We're introduced to a room of bored, tired attendees of a self-help seminar, eager for an early finish out of there. Whilst waiting on the conference's last guest speaker Professor Kelly, a man hastily enters the room, out of breath and anxious.

It is clear to us that this is not Kelly, however the session's host approaches and when she wrongly assumes this man is who the room is waiting for he decides to go with the flow and extends his hand to her.

The man is actually Kingsley (Christien Bart-Gittens) a smartly dressed man with a firm grip on his briefcase and an aura full of confidence. As he looks behind him and sees the subject “Five Steps to Success” he takes the opportunity and runs with it.

This is where Stott's screenplay shines, Kingsley reels off real world advice, problems with the economy, the trouble with goals and happiness and so on. This feels personal to the writer which is great to see on screen. It is always a pleasure to see a short film expose what is currently going on within society through a genre film and Stott does this expertly whilst avoiding the danger of being sanctimonious.

With all due respect to the fine supporting cast, this is practically a one man show as Kingsley features in almost every frame. Short film or feature film, in order to pull that off the performance has to be solid, which it is here. Bart-Gittens speaks from the heart and is able to pull off brilliantly Kingsley's desperate but confident attitude towards his situation and the task at hand, telling a room full of people his own “five steps to success”.

I wouldn't want to spoil the film and give away the identity of Kingsley however it is hinted at throughout the short, the reveal and pay-off is a fun one without a doubt, Five Steps to Success cannot come recommended enough.

I'll be waiting for Nottingham native Ryan Stott's next project, whatever that will be, with great anticipation.