Ambitious Nutopia x Creative Access positive action programme offers opportunity to join the team on a new global adventure series

Award-winning production company Nutopia and Creative Access, the leading diversity social enterprise, are today launching ‘Nutopia Partnerships,’ an ambitious new collaboration to address the under-representation of people from Black, Asian and other ethnic backgrounds at senior levels in the TV industry.

As part of the new landmark programme, Nutopia is offering a unique opportunity, funded by National Geographic, for four experienced individuals to join the team on a multi-part multi year global adventure series.

Less than 10% of senior production roles in the UK TV industry are held by people from Black, Asian and other ethnic backgrounds, according to the Creative Diversity Network*. The Nutopia Partnerships initiative is the first programme of its kind specifically designed to tackle senior-level diversity in the industry and the first to be led by an independent production company. It is part of Nutopia’s ambitious new diversity and inclusion strategy spearheaded by CEO and Founder, Jane Root and supported by Creative Access, who work with over 450 employers across the creative industries to enable them to be more accessible, representative and inclusive through progressive recruitment, training and mentoring.

The Nutopia Partnerships will be an accelerator programme aimed at creating the next generation of creative leaders by offering a training opportunity to traditionally underrepresented groups.

From today candidates from Black, Asian and other ethnic backgrounds, who have already taken on senior roles in TV and film. The positive action programme is designed for both the existing senior production team and the successful applicants to learn new skills and approaches. The successful candidates will receive insight and experience on the making of an episode from start to finish, under the guidance of senior leadership; deepen their leadership, financial and technical skills and have first-hand on location experience in the most challenging situations. They will bring new insights to our senior team, driving the next level of creative aspiration across Nutopia. To find out more and apply, click here.

“While we are seeing progress being made to address diversity at entry-level in the TV industry, the lack of diversity at senior levels remains a serious and concerning issue and is a real barrier to the retention and progression of the new, more diverse junior talent coming in to the industry,” says Josie Dobrin, founder and CEO, Creative Access.

“This new, industry-leading collaboration between Nutopia and Creative Access is designed to specifically target this issue. We are very proud to be working with Nutopia, as well as National Geographic to drive meaningful change in diversity at senior levels in the industry,”

“At Nutopia to achieve the next level of creative aspiration we need to invite people in and embed different voices and experiences in our core. We are proud to partner with National Geographic and Creative Access on the Nutopia Partnerships,” says Jane Root, founder and CEO, Nutopia.

“Our aim is to create a lasting legacy within factual television across senior levels. There’s much work to be done, and we will continue to learn as we make progress through our most comprehensive initiative to date.”

Who is eligible to apply?

Candidates applying should be currently working at Line Producer/Producer / Series Producer / Director level or similar and looking to further progress to the next level or make the move into high end factual TV.  The Nutopia Partnerships are designed to give the successful candidates space to bring their creativity into the world of factual adventure.

As a Nutopia Partner they will embark on a 12-month programme that will take them through all the processes of senior leadership in a multi-part global factual series, from development of the episode story, production on location with a large crew and then edit oversight.

In addition, they will also be provided with a curriculum of leadership coaching, a bespoke training plan with focus areas for individual development and a mentor, to give them the skills and experience to make the move into a senior role in the premium factual genre. They will be funded to participate at a rate commensurate with current salary.

The ‘Nutopia Partnerships’ will run over two years. There will be four Nutopia Partners who each join the team for 12 months and we are looking for people to join the 2022 cohort. 

*Source: UK Race and Ethnic Diversity: a deep dive into Diamond data, Creative Diversity Network, October 2020

FURTHER APPLICATION DETAILS

The Nutopia Partnership project will run over two years. There will be four Nutopia Partners in total, completing 1 year each and recruitment is opening from February 10^th for year one.

The team particularly want to hear from adaptable and collaborative individuals with the following knowledge, skills, and experience:

• Demonstrable experience at mid- senior level, Line Producer, Producer, Series Producer
• The desire to learn more about the whole process of making high-end factual entertainment TV.
• Proven creative leadership
• Excellent interpersonal skills, able to maintain key relationships with multiple stakeholders.
• Confidence to think analytically and make effective decisions in fast changing environments.
• A commitment to this project for 12 months with an interest in building a career in factual documentary.

To apply

Please upload your CV & covering letter as a single document to Creative Access by 3^rd, March 2022.

The partnership has been covered in Televisual, Broadcast and C21 Media.

Ayo Ogunshakin was a trainee researcher through Creative Access at the BBC in 2018. She then found an opportunity working as a storyliner on Coronation Street via our website. Talking to Prospects, Ayo shares her advice for breaking into the TV industry and gives an insight into the day to day challenges and highlights of her role.

Read here.

Watch here.

Four creative professionals working for ITV came together to share their journeys through the television industry and their top tips on how to make yourself stand out from the rest in our September masterclass.

The Creative Access community joined to watch Creative Access alumni, Raine Beckford and Mica Rowe, talk with Sonny Hanley, and David Proud to discuss the on and off-screen truths about the industry.

The television industry is often perceived as hard to access, with many of our community uncertain on how to make the first steps to a role in TV. Creative Access, with our mission to give people from under-represented communities access to TV and other creative industries, assembled a panel of pros working in areas from content distribution to script writing, producing and acting, to explore not only how to make it into the industry, but how to get noticed and be remembered and the future of television itself.

Sonny Hanley, Controller of Content Services, spoke of a strong desire to work for ITV that revealed itself at a young age. Passing the building with his mother, he was confident that one day he too would work there. Sonny, taken with the mechanics of television as a young boy, now sits proudly at the helm of ITV’s distribution of its most well-known and well-loved programmes. For Sonny, persistence was key as he told our viewers of his experience of asking for work and being rejected but having the tenacity to ask again – this time being invited to spend a few weeks at the ITV studios to make a documentary. Sonny used this vital opportunity to make contacts and learn as much as he could – and has now been working for ITV for 18 years.

For others, this journey is not so linear. Our host Raine Beckford, who is now a researcher on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories and Mica Rowe, now Assistant Producer on Loose Women, both shared their feelings of being lost and unsure what to do next in their careers. Raine left university with an economics degree, but after thinking about what she enjoyed doing, decided to pursue a career within media, later getting a Creative Access internship with Peston as a runner.

Like Raine, Mica is also Creative Access alum. “I was always interested in stories and speaking to people” Mica said as she spoke of her first job on an antiques show and stressed the importance of a strong work ethic, as working-class woman of colour with no prior contacts in the industry. She is proof that it is possible.

When asked about specific tips our Creative Access community could use to improve their networking skills, David Proud, writer of Coronation Street and proud owner of a new puppy, Alfie (whose cute barks could be heard throughout!) had lots to share.

He spoke of how essential it is to not only network with those above you, but with your peers, as they will be the reinforcement you need to keep going sometimes. Sonny and Mica agreed, both saying how important it is to form connections. “Networking sounds like a dirty word, but because everyone is in it…it’s not so bad!” Sonny added. All members of the panel emphasised getting out there, meeting people and pushing yourself outside your comfort zone, to eventually reap the rewards. David said:

Mica commented on the importance of keeping your CV up to date, as well as making yourself known to the talent managers of various TV companies to make sure you stay on their radars. Creative Access also runs regular CV consultation clinics, specifically created for those wanting to get into television/film, don’t forget to sign up here if you’re interested!

Networking can also help with getting your work looked at, with David’s advice being to find an agent, as well as sharing your work at script festivals, new writers’ avenues and writing spec scripts – but foremost finding your agent as negotiating can be intimidating!

Being genuine and helpful is also vital, as Sonny said:

Being freelance can also be intimidating in nature, the panel revealed. With the changing dynamic of the world, more and more individuals in the television industry have decided that freelance working is their new norm. Mica, who has had the best of both worlds, commented that although being staff allows you to climb up the ladder, sometimes freelance work can lead to more naturally organic connections with people. David had quit a full-time job to pursue a career as an actor at the beginning of his career, unsure of what the future might hold. Freelance is scary, but if we’ve learnt anything, it’s that sometimes it’s worth taking the risk as it can be “both terrifying and exciting” he said.

The past two years have shown just how adaptable the creative industries can be, and this definitely includes the television sector. ITV has had to be more flexible and innovative when building a rapport not only with their audience but with the guests on their various shows. Mica spoke about “thinking outside the box”, especially when it came to building those vital relationships. Things are slowly making their way back to a new kind of normal, as David tells us about writing for running drama, Coronation Street:

ITV pulled together during the Pandemic, and although challenging, it was made easier as everyone had one common goal – to produce and distribute amazing television.

Raine wrapped up our Masterclass by asking for any special guidance on applications. Mica shared how essential it is to make your CV easy to read, avoiding huge blocks of text. Many members of our panel revealed they go through hundreds of CV sometimes, so format definitely matters. Sonny added the strength of a well thought-out, passionate cover letter, with David adding the importance of being honest about your shortcomings, but a willingness and drive to learn and be more. Sometimes it can feel like the odds are stacked against you, but as David said, “don’t let them win…don’t give up!”.

We are very grateful to Sonny, Mica, David and Raine for sharing their time and experiences with us. If you are interested in a career in television, don’t forget to check out our current opportunities. We also thank all those who attended and contributed to the discussion by asking questions to our panel.

Watch the session in full on our YouTube channel here.

Sophia began her career as a Creative Access intern working as a Development Researcher for an independent TV production company in Manchester and is now on the Creative Access Advisory Board.

Over the last five years, Sophia has been developing her portfolio in the factual documentary space and currently works as an Assistant Producer for Nine Lives Media. She recently finished on the BBC series ‘I’ve Been There’ which explores a range of challenges young people are facing; inviting celebrities to talk candidly about their experiences and share coping mechanisms. Her credits include, I’m Coming Out, My Life: Hike to Happiness and Dispatches. Before getting into TV, Sophia largely tailored her undergraduate degree around black identity and post-modernism.

In the post below, she shares insight into navigating unconscious bias in the creative industry as a Mixed-Race woman. Her poem provides a snapshot of her experiences growing up in a predominantly white town and challenges the normalisation surrounding the need to ‘pick a side’ at a time when unity is paramount.

I feel like I’m talking on behalf of many of my mixed-race peers when I say that the question “do you feel more Black or more White?” has been inscribed on our eardrums for as long as we can remember. Oh, that old chestnut! Given that race is a rigid social construct, diminishing blackness and whiteness to interchangeable feelings implies that mixed-race individuals can’t be their whole self without racially classifying and evidencing where and how they feel most ethnically affiliated.

Under Jim Crow in America, the One-Drop rule did not allow for mixed-race children to ponder the prospect of white privilege. Anyone with black ancestry was considered black; meanwhile in the UK mixed-race babies were also deemed subordinate. For years people of colour have been governed by a state of racial hegemony, a system that manufactures a dominant cycle of societal norms and more to the point, systemic racism.

There’s some painful irony in being asked a question that is undoubtedly tied to a premeditated stereotype, as though the person asking the question is so fixed on their vision of how they see you, your answer is frankly invalid – the aim merely to affirm their belief as opposed to engaging with yours. Often many of the people who ask this question are those who say, ‘they see no colour’, colourblindness being yet another form of unconscious oppression in and of itself.

While on the surface the inquisition for you to ‘pick a side’ may not be malicious, for me it’s representative of many deeply rooted messages. Here are a few;

A. Our identity is fluid and we have the physical capacity to change or adapt to the state of becoming more black or white ‘should we decide’. It feeds the notion that each ‘side’ can be turned on and off despite our skin remaining the same.

B. Unbeknown to some, the expectation for us to pick a side, continues to perpetuate a state of self-conflict and a lack of belonging.

Then there’s C. the need for mixed-race people to prove or justify their identity repeatedly throughout their life has become a tool used to help others distinguish what conversations may or may not be socially acceptable around you and in some cases is used as a gauge for how racist they can be in your presence. This is a tool to protect their own fragility.

Daughter to a British-born, Black, Caribbean Mother and White, German-British Father, during my late teens I felt an overwhelming desire to begin studying Black History and Feminism. In doing so, I unlocked a part of me that was earlier denied. My own self-discovery continues to be led by stories and experiences the National Curriculum fails to teach and TV underrepresents:

At a time where education and accountability are vital, I urge creative industries to reframe the discourse they use around race and more specifically the black community. Companies and creatives need to play an active role in tone policing their discussions and reconditioning what is and isn’t acceptable under the guidance of diversity and inclusion experts and black and ethnic minority groups. Fundamentally this process starts with a willingness to review and reform a system that is clearly failing its workforce and its audience. For me, inclusivity is non-negotiable, especially if we want to start seeing BAME creatives in senior leadership positions that have the capacity to contribute towards real structural change.

In an open letter from the We Are Doc Women collective, they highlighted the urgent need for action.

“With 75% of ALL television in the UK being directed by men, and only 2.3% by BAME directors, we are failing our industry and we are failing our audiences who are denied access to a diversity of voices.”

The TV industry still oozes white privilege and has an undeniably disproportionate divide across, race, gender, class, and disability representation. It’s the conversation that goes on behind closed doors that we need to infiltrate, disrupt, and restructure. Starting to address unconscious bias is only the beginning.

‘Mixed Chick’

Black or White

pick a side

one without the other

why must I hide?

If I bled myself of colour

I wouldn’t be alive

I know my blackness is the reason that
I feel this pride.

They called Momma a coconut

mocked for her ‘nappy hair’.

Her father was an angry man…

she left high on lover’s air.

No privilege could protect her

against the cards life dealt

and the world’s given her reasons not to love herself.

Mixed race babies

‘the ultimate sin’

yet they say when two hearts unite as one

both sides can win.

A token in a broken system

advertising change

a child with just enough different

to be unique,

yet the same.

A crown so big

kids discreetly cut chunks out

locks tied to a history

teachers daren’t shout about.

What even are you?

Human, the last time I checked?

When you ask about my roots

say it with your chest.

How can you connect to oppression
when you weren’t present?

When you speak about entitlement
do you count your blessings?

Can this Mixed-Race woman make a few confessions:

I am not exotic because I’m lighter in shade.

The black in me wasn’t enough
excuse for you to question my grades.

My telephone voice isn’t an attempt
to sound white.

Just because I like hip-hop doesn’t mean
I’m down for a fight.

Whether you’re black or brown there’s an expectation
that you owe all your success
to someone with a higher status.

You can’t pet my hair,
my curls don’t want your attention.

If I quote black creatives then they a mention/

I won’t repackage influence
like some new invention.

My twerk skills are average
and so is my singing

When you say the ‘N’ word my ears start ringing.

You can’t slag off all immigrants
but say “I’m okay”
and think your outward discrimination is going to wash with me.

Just because I’m Jamaican
doesn’t mean I’m Anti-Africa.

Shoutout to the Motherland,
my sisters know that I stand with them.

Stop asking me questions about feeling
more Black or more White…

preaching anti-racism while encouraging DIVIDE.

By Sophia Slater.

You can follow Sophia on Twitter at @SophiaSlater_

We caught up with former Creative Access intern Dean Webster, who spoke about the need for greater accountability when it comes diversity in the freelance television workforce…

I started my career in television seven years ago as a Creative Access & PACT Diversity intern, where I was given a fully paid placement at Shine and sent on a funded training programmes. I was given the skills and connections required to start in television and, since my internship, have continued to receive support and advice from Creative Access. Unfortunately not all diverse talent have access to the same resources that I had.

As far as I see it, the diversity issue essentially comes from a lack of accountability. Whilst the Diamond system’s aims are commendable, production companies can choose to opt-out of it and the metric has many flaws exacerbated by the workforce’s fast turnaround, which means that quotas are currently the best workable solution. If we want to make authentic progress when it comes to diversity and inclusion, we need to address systemic issues around recruitment, progression and training, and pay which affect the industry as a whole.

There is an inherent lack of accountability when it comes to TV recruitment. Not all jobs are advertised, full job and people specifications are rarely provided and opportunities for part time working, working from home or job sharing are not considered from the outset. This is exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, with PACT and the CDN airing concerns about the impact on producers in the nations and regions and diverse talent respectively.

If all roles on programmes were advertised, even ones earmarked for people who had worked on previous series, we would be in a better position to monitor diversity as well as career progression within the workforce. Other sectors have adopted initiatives like the Rooney Rule, where at least one BAME person must be interviewed for a role, but the lack of transparency means we don’t know if things like this are being done or, in the instances they are, if they’re successful. To eradicate barriers for diverse talent we need to identify where those barriers exist and this requires us to objectively look at initiatives and challenge those who fail to adopt them. Transparency also helps us look at other issues – how many people move up in our sector, how many people with career breaks return to the sector and at what position, how many people who’ve never worked for a production company/group are offered interviews or roles there for the first time?

I also believe there’s a broad issue with freelancers’ progression up the career ladder, which can be linked to the lack of training offered. Freelancers are commodities, so it makes sense to offer work to ‘safe bets’ who are very experienced in that job role. I believe this, however, is short sighted, does not benefit Britain’s creative sector as a whole and does not benefit freelancers individually. For employers of permanent staff, the cost behind recruitment and retention means there is a financial interest in upskilling workers so they stay with you for as long possible. In my view, the same incentive does not exist for freelancers, so freelancers have to pay for their own training or hope to find a kind employer to do that for them. Whilst I know first-hand that the latter exists and am grateful to the people who have helped me on my way to where I am, it’s unfair to rely on this inconsistent, informal arrangement to help a sector of thousands of workers. Relying on individuals to self-fund their development and training plays directly into the mechanism of inequality that stops diverse talent joining the industry.

We need a formalised training system, led by a consortium of broadcasters and/or production companies, which recognises that a highly skilled freelancer is beneficial to the sector as a whole, not just that sole freelancer. Solving this not only helps diverse talent but helps the sector as a whole, by unlocking the potential of freelancers at every stage. (NB: I have been to ITF training and am currently attending some of the fantastic free ScreenSkills virtual training courses, so I appreciate that there are initiatives out there for freelancers. I do, however, think lots of freelancers can move through their career without receiving any formalised training.)

Finally, pay. It has been clear for a long time that our lack of collective bargaining has resulted in freelancers’ rates being individually negotiated down, often dressed as a lack of budget. Whilst we all know this is commonplace, the lack of data means evidence is usually anecdotal. BECTU’s move to release a rate card for editorial staff, giving parity with camera and sound colleagues, is welcome, but without in-depth analysis of data from freelancers across the sector – this is a subjective ‘best guess’ and doesn’t consider factors like experience. We need to coordinate ourselves to regularly assess industry rates for roles and join collectively to set minimum levels for roles and agree on annual rate rises. This is perhaps the most troublesome issue for us, as it essentially requires individual freelancers to agree not to take jobs when these rates are undercut – but with strong leadership, from the union or another widely endorsed body, we could weather this storm and see long-term benefits.

Apologies for the length of this post – it’d probably be shorter if I had a job (hint hint). This just scratches the surface, I know there’s more to add and there will be lots of views on these thoughts. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback.

You can follow Dean on Twitter at @TVsDeanWebster

Former Creative Access Intern Olivia Evans tells us about life as a newbie in the TV industry. A year on, she reflects on all that she has achieved…

Today is the day I complete my one-year Creative Access Researcher placement with Objective Media Group and what a busy year it has been. For those who don’t know, Objective is an umbrella company encompassing many different TV productions companies and labels. Through my placement I have been lucky enough to work at three of them.

Having spent most of my career at one company, progressing from Runner to Researcher there, I had little experience moving from company to company, so I was nervous, but keen for this new experience. Having worked on three long running shows I was ready for a change and was immediately given the opportunity to work in development at Hitchhiker TV. This was the area I had wanted to get into from when I first decided to work in Television. Within the first fortnight I was drafting treatments and researching ideas, as well as being encouraged to come up with ideas of my own. When we got funding for a pilot I was asked to do casting research for the show and learnt outreach skills that would come in handy in my next role.

May came quickly and I moved to my second Label at Objective: Second Star Productions. Here I was a Casting Researcher and then Locations Researcher on the prime time Channel 4 show Flirty Dancing. My first time ever working on prime time television. This was a whirlwind three months. Street casting in Liverpool, frantic calls to councils to get filming permits and dashing around London on recces. These were two roles I had little experience in and it wasn’t until the summer was over that I realised how much I’d learnt. Our series finale Stand Up to Cancer Celebrity Special airs tonight.

In September I moved to my final company at Objective: Betty. Here I started out on a proof of concept for Fox called Turf Wars. This entailed a short preproduction period followed by long days on set in a field in Essex, followed by long days in the edit. Once again I was learning on my feet. There wasn’t an edit producer, it was just the editor, the executive producer and me. We pieced together the new show and tried to interpret what the channel wanted. I loved being in the edit and when I finished, my exec was kind enough to suggest that I should become an edit producer. We are still waiting to hear if the show has been commissioned, but in the meantime I moved onto the Betty Development team. Where I met lovely former creative access alumni Gama.

I have greatly enjoyed my placement and feel it has really helped me further my career. I have learnt so many invaluable skills, met so many kind people in the industry and gained experiences that would have taken me far longer had I not been on the scheme. All in all I feel far more employable!

Aspirational uni grad turned award-winning Web Series Producer, Kashif Boothe gives us an insight into how his Creative Access internship led him to find his perfect role in production, with his growing web series, Nate & Jamie.

My name is Kashif Boothe, I’m 26 years old and I currently work in broadcast at Discovery Channel. This isn’t something I thought I would be doing when I graduated from Roehampton University back in 2013 with a Film degree. My journey within the TV industry hasn’t been a conventional one, when I got my internship with CA at RAW TV in 2014.

I heard about Creative Access when I was desperately seeking a job after graduating from university. I was a recent graduate working lots of overtime at Sainsbury’s and hating it. I would be on the internet for hours applying for work experience and internships and eventually stumbled across an ad for a Runner position at RAW TV.

After my three month internship ended, I worked at RAW TV on off for two years. I went on to work at Jamie Oliver’s production company and spent the remainder of the year working on factual TV shows before moving into scripted. In Spring 2015, I started working as a Production Runner on the ITV period drama Mr Selfridge and the following year as a Development Assistant at Idris Elba’s production company.

It was great working towards my career goals but I felt like I forgot why I wanted to work in television. I took a break from the industry and decided to start making short documentaries that eventually lead to me writing and producing my web series Nate & Jamie.

I self-funded the first season whilst freelancing and working nights in retail on the weekends. I shot the first season with DSLR cameras and with other freelancers who were eager to produce indie content. In January 2018 it won a Screen Nation Award for Favourite Web Series ensemble. The series has led to a spinoff web series entitled ‘Imperfect’ and Season two of Nate & Jamie is premiering on October 11th on my YouTube channel ‘Kashif Boothe Entertainment’. My plans for the show are for it to be picked up by a production company or to receive funding for season three to produce a full-length season.

It’s great having conversations about diversity but without Creative Access I haven’t seen what production companies or networks are actually doing to solve the issue. I’ve worked at production companies where I’ve been told to make a note of all the BAME and LGBT applicants because they failed their diversity report or it was an afterthought to find a BAME producer after a show was picked up by a network.

My family have been supportive of my career in the creative industry especially my Mum. My Dad however, doesn’t understand what I do or that I’m a freelancer. He knows I work within the media industry but never can explain what I do adequately and would prefer I had standard a 9-5 job, but that’s not for me.

That might sound cliché but that’s the best thing I’ve learned. I was told on numerous occasions that I needed to be very chatty or be more of an extrovert to get to where I wanted to be. That’s not me, I’m an introvert and when being myself I am able to bond with the right the people, which will lead to my next opportunity.

Thanks Kashif for sharing your story and advice, we look forward to seeing the next series of Nate & Jamie.

You can follow Kashif on Instagram at @kashifbootheentertainment and check out his webseries Nate & Jamie.

Our former intern, Isher Sahota, current Director of BBC One’s Doctors shares his amazing CA journey with us and reflects on the key steps he made to succeed in TV and film-making…

Bold, diverse and new stories. They’re all the film and television industry says it wants, but the reality of gaining commissions and credits as a writer or director is far from straightforward. The only thing that can prepare you for being a director is directing. It seems so obvious but the only thing producers can go on when considering to hire you is looking at work you’ve directed.

It taught me the craft of working with actors and a production team, and pulling off projects with little to no budget. I met someone through student theatre who wanted to make films. We then started a company and began pitching for commissions to make music videos and online content for brands and companies; with our profits we made short films which were passion projects.

I had had a meeting at Creative Access, and was given great advice on my CV. I was recommended a role in factual development, which is something I never would have thought of myself (I had initially thought my way in would be scripted development) but I loved working at Dragonfly and coming up with documentary ideas for all the major broadcasters.

My job at Dragonfly led to further roles at ITV in factual, but it was always my dream to get into drama. It’s off the basis of my short films that I gained a coveted place on the fantastic New Director’s Scheme which is run by the BBC’s Writersroom. By September this year I will have directed 10 episodes of BBC One’s Doctors, which has been an invaluable experience. The fast paced nature of the show means you gain a lot of experience very quickly in all aspects of the directorial process, from script, casting, pre-production through to shooting and post.

Moreover, the challenging schedule has developed my directorial method, giving me confidence and enabling me to work in an instinctive, decisive way. The support of the production team and various departments around you is magnificent, and I have been lucky enough to collaborate with wonderful guest and regular cast. I am also a writer. I was lucky enough, thanks to a Creative Access introduction, to find a perfect collaborator in the form of an agent at the brilliant Casarotto Ramsay and Associates. My agent has similar tastes to me, gets what I want to do and shares phenomenal contacts and advice. It’s my dream to get an original TV series and a feature film idea in development with a top production company.

What got me noticed by a top agency among countless unsolicited scripts, I think, was my background. I wrote a TV script for an original comedy-drama series about Indian gangsters set in the underground world of the Punjabi-run illegal alcohol trade. I had insights into this unknown world because I grew up in Southall, the little India of West London.

My only advice would be to surround yourself with brilliant people who you respect, and who respect you, and keep making films together.

You can follow Isher on Twitter and Instagram at @ishersahota and check out some of his fantastic work here

Channel 4’s Commissioning Executive recently opened our Creative Industries Showcase event at Channel 4. In this blog piece, she talks about how she launched her career in TV.

Growing up in the 80s ‘having a passion for the media’ meant having an appointment to view The Krypton Factor, Desmond’s or Saturday Superstore, listening to Mark Goodier on BBC Radio 1 and obsessing over any Smash Hits issues my mum would let me and my sister buy as a special treat. I know, relatively primitive cultural pursuits next to today’s avalanche of platforms and content. But despite any interest in popular media, without any connections or know-how of who to contact or ask, I found myself accepting to pass on the possibility of working in TV.

It was only in mid 20s when I was completing my PhD and contemplating a life as a research scientist that I decided I’d try one last attempt at getting into TV production. So I wrote a few letters. And I received no replies. That was until my dad spotted an advert in the local newspaper saying that BBC Wales wanted to broaden its intake of new production staff. A few chats with outreach HR staff and an application process later, I had landed myself a 1 year production traineeship at BBC Wales.

In retrospect it sounds straight-forward, but at the time I remember feeling lost as speculative attempts didn’t work. To me, ‘the media’ was a big white ivory house without a door and I felt like I was running around it knowing I wanted to get in but not knowing how to find the door. Thankfully, the industry is a little more transparent now.

Perhaps being a mature entrant helped me get into the BBC but that still wasn’t a guarantee of a life-long career. None of my contracts were ever that long, which is normal for the industry. I moved around the UK which culminated in over eight years working on a range of BBC TV programmes, including radio and online. It is an incredibly competitive industry and still has a long way to go in terms of a range of views, voices and visions, but the trick is to understand how you can make your outlook matter.

Even though I had a good run at the BBC, I still found it tough to maintain momentum and often wondered how my interest in the global world could be explored. Even with experience, doors can still shut in your face and cynicism can set in. So I took 3 years out to work in international development. Returning to TV production only 5 years ago, I have freelanced as a producer at a range of large independent companies on programmes and ideas across all the major broadcasters before joining Channel 4 on a 1 year placement within their documentaries commissioning team. Commissioning is often viewed as the apex of the TV production tree as it is these people who have the influence to decide what programme ideas a broadcaster will buy and make, so it has been an extraordinary insight.

Thinking about it now, perhaps my route in was a lot to do about timing and luck. I was a few years older than the average new TV entrant and had knowledge outside of the media – in this case a science degree – but I also think there is no one way.

Finally, don’t think you can do everything. You can’t and won’t – and – above all, be confident. The biggest barrier to accessing this industry is having the self-belief that you can add to it and then learning to communicate that amiably. Afterall, if you’ve got it, flaunt it. Everyone else in telly is…

Congratulations! You’ve finally managed to do what everyone said was impossible and bag yourself a coveted interview spot with the TV production company of your dreams. After spending an hour elatedly dancing around your bedroom in your PJs, it suddenly dawns on you that although you’ve spent what has felt like a lifetime dreaming about working on the set of your favourite TV show, you haven’t put any thought into the interview process or how you’re going to prepare for it.

Well don’t panic. Luckily for you, we’ve prepared some great tips that will help you ace your TV interview and hopefully knock your unprepared, competition out of the park.

Make sure you do your research. We really can not emphasise it enough when we say that the key to preparation is knowledge and you can only get that knowledge through research.

Expect to be asked all about your favourite and least favourite shows and be prepared to have a strong opinion on why you love or hate them and if you’re able to tell them how you think these programmes can be improved then you’re well on your way to impressing their socks off. So if you know your ‘Making a Murder’ from your ‘How to Get Away with Murder’, now is your chance to show them just how many hours on Netflix you’ve racked up! Here are some important questions you need to ask yourself before your interview:

• What TV programmes do they make?
• What do you like or dislike about their programmes?
• Do you have any format ideas that you think would be perfect for their target audience?
• Do you know the difference between pre and post production?
• Why do you want to work for their production company over all the others?

Think about why you want to work in TV. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that working on a TV set is going to be super glamorous and that you’ll spend your days schmoozing with the stars and your nights hopping from award ceremony to party. That’s not to say that you wont get to do these things, but before you get to experience any of the perks you need to prepare yourself for the hard graft, the heavy lifting and the very long hours. If you’re the kind of person who can take the good with the bad then you’re cut out for a career in TV so you just need to convince your interviewer.

Also, when you’re asked why you want to work in TV, use this opportunity to not only demonstrate your knowledge but also talk about your previous experience, skills and education to explain why you’re not only perfect for the role but why you would be an asset to the company.

Make sure you ask questions. Even though you’re the one being interviewed, it doesn’t mean that asking questions is off the table. You need to know what their office culture is like and whether you’ll be a good fit for it. Asking about the potential routes for progression is always a good idea too. Although you want to get as much experience as possible, it’s always useful to know if there will be opportunities to develop the role or move into another department after you’ve been there for a certain amount of time. No one likes to feel stagnant!

We really hope these tips have helped you well on the way to acing your next TV job interview. And don’t forget, we have some amazing paid internships in TV and other creative sectors, so feel free to check them out here.