Recruiting its eighth intake of Television Production and Journalism bursary scholars, with the schemes running since 2014, the RTS hopes to award 35 scholarships to individuals studying Television Production or related subjects, with an additional 10 scholarships for the Technology Bursary.
The RTS is delighted to announce that British television presenter AJ Odudu will be an Ambassador for the scheme, which will see her meeting and mentoring the scholars and attending bursaries events, as well as using her platform to highlight the importance of the RTS bursary schemes for up-and-coming talent in the television industry.
Across the 44 recipients, 34 were selected for the TV Production and Journalism Bursary (TVPJ) and 10 for the Digital Innovation Bursary (DI). Two TVPJ recipients were also awarded named scholarships. Amelia Nicola, receiving the Steve Hewlett Scholarship, and Cerys Horner the Beryl Vertue Scholarship, introduced by the RTS in 2022 for a candidate with an interest in producing.
During her early years at school, Catriona Walsh didn’t speak. It might be a surprise, then, for her teachers to discover that she wants to be a TV presenter. This summer, she’s spending her university holiday working as a studio runner and researcher on Blue Peter, upping sticks from her hometown of Derry, Northern Ireland, for Salford’s MediaCity in pursuit of her dream job.
One of the core goals of the RTS is to support the television industry in reflecting the exciting and diverse voices of Britain today which starts by changing the industry from the inside, championing and helping talented students to consider the creative industries.
The prestigious RTS bursary schemes support young people from lower income backgrounds who are interested in working in the television industry, from production or related subjects through to technology roles.
For 2022, a total of 45 bursaries have been awarded across TV Production and Journalism and the newly created Digital Innovation Bursary. The new Digital Innovation Bursary is in place to support students specifically in the digital space who are pushing boundaries and innovating, and for 2022 eight students have received the inaugural bursary.
Current and previous bursary scholars attended, together with Fremantle representatives, RTS mentors and other leading industry figures.
RTS bursaries consultant Anne Dawson said that these opportunities were “so important”, because “they give our students a connection to the industry they wouldn’t otherwise have”.
The RTS runs three pioneering schemes – the TV Production and Journalism Bursary, the Digital Innovation Bursary and the Steve Hewlett Scholarship.
When I drove to Sussex University to start my BA journalism course in September 2018, in my mind’s eye I saw a heady montage of hypothetical events and experiences that would fill my three years in Brighton. My imagination did not stretch to wondering what it would be like to do half my degree during a pandemic.
