiences from across the industry.

Guests also heard from Haydn Wakeling, Samantha (Huiming) Sun, Jacob Hodges and Mark Sweeny about Black Swan Verticals and what the team is creating.

A highlight of the evening was an exclusive first look at the trailer for Black Swan Verticals' debut vertical micro-drama, giving guests a preview of the team's work.

We even had an '80s legend in attendance: John Parr, the British rock musician who wrote and performed the 1985 hit 'St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)'. The theme song for the film St. Elmo’s Fire reached No. 1 in the US and No. 6 in the UK.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the evening such a success, particularly our panel speakers for sharing their knowledge, experiences and time. We were proud to support an event that brought people together around the future of Wales' creative industries.

We look forward to bringing you more events like this. Explore our gallery for photographs from the launch and Creative Industry Night.