The Trust is looking for creative young people with a passion for television and documentaries to join its DocLab and Mentoring Scheme for 2018. The prestigious scheme gives participants the chance to take their first step towards a successful career in factual programme making.
It’s become an old saying now, but if you can make a living doing what you love, then you’ll never have to work a day in your life. That has certainly been what it’s felt like for me. The hardest thing to deal with is what happens when you're not able to work, and you either have to take another job or just be frustrated and wait. There’s all sorts of disappointments waiting for you, and I think the measure of professionalism in our career is how you handle disappointments, not how you handle success.
“I was not a conventional presence,” says the documentary maker, who is now entering his 24th year in television with over 50 films under his belt.
His opportunity came in 1994, when he joined Michael Moore’s series TV Nation. “I went into the interview with Michael saying ‘I’ll do anything’ and I genuinely meant it: writing researching or doing anything.”
That is his first tip for tomorrow’s Therouxs: focus on making good TV.
Now's a great time to get into writing for TV. There have never been more opportunities for scripted programming. To stand out from the crowd, an idea should seem original and distinctive.
While the breadth of programming has increased, the traditional formats have remained dominant. Your writing should fit the standard models for a mini-series, a serial or an episodic series; 30 minutes for comedy, 60 minutes for drama.
The RTS is offering bursaries to prospective students studying TV Production, Journalism or Technology
Peaky Blinders' Laurie Rose and Liar's Matt Gray share their expert advice on cinematography.
Writers are invited to submit a spec script and the prize winner will receive a script commission and development opportunities with ITV.
The competition, which first launched in 2007, is designed to find the next generation of writing talent and entrants are asked to “think big, think bold, think how they can make their ideas stand out in a competitive marketplace.”
The RTS Futures Careers Fair is back with all the advice, help and information to kick start your career in television.
Don't miss this fantastic opportunity on Tuesday 6th February to take part in interview masterclasses, have your CV improved by professional employers and talk to the most influential creatives in the industry to help you get your first foot in the door in TV.
The Shiers Trust grant, now in its 18th year, is normally worth £2,000. This year, to mark the 90th anniversary of the RTS, it has been raised to £4,000.
Launched in 2000, the Shiers Trust grant is named after George Shiers, a distinguished US TV historian.
The grant has enabled a range of projects, including the digitalisation of back issues of the Radio Times and the creation of a website which presents a collection of historical consumer electronics images.
