The RTS Futures Careers Fair is back for a huge virtual two-day event to help kickstart your career in TV.
There will be sessions and masterclasses throughout the day to inform you about the different jobs and sectors of television, guide you through the job opportunities and schemes available, and help you land your first job in TV.
Book your place at the RTS Futures Careers Fair 2021 now to attend one of the sessions below.
Find out more about the two-day virtual event on 2nd and 3rd February here.
Tuesday 2nd February
10:30am - 11:15am: Get Ready for your first job in TV with Jude Winstanley
Managing Director of theunitlist.com and TV Line Producer, Jude Winstanley, guides you through the essential tools to equip you for a job behind the camera, including the realities of working in TV, writing a CV and job hunting.
12:00pm – 12:45pm: NFTS Directing and Producing TV Entertainment MA – Q&A with David G. Croft
David G. Croft is an award-winning television director who has directed some of the best known entertainment programmes of the last 30 years. In October 2006, he joined the National Film & Television School as the Head of Department for TV Entertainment where he runs the successful Directing and Producing Television Entertainment MA.
David joined the BBC as a Trainee Assistant Producer in 1982 after two years working in documentaries as an assistant film editor. He began directing multi-camera studio programmes and outside broadcasts including a wide range of Arts & Entertainment programmes. David also specialised in directing rock music with covered major live events including Live Aid which won a BAFTA, The Prince’s Trust and The Free Nelson Mandela Concert all from Wembley Stadium. David also directed a trilogy of one-hour documentary specials for BBC Two on Bryan Ferry, Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney. His final project for the BBC was to produce and direct the acclaimed music documentary series That Was Then This Is Now.
David went freelance in 1988 and continued to direct and produce a huge range of entertainment programmes including Bremner Bird & Fortune (receiving a BAFTA Nomination), It’s Only TV But I Like It, Top of the Pops, Shooting Stars and Reeves & Mortimer’s Christmas Special (Silver Rose of Montreaux Award).
He also produced and directed all six series of Channel 4’s highly acclaimed action adventure show Crystal Maze (receiving two BAFTA Nominations) and was also instrumental in developing the format. Other action adventure credits include Shock Treatment for Sky, Crossfire for Channel 4 and Inside Clyde for Disney which was nominated for a Broadcast Award.
David has also been a BAFTA and Royal Television Society judge.
Join him for a Q&A session about his work, the Directing and Producing Television Entertainment MA and what studying this at the NFTS could do for your career.
1:30pm – 2.15pm: Making the local news
Thousands of skilled journalists work in TV newsrooms around the country - and many of them do so without moving to the capital.
London might be a base for BBC News, Sky, ITV, Channel 4 and others, but around the country, dozens of regional newsrooms are producing award-winning news and current affairs for their local audiences.
So can you make a career in journalism without moving to London? And how should you go about it?
In this 45 minute session, our expert panel will talk about their careers, covering what’s going on outside of London.
We’re delighted to be joined by BBC North West’s Emmanualle Lhoni, ITV Meridian reporter Kit Bradshaw and BBC East's Rachel Sharman.
Emmanuelle Lhoni (@EmmanuelleLhoni) - Emmanualle joined BBC North West Tonight as a reporter in 2019 from BBC Stories and the BBC World Service. In May 2020 she became one of the programme’s weather presenters, making her the youngest black female weather presenter at the BBC.
Kit Bradshaw (@kitbradshaw) - Kit is a reporter for ITV Meridian, covering Kent and Sussex for the programme on TV and online. Before joining ITV, he worked at Sky News as a news reporter on TV and radio. In 2017 he won an RTS Student Award in the Postgraduate News category.
Rachel Sharman - For 14 years Rachel has been part of the senior leadership team at BBC East, following a successful career as a video journalist, reporter and presenter. She joined the BBC in local radio in 2000 and has not left the corporation.
Chair: Ed Gove (@edgove) - Ed is a multimedia producer for Channel 4 News and part of the RTS Futures committee.
3:00pm – 4.15pm: How We Got Into TV: An Introduction to Access Schemes
Are you trying to get a foot in the TV door but struggling to find the right people or suitable opportunities? Perhaps you’ve considered applying to a talent scheme but not sure which one to apply for? In this session, you’ll hear from five people whose feet are firmly in, working for the likes of BBC One, Sky, ITV and Radio 1, having made the most of various training projects.
Host: Daniell Morrisey, Senior Early Careers Schemes Manager at the BBC
Panellists:
Lauren Shaw - Lauren has been working in television for just under two years. Having dreamt of working in the industry since the age of 12, she couldn’t believe her luck when she landed a spot on the MAMA Youth training scheme in March 2019. After an intense, but highly enjoyable, 14 weeks on the scheme she started working at the BBC, where she has been ever since! She has had the immense pleasure of working on a number of incredible programmes as a Production Management Assistant, such as The One Show and Strictly Come Dancing, and is very much looking forward to working on a completely new commission for BBC Three in the coming months!
Levi Jouavel - Levi recently graduated from the BBC's Digital Journalism Apprenticeship Scheme. From a young age, she always knew that going to university was not the right path for her, and despite pressure from teachers telling her to apply - she stood her ground and took the apprenticeship route instead. Levi says she "couldn't have made a better decision" and is grateful for everything she has learnt on the scheme. She is currently working as a Journalist Researcher at BBC Newsbeat on Radio 1/1Xtra and hopes to present documentaries in the future.
Nikky Billey - Nikky completed a 14-month Channel 4 Broadcast Production Apprenticeship with Zeppotron, part of the former Endemol Shine group in December 2019. For Nikky, the apprenticeship was “honestly life-changing, it opened the door directly into the TV industry”. She gained experience researching talent, developing game shows and working on location and running in studios. She is now following the route of casting, where her most recent credit is the hit series Celebs Go Dating.
Om-Kalthoom Bashmailah - Named Film London Lodestar 2020 and featured in Standard Evening as Capital's 'Brightest Rising Stars', Om-Kalthoom has worked as a Runner, PA and Assistant on several high-end productions including Chernobyl (HBO & Sky Atlantic), Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes (Gold, UKTV), Trust Morecambe & Wise (Gold, UKTV) and two feature films. She was the Production Coordinator for Martin's Close (BBC Four), and has also worked on high-end commercials, low budget short films and campaigns.
Toby Winson - Toby discovered his love for writing through blogging about his recovery from alcoholism and liver disease. He's been working for ITV since 2019, after winning Media Trusts 'Breaking into News' - a competition to find broadcast journalists from diverse backgrounds. After BIN, he used the connections he'd gained to secure work experience in between doing his day job as a labourer. This led to his big chance at ITV Calendar in Leeds. There he trained as a Production Journalist and worked on the regions 2019 general election coverage. Since then he's moved South, and is currently working for ITV Meridian where he produces lunch time news bulletins for the South East, whilst also studying for his NCTJ diploma and giving addiction talks in schools.
MAMA Youth
Website - https://www.mamayouth.org.uk/
Channel 4
Website - https://careers.channel4.com/4skills
Twitter - @Channel4Skills
Think Bigger
Website - http://thinkbigger.uk.com/
Film London
Website - https://filmlondon.org.uk/the-equal-access-network
Media Trust
Website - https://mediatrust.org/about-us/
Contact - youthmedia@mediatrust.org
BBC
Website - https://www.bbc.co.uk/careers
Wednesday 3rd February
10:30am – 11:15am: What is TV Programme Development?
If you’ve ever wondered how an idea gets on TV or how commissioning and development works, join Line Producer, Jude Winstanley as she takes a whistle stop tour through the process.
Producer: Jude Winstanley
1:30pm – 2.15pm: Silent Witness Masterclass
Find out the behind the scenes secrets of the world’s longest running high-end TV drama.
Reaching audiences of 8 million and approaching its 25th anniversary, the iconic TV series Silent Witness has achieved an unbroken run over decades. What does it take to create this major hit? How does the show get made day to day? How do the writers mix the storylines with the pathology and forensics? And how does the show stay relevant with changing audiences? Discover what roles are on offer for entry level talent and how they contribute to the success of the show.
Producer Nick Lambon will reveal all in conversation with Caroline Levy, BBC Studios Director of Current Drama, David Cheung, Script Researcher, and Celine Ribard, Assistant Production Coordinator.
3pm - 3.45pm: Rise - Women in Broadcast host 'Working in Broadcast Media Technology'
This panel session will look at different roles within the broadcast media sector and explore the varying career pathways.
The panel are: Markela Deverikou, NEP, Sophia Hazari, Discovery, Rosanna Prada, DAZN
Chaired by Carrie Wootten, Managing Director, RISE
