Education & Training

The organisation, which sets out to “change the face of media” has made a major impact on the creative industries in the UK since its launch in 2012.

CEO for Creative Access, Josie Dobrin explained the need for the programme, saying “The economic rationale for Creative Access is clear: our sector needs to diversify in order to continue to grow and succeed in serving new markets and new audiences.”

Creative Access has placed 700 young BAME candidates in six-month or year-long internships in over 260 different companies including BBC, ITV and Twitter.

The Commissioner Programme gives aspiring commissioners the chance to apply for one of eight placements at the UK’s leading broadcasters.

To apply, go to the Creative Skillset website.

The programme aims to broaden the diversity of voices and perspectives in TV and enable experienced media professionals to hone their skills in a commissioning role.

The Screenwriting Goldmine Awards help talented British writers develop the right skills and contacts needed to break into the industry. The screenplays can be in film, TV drama or pilot in any genre.

The competition allows talented writers to have their screenplays read by over 33 leading industry professionals from the likes of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and HBO. 

Entries should be submitted via the website at www.awards.screenwritinggoldmine.com.

To get ahead in casting, you fundamentally have to love people. You have to love talking to people, but most importantly you have to love listening to them. After five years in such a challenging and exhilarating industry, I feel that casting is something I have taken to strongly – and I think the real secret to success is being able to find that piece of yourself, however small it is, that connects you to someone else.

He has led the camerawork on many of David Attenborough's landmark nature programmes.

We had a cuppa with him, where we learnt how challenging working with animals can be.

Creative Skillset’s TV Skills Fund is supporting the Series Producer Programme 2017 following the staggering success of the 2016 programme, which saw over 50 percent of participants gain their first Series Producer roles and credits.

The programme is open to new or aspiring Series Producers throughout the UK with a minimum of three years as a Producer.

They encourage applications from under-represented groups particularly those from Black, Asian or Minority backgrounds, or those with a disability.

Writer Matthew Kirton won the competition, which bagged him a paid development option with Lionsgate and Idris Elba’s production company Green Door Pictures to develop his script into a full TV series.

Kirton was one of three finalists whose work made it past a panel of industry experts, including The Wire star and Green Door CEO Elba, Lionsgate UK’s Zygi Kamasa, literary agent Amanda Davis, and a number of others.

Kamasa, CEO of Lionsgate UK and Europe, told the RTS that the final three scripts had all shown originality beyond those of their competitors.

The festival – held at the Watershed, Bristol on 1 November – gave students the opportunity to meet local indies such as RDF West, Silverback Films and Tigress Productions, as well as BBC Bristol Popular Factual, ITV News West Country and post-production houses.

In a buzzing atmosphere and to the backdrop of a DJ, students were encouraged to chat to the experts – from shooting researchers and production journalists to managing directors – and ask for advice on how to break into the industry.

The broadcaster is partnering with Triforce Creative Network and MonologueSlam UK to support up and coming actors from all backgrounds across the entire UK.

MonologueSlam UK is a scheme running across the UK which offers professional actors the opportunity to perform a monologue before a judging panel of industry professionals.

Twenty-two actors will compete in the final in London in December in front of key industry decision makers and a Channel 4 drama commissioner, with 10 finalists going on to explore working with Channel 4 Drama.

There are many different types of researcher job. Some of the titles you might see include:

• Junior researcher
• Casting researcher
• Archive researcher
• Shooting researcher
• Audience researcher
• Development researcher

But, confusingly, these are not fixed terms used by every company. “Every production has a different requirement or different take,” says Helen Thompson, a talent manager at BBC Northern Ireland.