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.

The new partnership will support young people (aged 16-17) who are from disadvantaged backgrounds and are interested in a career in journalism, by running an e-mentoring scheme.

The e-mentoring scheme will enable the youngsters to match with industry professionals and allow for a greater scope to find mentee's best suited to them.  

Fewer people from poorer backgrounds are entering the industry and it is hoped this partnership will open the door to the next generation of journalists, regardless of their background.

Grab experience where you can

Santana: “I arrived here, jobless, from the Canary Islands in 1994, and wanted to carry on editing.

“I did a very short online course in order to get into low-budget TV. It was great experience and led to me working on National Geographic documentaries.

“You shouldn’t be sniffy about low-budget productions as an editor because it’s fantastic experience. When you’ve got really tight deadlines, it makes you think quicker.”

Wildlife cinematographer Sophie Darlington (the BBC’s Planet Earth II and documentary feature African Cats) and director of photography Christopher Titus King, who straddles the documentary (BBC One’s Seven Ages of Britain) and drama (the History mini-series, The Bible) genres, discussed camerawork at the RTS Craft Skills Masterclasses.

Why a career in TV is for everyone

“It’s important to demystify television and make you realise that TV is a great place to work…

“As a second generation British-born Indian no one in my family had ever worked in the media before. Of my siblings two are lawyers and one is an environmental scientist.

“Ideally my folks would have liked me to be a good Asian doctor but I’m afraid I wasn’t bright enough. I was quite musical but my parents didn’t want me to do anything that was to do with the creative businesses.  

Darshna Soni, Home Affairs Correspondent at Channel 4 News, shares her experiences of working in broadcast journalism, and offers advice to those who want to follow in her footsteps.