RTS Futures

Emma Kolasinska, an executive producer at Moonraker VFX who recently worked on Netflix wildlife series Night on Earth, started out as a receptionist at an editing facility, before moving into producing. The key to getting on, she said, is “working hard, not pretending to know everything but finding out quite quickly”.

Junior compositor Michael Vodden said: “Take opportunities and run with them – you never know where [they will lead]… a job can come out of everywhere.”

That was one of the conclusions of an RTS Futures session, 'Can TV Save The Planet?', that discussed how it not only people like David Attenborough and Chris Packham that can alert audiences to the impact of climate change and other environmental challenges.  

The four panellists, who are all in the early stages of their careers, discussed their jobs at two of the country’s premier soaps.

Joseph Hart switches between the roles of second and third assistant director (AD) on Emmerdale. “ADs are logistical, organisational roles, but the third AD does have a creative outlet – it’s really good fun,” he explained. “A third AD is based on the floor… and does the background action. You tell the extras when and where to go.”

“Focus on your audience and give them an elevated but inviting, stimulating, playful conversation,” said Lily Ames, Chalk & Blade’s head of production and culture.

Ames, a Canadian who has been based in London for the past six years, was talking at an RTS Futures NI event in late August to Conor Finn, creator and host of the Finnterviews podcast.

She described Chalk & Blade, whose clients include BBC Sounds and the Guardian, as well as brands such as Net-a-Porter, as a “boutique podcast production company”.

The qualities talent managers look for to fill entry-level jobs include enthusiasm, passion and determination, said Cheryl Woodcock, who recruits for ITV’s entertainment shows.

“Do your homework, make sure your CV has no typos in it,” added Tracy Walker, a talent executive at ITV Studios North.

“I love having a nose at what people have done, if I’ve got the time, when someone puts a showreel on their CV,” said Woodcock.

But don’t put your own picture on the CV, said the panel as one.

For BBC News video journalist Dougal Shaw, capturing stories alone is a lot easier with just a phone.

“You’re not very nimble with a normal camera and all the equipment… and with news output people don’t know the difference between footage filmed on a phone and footage filmed on a camera,” he said.

Shaw also recognised that interviewing people with a big camera can be intimidating, whereas a smartphone feels more natural.

“Don’t hold back,” advised the disabled basketball Paralympic medallist speaking at an RTS Futures webinar.

Adepitan said that he had got into TV by luck: “I didn’t go to uni, I went to the university of life.” His first job in TV was working for a cable station, which, in the early 1990s, was looking for a wheelchair-bound basketball player to appear on screen. 

Initially he declined their invitation, but when the station offered him £250 for the gig he seized the chance.