Tiata fahodzi’s artistic director, Natalie Ibu recently spoke at our Creative Industries Showcase at Channel 4. In this blog piece, Natalie talks about the importance of networking, celebrating your identity and also offers some essential creative career tips.

12 years ago, I was a graduate with lots of excellent essays on my hard drive, very little practical experience and no network – there was no club (boy’s or otherwise) that I belonged to. 12 years ago, I got on a similar – smaller scale – initiative and was one of five trainees, each attached to theatres in the East Midlands. And that was the start of my journey; a journey not without its hurdles, injuries, wrong turnings – think less motorway and more country roads with no sat nav or googlemaps – but a journey never the less.

12 years on, I’m the Artistic Director and Chief Executive of tiata fahodzi – a national portfolio organization regularly funded by the Arts Council. We started 18 years ago, founded by Femi Elefowojo jr. A British-based Nigerian actor and director who looked around him and saw that the stories we – and by that I mean the theatre sector – were telling were refusing to acknowledge the existence of all sorts of people and growing communities. And so he started a company devoted to telling stories about the African diaspora in Britain. Just one person with an idea and a desire to make a change. Does that sound like you?

18 years on, and I am the third Artistic Director with the absolute pleasure of continuing to build a legacy and the privilege of commissioning, programming and producing work that truly reflects the developing African diaspora in contemporary Britain. Work that multiplies the singular narratives that exist and sees every kind of “African”. Whether they’re a mixed heritage, working class (but now middle class through education and profession) Scottish girl who grew up eating sausage and tatties rather than okra and fu-fu (hello). Or they’re in touch with the origin of their name but have never tasted the fried fruity goodness of a plantain. Or they take okra soup as packed lunch to their city job but have never set foot on African soil. Maybe they’re bilingual but know nothing about their heritage or know it all but from papers rather than parents.

At tiata fahodzi, we’re interested in the dual, the in-between, the second/third generation African who is mixed experience and lives vividly and richly but you’d never be able to tell if you watched our stages, our screen or listened to our radios. I – at 32 – still meet people who are surprised that there are black people in Scotland – we, culture, have let those people down in doing our job of sharing the world they live in. I – and others like, and unlike, me – continue to be unseen and unheard. Let’s agree that stops here and now, with us.

Not all of you will be thinking of a career in theatre but I wish you were. Because the industry I want to work in, the meetings I want to go to, the audiences I want to sit in and tell stories to – look diverse. I feel like we spend a lot of time talking about why everyone needs theatre – and, listen, I’m a theatre fan girl so I absolutely believe that theatre is essential for living – but we don’t say enough that theatre needs you.

We’re tight for time so I wanted to share some things I’ve picked up over the last 12 years, 5 residencies and endless jobs as a producer, director and teacher.

Here goes, strap in:

Trust your instinct. I knew I wanted to be an artistic director at 17 – I know, it’s weird, I don’t think I really knew what that was, then. But I chose my degree based on that desire, I chose the jobs I did based on that ambition. And here I am, 15 years later. If you feel it, you feel it for a reason – follow that instinct and see where it takes you.

Don’t believe the hype. In 2008, some mentors suggested I go for another residency – a high profile director development attachment. They said, you won’t get it, it’s highly competitive but it’ll be good experience for you. Guess what? I got it first time and got a residency at one of Britain’s leading theatres – the Royal Court. Don’t take notice of the myth around jobs, opportunities, organisations. Get involved.

Everyone has the right to ask and – similarly – everyone has the right to say no. I expect to have coffee with every single one of you who thinks theatre might be the place for you.

So I’m hoping you’re hyped about the future, hyped about the role an internship might play in forging your career but if you’re still none the wiser whether theatre is for you, I’ll finish with this. If you’ve got something to say about and to the world, then theatre is a loudspeaker. What exactly have you got to lose?

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…

In this case study we profile Richard Lartey who completed a Digital Marketing internship at Absolute Label Services and was offered a full time role after.

Richard graduated from Ravensbourne University with a degree in Content Development Production, focusing on television and new media development. He had a number of opportunities after graduating but taking the next step and finding himself a role that was stable, secure and promised more than just a short term contract proved to be elusive.

After a number of failed applications and interviews he came across the Creative Access internship at Absolute on his university’s Facebook job group.

Going into the application process it was important for Richard to make sure that his application was tailored towards the role. This is where Creative Access came in to support Richard; he sat down with a member of the team, to discuss the job role ahead of the interview with Absolute. It was clear from the job description that Absolute were after a candidate who had a strong digital knowledge and an interest in music so Richard highlighted his website, music blog, as well as his experience of digital design and technical code level knowledge. In addition to this, Richard looked through previous roles and picked out the key skills he had developed whilst completing past tasks, which were relevant to the role.

After attending the interview at Absolute’s office Richard was given a call within an hour of leaving, offering him the role.

Richard started his internship in September 2014. As the internship approached the half way stage his manager made it clear that they wanted Richard to stay on full time beyond the initial 12-month period. He now works as Digital Marketing Coordinator, responsible for keeping Absolute at the forefront of the industry as the market moves towards a streaming future.

Since going full time Absolute have employed a new Creative Access intern to take on the roles he previously covered and Richard is supporting her.

Links:

http://absolutelabelservices.com/

http://www.theguardian.com/music/shortcuts/2016/mar/02/brits-awards-chairman-diversity-not-reflected

http://nationofbillions.com/30-more-under-30-the-future-of-the-music-biz

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.

We are always pleased to be able to share our interns experiences and this blog is no exception. Isha was an intern at Literary Agency Furniss Lawton between September 2014 and August 2015. She is now working their permanently.

Here are Isha’s Top Tips for anyone applying to work or intern with a literary agency:

• READ. Specifically, make sure you’ve read at least two books published this year. You need to be able to talk about recent books, so if you spent three years at university studying books written before 1900 (like me), make sure you brush up on your contemporary knowledge

• Know what a literary agent does, and the different between a literary agency and a publishing house (e.g. Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, PanMacmillan) – if you’re asked why you want to work in one instead of the other, you should have an answer prepared.

• Research the literary agency you’re applying to (the agency website, Bookseller articles, just a good Google!) – what recent books have their authors written, what genres do they represent, is there anything you like/recognise and can comment on?

• Remember: publishing is a business. Be aware of genres in the market – what kind of books are doing well at the moment (for example, psychological crime thrillers in fiction; healthy eating and colouring books in non-fiction), what books are in the Top 10 bestseller list (e.g. some of the best-selling fiction of 2015: The Girl on a Train, Elizabeth is Missing, The Miniaturist), what genres do you read yourself etc.

• Literary agencies are made up of various departments e.g. Contracts, Foreign Rights, Accounts – if straight up agenting doesn’t strike your fancy but you still want to work with books, utilise the skills you may already have. For example, you could use your expertise in Spanish/French/German to work in Foreign Rights, or your Law degree to work in Contracts.

• Join Twitter! Follow literary agents and professionals in publishing. Twitter’s a great resource to keep updated on what’s happening in publishing, especially as agents and publishers will tweet about their latest projects.

• Finally: be proactive, be passionate, be prepared!

As well as giving her top tips on securing an internship at a literary agency, Isha also shared her views on why Creative Access internships are so valuable…

I found Creative Access through Twitter and was lucky enough to secure my internship at Furniss Lawton – exactly the sector of the publishing industry I was interested in.”

“For me, what was so valuable about what Creative Access offered was the length and structure of the internship. When you’re just out of a short internship, working at a temp job, writing essay length cover letters no one responds to and pouring over job sites hoping to find work you’re actually passionate about, a year-long, paid internship at a literary agency couldn’t be better.

“Creative Access ensures that your company designs a training structure geared around your personal development. My training ranged from learning about pitching and writing feedback to writers, to tracking sales figures and getting to grips with accounts. This gave me a cohesive grounding in how literary agencies function. Since I’ve started, I’ve learned so much about the commerciality of publishing, the relationships between agents and editors, the way the market works – things you only pick up on the job over an extended period of time.

What’s rare about the Creative Access programme is that you’re partnered up with a mentor, a senior professional in another part of the company who reviews your progress with you – my mentor was someone in management, someone I wouldn’t really have access to in the same way if I was just a new starter.

The mentoring framework makes you accountable in a positive way; I was conscious I needed to work on something each month to maximise my experience – and it was great having someone in management rooting for me!

After my year, I knew I wanted to continue working at a literary agency, and when I was offered a permanent role, I jumped at the chance. I spent a large portion of my internship reading and sifting through submissions, I’ve given feedback to senior literary agents, and I’ve read drafts of their authors’ works-in-progress – the best thing has been getting to know their tastes and securing their trust in my opinions and recommendations. For book lovers and aspiring literary agents – it doesn’t get better than this!

In the second guest blog post from Joshua Graff UK Country Manager & Senior Director, LinkedIn EMEA, Joshua talks about how you can use LinkedIn to get ahead in your career.

In my last Creative Access blog I talked about the need for better diversity in the creative industries – a move that isn’t just the right thing to do, but one that also contributes to business success.

At LinkedIn we help people all over the world succeed in their professional lives, regardless of their background.

It also helps people to be better at the job they have now, as they are exposed to content and conversations about their industry, along with the skills and experience needed to move them on.

Having a strong LinkedIn profile doesn’t have to be difficult and a few simple steps could help you land that dream job or perform better in your current one. Here are my seven tips for using LinkedIn:

1. Create a profile (and take pride in your online appearance)

If you haven’t got a LinkedIn profile, get one. Getting started is easy – LinkedIn guides you through the setup and prompts to you add a photo, your current position, past positions and your education.

If you already have a profile, make sure it looks smart and displays all of your experience accurately. Completed profiles are far more likely to be viewed by potential employers. Adding a profile picture gives a personal touch and makes your profile 14 times more likely to be seen – just make sure you keep it professional.

2. Start building connections

Developing a strong network is key. By connecting with at least 50 trusted contacts you will start to see the effects of having an online network and increase your chances of getting in touch with the right people to get ahead in your job hunt.

Being at the very start of your career doesn’t have to be a hindrance. Start close to home with family connections and friends. Spending a few minutes each day connecting with people you’ve met professionally or looking at ‘recommended connections’ will make a real difference.

3. Spot opportunities

Follow companies that you’d love to work for on LinkedIn (tip: you can find Companies under ‘Interests’ on the navigation). This means you will get updates on new hires, promotions and even job opportunities on your homepage – putting you firmly on the front foot.

By checking out Company Pages, you’ll get a much clearer idea of what life within these organisations is like, and hear the latest business news and industry updates straight from the horse’s mouth.

4. Get straight to the people that do the hiring

Don’t be afraid to reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn. Use the ‘Advanced People Search’ to build relationships with a select number of recruiters who specialise in your industry and you’ll be top of their mind when great job openings come up.

5. Distinguish yourself from the crowd

Aim to secure recommendations from colleagues, clients, and employers who can speak credibly about your abilities and performance. Asking them to focus on a specific skill or personality trait that informs their opinion works well. This will show that you’re a respected and valued employee or business connection.

But remember to return the favour by offering meaningful comments and recommendations to your network of connections.

6. Keep your profile active

Use your LinkedIn Profile to create a two-way conversation with your connections by participating in relevant groups and sharing engaging content. If you see an article on a topic that interests you, share it and invite discussion by posting it as a status update. This shows you have a genuine interest in your chosen industry.

Check out the profiles of successful people you admire and look at the kind of content they’re posting and engaging with. It’s important not to imitate them too much, but it’ll give you an idea of what a strong profile looks like.

7. Be yourself

You are more than a set of skills or a list of experiences. Match your offline with your online identity by keeping your profile authentic. Use your own voice to give your online profile a warm personality and try to avoid writing in the third person unless that formality suits. Picture yourself at a meeting or interview and make sure your online profile marries with this.

Here at Creative Access, we aim to ensure that all of our interns achieve their potential during their placements. Through our monthly masterclasses and mentoring sessions, we take pride in the knowledge that our interns are equipped with the vital skills needed to succeed in the industry.

Alumni, Dominic Grant has been no exception. Dominic holds a particularly special place in our hearts, as our very first ever Creative Access intern, having secured an internship at Marv Films back in July 2012. He now permanently works for the Kick Ass director Matthew Vaughn and recently finished working on Vaughn’s latest film, Kingsman: The Secret Service. We recently caught up with Dominic to find out what it was like working on the Hollywood production…

What were your main duties on the set?

During my time on Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service as Key Production Assistant, I had the opportunity to work through pre-production, production and post production.

During pre-production I was present and filmed all of the auditions and cast readings including Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Jack O’Connell, Daniel Kaluuya. I had the opportunity to take charge of script distribution and logging, script revisions, storyboard distribution, crew office set ups, studio liaison and the standard PA tasks.

During production I was able to spend a lot of time going between the production office and set. I was able to see exactly how things work on set, how both crew and actors are managed, and – most importantly for me – the work of the Producers on and around set.

What was the most important thing you learnt whilst working on Kingsman?

I learnt about the clarity and attention to detail required to organise location shoots (which are not fun when you are in the middle of nowhere, at an airbase, at 4 O’Clock in the morning in December!).

During post production working as a Post Production Assistant I learned an incredible amount regarding the finer and more technical aspects of film making; the workflows and procedures editors follow, the negotiations producers have with distributors and financiers, the relationship between Director and Editor, the role of a Post Production Supervisor… the list goes on!

What surprised you the most?

I was amazed at the work the sound engineers do for a film and how it brings the footage to life. I saw the fascinating world of colour grading and VFX which absolutely blew my mind! Those guys are wizards!

What was the most exciting thing you got to do?

From a production perspective, I really got a chance to experience roles higher than my own because production office responsibilities were split between just myself and my Post Production Supervisor. I tried my hand at Travel and Accommodation coordinating, organising Actors and ADR sessions, setting up for reshoots and additional photography, organising small VFX shoots etc. Absolutely invaluable!

Any final words…?

All in all, the experience on Kingsman is one I will never forget and has taught me so much. I will always be thankful to Matthew Vaughn for showing me the real world of auditioning and script readings and how to get the most out of your actors; Producers Adam Bohling and David Reid for teaching me how to be efficient and militant-minded in getting jobs and people organised and throwing me in at the deep end with a number of big tasks responsibilities; Production Manager Iain Mackenzie for approaching me and offering me the job on Kingsman and then inviting me to stay on for Post Production; the legendary Production Coordinator Karl Caffrey for really trusting in me to take on the responsibility needed, offering me brilliant advice on just about everything industry related and otherwise.