A FORMER Ellesmere College student has taken Hollywood by storm after having her creations featured on a streaming service owned by Disney.

Catherine Wignall, daughter of Ellesmere College headteacher Brendon and the town's deputy mayor Anne Wignall, is the force behind Hulu's 'Crawlers', a St Patrick's Day-themed horror series which has opened to wide acclaim.

Having moved to Los Angeles in 2017, Catherine, 28, has since gone from strength-to-strength, working with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in the city, plus scholarships from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA)

And she admits she could not have done this without the support of her parents and her education, as she continues to grow her career across the pond.

"I was at Ellesmere College for nine years, which gave me a huge advantage when it came to developing my skills," she said.

"At least half a day a week was dedicated exclusively to the arts, and over the years I wrote and directed plays for the theatre and created short films that were screened as part of the school's Film Festival.

"It gave me an incredibly strong foundation from which to grow.

"After Ellesmere, I attended the University of Warwick and graduated with First Class Honours in English Literature. Shortly after this, I won a national screenwriting competition.

I moved to Los Angeles in 2017, where I attended the UCLA MFA Screenwriting Program, one of the top film schools in the world.

"I was awarded a $50,000 scholarship by The Fulbright Program – one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world – along with a $10,000 scholarship from BAFTA LA and multiple scholarships from UCLA.

"Shortly after graduating in June 2019, I became a 'BAFTA LA Newcomer' and sold a script I wrote while at UCLA to Blumhouse (the production company behind Oscar-nominated films like Get Out and Blackkklansman).

"To sell a script only two months after graduating is exceedingly rare – I am very grateful to have been so lucky.

Hulu is their general entertainment channel, as opposed to the family-orientated properties it puts on Disney Plus).

"Once a month, in conjunction with Blumhouse, Hulu releases a horror movie inspired by a holiday of that month. For example, my movie, Crawlers, is loosely connected to St. Patrick's Day.

"My parents have been incredibly supportive throughout this endeavour. The film industry is highly competitive and I would not have come this far without the unwavering support of my family."

Catherine's mum Anne added: "It's brilliant to see that they like what she does and that she's living her dream working in Hollywood.

"This is her first script to be picked up by a major outlet and she's pitching to big companies all the time.

"We're so proud of her and she's working so hard."