This was Cameron Roach, RTS North West Chair and founder of Rope Ladder Fiction, speaking at an October forum.
Describing the rationale behind “Finding opportunities in challenging times”, Roach said: “At the RTS, we believe it’s about coming together collectively, even if you’re out of work, because if you’re passionate about telling stories you will want to continue. Collectively, we can find the solutions to do that.”
The future of the RTS, especially in the regions, is about ensuring that it has a relevance and a clear purpose. And this must be a real purpose for all – from new recruits to industry heavyweights. We need events that inspire, challenge and make us question the direction of travel for our sector, while ensuring there are opportunities to make new connections and unexpected partnerships.
Since the pandemic, it is true that we have all been grappling with the best forum to have conversation and debate, and thinking about the spaces and places in which we come together.
The lack of training grounds for talented new TV writers and directors has been branded “intolerable” by David Liddiment, one of the most influential commissioners and broadcasters of the past 40 years with a career that has spanned both ITV and the BBC.
Delivering the Anthony H Wilson Memorial Lecture to the RTS North West, he recalled his own career development and that of luminaries such as Sally Wainwright, the creator of Happy Valley, who began her career as a Coronation Street writer.
