LEADING Hollywood producers will be urged to use Scottish locations and talent in their upcoming projects as part of the Scotland Week celebrations in the US.

Bosses from blockbuster production firms Warner Bros and Lionsgate will meet with Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop in Los Angeles next week, while Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown will travel to Toronto and New York to highlight the transatlantic routes which played a key role in the success of the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup.

Both Cabinet Secretaries will also meet with businesses including DuPont Teijin Films, Assembly Biosciences, Oceana, COM DEV International, Cooke Aquaculture and Air Canada Rouge.

Ms Hyslop said: "The Scottish Government has consistently championed Scotland as a location for international film and TV productions, with notable recent successes including World War Z, Under The Skin, The Railway Man and Outlander, which is already the largest ever foreign direct investment in Scotland's creative industries.

"Scotland is already widely recognised for our world-class talent, crews, facilities and breathtaking locations, and the Scottish Government and its agencies are committed to working together to continue to create and nurture the conditions that will support our industry to flourish.

"The Scottish Government remains committed to optimising the economic potential of the creative industries as a whole. Support has already been provided to more than 850 organisations under the Interactive Scotland programme over the last five years, which has enabled them to innovate and adapt to the opportunities from digital technology within the creative sector and over 100 companies in the last year or so to support international growth plans.

"This Scotland Week I'll be working hard to generate more jobs and investment for Scotland, and to showcase Scotland's creative industries."

Scotland Week, which runs from April 4 to April 12, sees thousands of people in the US and Canada come together in an annual celebration of all things Scottish.

The event is backed by the Scottish Government, Visit Scotland and Scottish Development International.

Scotland has already played host to a number of film crews in recent years, with hit TV series Outlander filmed in an old factory turned studio in Cumbernauld. Hollywood films World War Z and Cloud Atlas were also shot in Glasgow.