Education & Training

My week starts the way it has done most Mondays for the past three years – sitting in a university library. There’s one big difference. At this time of year, there is a veil of calm. The underlying current of stress has dissipated. It’s a big change from the tensions of exam season a month ago.

Chairs stand unoccupied and academic books are tossed aside. I am finally on my last chapter. This one is entitled “The real world of television”.

Card has spent the last two years on the BBC Broadcast Engineer Trainee graduate scheme, working towards his MSc in Broadcast Engineering.

During this time, Card has worked with the Radio Projects, World Service Distribution and Research and Development’s Immersive and Interactive content team.

Card is currently investigating how AI and machine learning can assist programme teams who require vision monitoring for his final project.

Addressing the students and mentors, RTS Education Chair Graeme Thompson said: “You are part of a thriving project, which is making a difference to representation in the TV and screen industry. We fervently believe that we reach the parts that others in the industry can’t reach – and that’s fantastic for the diversity of our industry.”

RTS bursary student: Natasha Graham

Mentor: Julian Unthank​, Screenwriter

Natasha on Julian

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the mentoring programme. I was a bit nervous about being matched up with Julian. You never know what someone’s going to be like.

He was really nice, though. He called me straight away and asked me what I was interested in. He’s very down to earth. I like that about him.

He invited me to meet him at H Club London – we get membership as part of our RTS bursary, so that was nice.

The prestigious award, now open to entries, celebrates an outstanding technologist or engineer of the future and accepts submissions from individuals in the early stages of their career across broadcast or its related industries.

Now in its 10th year, this annual event has become a Southern Centre institution.

Some 200 production-based students from regional universities met around 15 media professionals to discuss TV production, opportunities in the industry and career development.

One of the professionals offering advice at the event was Dean Massey, who in 2014 was part of the first batch of students to receive an RTS bursary. Massey, a graduate of Southampton Solent University’s Television and Video Production course, currently works for Sky News as a camera operator/editor.

A packed RTS Futures event, Pitching Script to Screen, offered tips on how aspiring writers and producers should sell and hone their ideas.

Leading the expert panel of comedy and entertainment practitioners was Tom Davis, the star of the Bafta-award winning BBC Three sitcom, Murder in Successville.

Throughout the session he stressed there was no substitute for hard work and that even experienced TV actors and writers like himself never stopped learning.

Davis said that it was important to be “passionate” regarding the ideas you are trying to sell.

Led by former BBC and Channel 4 Head of Drama John Yorke, the Writers’ Academy will offer writers in the early stage of their careers the chance to develop their skills on some of the BBC’s long-running drama series.

The paid scheme will see successful applicants complete an intensive 13-week classroom period, followed by three months scripting episodes of Casualty, Holby City and EastEnders.

Participants will graduate with up to four scripts to their name, and will have their services optioned by BBC Studios for the next two years.