RTS Futures

“When you’re young, you’re going to do your best work – you’re fearless and you take risks that you wouldn’t take when you’re older,” said David Henshaw, a former BBC reporter and producer who has run his own indie, Hardcash Productions, for almost three decades.

"It’s always going to be risky and you only get the really good stuff by taking risks"

Henshaw was speaking at an RTS Futures event on investigative journalism in London. The multi-award-wining film-maker received an RTS Fellowship in 2009.

Dave’s new sitcom stars Kayo – he co-wrote it with Phil Bowker, who also produces – and White Gold’s Theo Barklem-Biggs as two hapless drivers, Joshua and Ricky, who deliver pizza to their larger-than-life customers on the estates of Peckham.

Kayo, Bowker and Barklem-Biggs were speaking at an RTS Futures event in early May, which screened the first episode of Sliced and then hosted a discussion with some of the show’s talent, from both in front of and behind the camera.

"We kept it very authentic to south east London"

A packed RTS Futures event, “Pitching script to screen”, offered aspiring writers and producers tips on how they should hone and sell their ideas to commissioners.

Leading the panel of seasoned comedy and entertainment practitioners was Tom Davis, the star of the RTS and Bafta award-winning BBC Three sitcom Murder in Successville.

A packed RTS Futures event, Pitching Script to Screen, offered tips on how aspiring writers and producers should sell and hone their ideas.

Leading the expert panel of comedy and entertainment practitioners was Tom Davis, the star of the Bafta-award winning BBC Three sitcom, Murder in Successville.

Throughout the session he stressed there was no substitute for hard work and that even experienced TV actors and writers like himself never stopped learning.

Davis said that it was important to be “passionate” regarding the ideas you are trying to sell.

Working as an analyst, said Austin Healey, “Your job is to tell the truth. You’ve got to be honest if you’re on television – people will spot a lie when they’re at home watching.”

Supervising art director Paul Ghirardani – who brought one of his Emmy Awards with him – was joined by artist Daniel Blackmore and draughtsman Owen Black at the session, which was jointly hosted by Belfast Design Week.

The trio gave presentations about their roles in the art department, before the session host, Film Hub NI project manager Hugh Odling-Smee, led a panel discussion and Q&A with the 80-strong audience.

Belfast’s Titanic Studios has been the main studio and post-production facility for all eight series of Game of Thrones.

One of the panel, Lizzie Kempton, was the assistant producer on the Grierson Award-winning BBC Two film, How to Die: Simon’s Choice, which tells the story of a man with an aggressive form of motor neurone disease who chooses to end his life.

Audience researcher Emmey Little, who landed a job at the BBC One show after applying for a runner position posted on the Facebook group “People looking for TV work”, fielded questions from RTS Futures members before they joined the audience for the live show.

“There’s no shortcut,” she explained, and advised those with no TV experience to show their transferable skills from jobs in customer service or student ventures such as TV societies at university.