For 2021, the RTS Student Masterclasses will be held over 2 days on Thursday 4 November and Wednesday 24 November. 

Thursday 4 November's Masterclasses will be held in person at the IET Savoy Place, London and Wednesday 24 November's will be held virtually. Details of all masterclasses will be published on the RTS website once confirmed. 

SCHEDULE

10.30am - Registration Opens

 

11.00am - Welcome

 

11.05am – 12.05pm - Scripted Entertainment

Speaker: Kenton Allen

Chair: Helen Scott

 

12.05am – 12.15pm - Comfort Break

 

12.15pm – 1.15pm - Journalism

Speaker: Marianna Spring

Chair: Steve Anderson

 

1.15pm – 2.00pm - Lunch

 

2.00pm – 3.00pm - Drama

Speaker: Furquan Akhtar

Chair: Boyd Hilton

 

3.00pm – 3.30pm - Tea

 

3.30pm – 4.30pm - Documentary

Speaker: Sanjay Singhal

Chair: Fozia Khan

 

4.30pm – 5.30pm - Drinks Reception

 

Speakers

Kenton Allen

Kenton Allen is the CEO of Big Talk – one of the UK’s leading film and television production companies, winner of Best Independent Production Company at the 2017 Broadcast Awards. Kenton is a multi-award-winning producer who holds the record for most individual awards for Situation Comedy in the history of BAFTA, with BAFTAs for Rev., The Royle Family and Him & Her. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to television, Kenton was awarded the Fellowship award by the Royal Television Society in 2019. 

Kenton’s other notable credits include Martin McDonagh’s Oscar-winning film Six Shooter, as well as a host of critically acclaimed television series in comedy and drama.

Kenton has led the dynamic growth of Big Talk over the past fourteen years, including BBCW’s investment in Big Talk in 2008, which culminated in the sale of the company to ITV Studios in 2013. He has continued to lead Big Talk’s strategic growth in North America via changed format, international co-production and US originals. With numerous comedy and drama projects in active development at SVOD, premium cable and broadcast networks, Kenton (supported by an exceptional team) oversees an increasingly dynamic international portfolio.

Kenton and the Big Talk team have a keen eye for discovering and encouraging relationships with new and emerging talent; the next generation of writers, actors, directors and producers are key to the company’s success and Big Talk takes pride in nurturing existing high profile talent, whilst building new creative relationships, in front and behind the camera – which may be one reason why the company was named as one of Broadcast’s Best Places to Work in both 2017 and 2018.

Marianna Spring

Marianna Spring is the BBC’s first specialist disinformation and social media reporter, who investigates the real-life consequences of viral conspiracy theories, falsehoods and abuse shared on social media. 

Her journalism appears across TV, radio and online for News and Current Affairs, including for BBC News at Six and Ten, Panorama, Newsnight, Radio 4 and World Service. Most recently she was included in the Forbes 2021 list of 30 Under 30 in Media and Marketing.

Furquan Akhtar

Furquan was most recently a Writer and Story Consultant on season three of ITV’s hit drama The Bay (Tall Story Pictures). He also wrote on Paul Abbott’s show Wolfe (AbbottVision) for Sky as well as two seasons of Netflix’s new animation Deadendia (Blink).

He is developing original projects with Kudos, Mammoth Screen and Lime Pictures.

Furquan is the winner of the BBC’s prestigious “Alfred Bradley Bursary Award” as well as a Broadcast “Hot Shot” and a Guardian Newspaper “One to Watch”. Prolific North named Furquan as one of the top writers in the North.

After developing his editorial skills at Coronation Street and Hollyoaks; Furquan took the leap to pursue his own writing. He has written episodes for CBBC’s The Dumping Ground and Wolfblood, as well as writing on preschool shows for Cbeebies and Channel 5. He has a passion for Radio Drama and has written three afternoon plays for BBC Radio Four.

Sanjay Singhal

Sanjay is a founder of Voltage TV, a factual indie that he’s been running since 2013.

Across his 25 years in TV he’s built a reputation for delivering high profile and channel-defining productions: from The Plane Crash, where he deliberately crashed a Boeing 737 into the Mexican desert, through to the RTS award-winning The British Tribe Next Door for Channel 4 – in which Scarlett Moffatt and her family moved to live in a Namibian village, taking with them their house and everything in it.

Voltage have delivered series for every UK terrestrial broadcaster, including hit returning shows Inside the Factory on BBC Two and DNA Journey for ITV. Prior to starting Voltage, he was in charge of Shine-owned indie, Dragonfly.

Steve Anderson

Steve Anderson is an independent producer with more than 40 years experience of TV journalism. He was Controller of News & Current Affairs at ITV during September 11, 2001, and through the 2003 Gulf War.

He was Executive Producer of more than 250 editions of Question Time, Editor of Watchdog and a Senior Producer for Newsnight and BBC News, on location for the fall of the Berlin Wall and wars in Kuwait and Bosnia.

After training as a newspaper journalist, he joined the newsroom at Granada TV in Manchester and became an investigative researcher on the ITV’s award-winning World In Action.

In 2013 he became head of the UK wing of NBC News’ documentary unit, and is now making programmes as an independent for the BBC, Discovery, Sky, ITV and Channel 4. 

Boyd Hilton

Boyd Hilton is a journalist, author, critic and broadcaster. As well as his two-day jobs of Entertainment Director of Heat magazine, where he has worked since its launch in 1999, and Contributing Editor of Empire magazine, Boyd also wrote the book ‘Inside Little Britain’ with Matt Lucas and David Walliams.

He has been a regular contributor to BBC Radio 5 Live and Radio 4, reviewing television, books and films for over a decade. He has written for GQ, Man About Town, The Guardian and Observer, co-hosts the weekly Pilot TV podcast, and a podcast about Arsenal Football Club.

He also frequently hosts TV and film events for Bafta, the RTS and the BFI, among many others.

Helen Scott

Helen Scott is now a media consultant after a broadcast career making factual programmes across all genres.

She was Controller of Factual Programmes at ITV Yorkshire before going freelance and is now an Executive Producer at Clear Focus Productions, Editorial Associate at media development organisation the Thomson Foundation and a producer for the Royal Television Society among other media-related roles.

She’s also a board member for the Sheffield International Documentary Festival.

 

We know a number of you may have concerns about attending an in-person gathering. We have taken these into account and have measures put in place to keep you safe, which you can read about here.​

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Visit our Masterclasses page to watch sessions from previous years. For more information and group bookings of more than 10 students, please contact Jamie O'Neill.