In the North East and the Borders region, there is a generation of newcomers to the industry who are proving themselves with exceptionally high standards of work — particularly behind the camera.  This award recognises an individual who has demonstrated the desire, skill and determination to go right to the top in the industry.  They’re already excelling, despite having less than three years of industry experience, and they deserve to be recognised.

The nominee might be a writer who has had their first network commission aired... they might be in their first film editor job... they might be in the early stages of a news production career, or they might be showing real talent behind the scenes in a TV drama.  This is a broad category, and the nominee and/or their senior manager must be able to demonstrate why they are already considered to be a 'rising star', and why they are likely to make a big impact on the industry in future.

You can only enter the Rising Star category once in your career and have been in the industry for three years or less.

WINNER:
Emma Wass, Trainee Producer, BBC North East & Cumbria

 

NOMINEES:
Jordan Barrett, Script Editor, The Dumping Ground, CBBC
Rachel Smee, Make Up Trainee, The Dumping Ground, CBBC
Mark Hughes, Animator, Arcus Animation

The Judges said:

The panel agreed unanimously that the entry for Jordan Barrett was very strong and well-deserved runner up.  Jordan has shown his willingness to learn from the ground up in drama production, and then took a risk to move into the area of script editing where he has shown he has a natural flair, having an impact on a national children’s programme.

The panel were pleased to see an application from the Make-Up sector of the industry.  Rachel Smee’s natural talent and ability to make the best of the trainee position were evident.

Mark Hughes is obviously a great team player, and has introduced new workflow pipelines as well as new tech to the company.  It was felt however, that he was supporting rather than leading the way.  The panel were pleased to see an application from the Animation/Games sector, and would like to encourage future applications from the region's talented digital sector.

Emma Wass’ entry was impressive, and is a great example of a Rising Star in the region, rapidly gaining the skills, and showing great flair and natural talent working with experienced producers as well as inexperienced contributors.  The panel were impressed by the range of stories, maturity of storytelling and evident sensitivity shown by Emma in approaching difficult subjects.  Her success is such that her stories have made headlines locally and nationally.