...9 industry figures tell you why you should apply for The Network

A training scheme like The Network can be a valuable step into TV even for those who have no experience in the industry.

 

With just 9 days left to apply for The Network, on screen and off screen TV talent share their views and experiences of The Network, and the reasons why they think anyone who wants to work in TV should apply....

I think it provides a service, if it had been available to me I would have soaked it up like a sponge.

-Vernon Kaye

I think it's incredibly important to give young people an opportunity to see what this industry is all about...it gives them an opportunity to hear what it's really like from the inside.

-Jay Hunt, Chief Creative Officer, Channel 4

I knew attending The Network would be a key step in getting a job in TV...You don't often get the chance to speak to so many important TV personalities who are happy to give their time and talk about the industry.

-Ore Oduba, Presenter, CBBC & BBC Sport and The Network delegate 2007

I'm always keen to go to The Network and support young people wanting to work in TV. It's hard work but still great fun and a creative buzz. It's great to help others onto this path and become part of this dynamic industry.

-Stuart Murphy, Director of Programmes, Sky Atlantic, Sky 1, 2 &3 and Director of Commissioning for Sky Entertainment Channels

I think it's wonderful and I'm very sad that something like this didn't apply when I was starting out in television...it's the best possible thing you could do.

-Sir Trevor McDonald

The Network was a fantastic opportunity. It consolidated the idea that I wanted a career in TV. Off the back of my place I got a place on a trainee researcher scheme on GMTV.

-Dominic Bird, Head of Formats, Channel 4 and The Network delegate 1994

The Network is trying to send out the message that television is for everybody and anybody and needs everybody and anybody.

-Joe Godwin, Director, BBC Children's and Chair of The Network

The Network is the jewel in the TV Festival's crown. There's nothing more important than finding and supporting the next generation of people with creative ideas, ambition and above all else, passion.

-Tim Hincks, Chief Executive Officer, Endemol

I bump into people who I've met in Edinburgh in previous years who are now working and they say 'it was great, without The Network I wouldn't have got the foot in the door and it's changed my life.'

-Joe Mace, Head of Entertainment Development, ITV

So if you know anyone who wants to work in TV, let them know about The Network, and tell them to hurry! Applications close 22nd April. Visit our website to apply.

Top 10 TV jobs the Network could help you get!

With just 10 days left to apply for TV Talent Scheme The Network, here's a list of 10 TV jobs which attending The Network could lead to....

1. RUNNER

Works on a production or at a company and does basic tasks which range from getting teas, collecting contributors or carrying tapes.

Read about Tayo Yusaff, Runner, Talkback Thames. Attended The Network in 2007

2. EDITOR

Responsible for working with the director to cut all the footage together and add effects to create the final outcome.

3. RESEARCHER

May find participants for a reality TV show or research information for a documentary, or check historical detail for a period drama.

Read more about Mawaan Rizwan, Presenter/Researcher, RAW TV. Attended The Network in 2010

4. CAMERA OPERATOR

Operates cameras onoutside-broadcasts (OB) and studio-based programmes to ensure that the director gets the images needed for the final edit.

5. ASSISTANT PRODUCER

Works with the director, producer and researchers to create content and also performs an administrative role requiring excellent organisation skills.

Read more about Alex Harris, Assistant Producer, CBeebies Radio. Attended The Network in 2011

6. SCRIPT EDITOR

The script editor develops storylines and series ideas with the writers and gives feedback on each draft of the script to ensure continuity and suitability

7. DIRECTOR

Responsible for the way films or TV programmes are made. They use their creative vision to manage the production process alongside the producer.

8. BROADCAST JOURNALIST

Responsible for generating and assessing ideas, researching background data and presentgn items to key decision makers such as editors and commissioners.

9. PRODUCER

Coordinates all the resources needed and manages the production process from start to finish.
 
10. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Overseas projects at various stages of production, giving feedback and constructive cricism to the director and producer. The Executive Producer is involved from the very early stages of the project and ensures that the finished product is in line with the vision of the commissioner.

So if you want to work in TV, get applying to The Network! Applications close 22nd April.

What did the smartest-guys-in-the-room have to say? (2012 industry predictions)

Proving that successful reunions aren't just the preserve of grown up boy bands and brit pop veterans, 3 year's worth of former Fast Trackers got together recently for the schemes first official alumni event.  With speakers - and wine! - generously provided by Deloitte!

It's great to see people we identified back then as ones to watch, are now well and truly established in the industry.  

We've re-branded Fast Track as 'Ones To Watch' because that's who We select on the scheme each year -The new wave of TV's talent.

People like 2009 alumnus David Chikwe. Here are his thoughts on the evening:

One To Watch (nee Fast Track). Arriving at Deliotte for the first Fast Track Alumni meeting and I’m struck with how quickly time flies in TV (Moi: Fast Track Class of 2009). People talk about a week in politics, but they should try working in TV.

In 2009 James Murdoch was the fiery heir apparent in his MacTaggart and now, well, not so much. My own case of having gone from Script Editor to Development Producer with two feature films in funded development and series commission with CBBC proved the point in the opposite direction. But the Murdoch lesson of what goes up, must come down is one to never forget.

And what did the smartest-guys-in-the-room at Deloitte have to say? There were some interesting factoids eg: overall, the entertainment industry loses money, which seems counter-intuitive given that we're all consuming more media, but unsurprising when you witness sure-fire flops like ITV's Titanic or Disney's John Carter. It's an art, not a science.

Scarily, one universal is that the pace of progress is just going to increase - something about Moore’s law, though I suspect the next crop of One's To Watch won't have a problem keeping up.

Interestingly, the one thing absent from Deloitte's predictions is the very thing that drives the industry: creativity. Deloitte's narrow focus on metrics and technological change failed to factor in the wild card of artistic endeavour.

So while it appears that the future has already arrived and we're living it, the creative imperative remains something that resists the neat cells of an excel spreadsheet or powerpoint presentation.

For more read:
 http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_GB/uk/industries/tmt/predictions/index.htm

David Chikwe  
Development Producer.

Joe Godwin meets the Queen!

I always enjoy visiting Channel 4 HQ.  There is something very cool about walking up the steps past the big ‘4’ … and they welcome you with big smiles and nice things like mints at reception (as you can tell, I’m easily pleased).

Anyway, last week was the latest meeting for The Network and Ones to Watch Committee, hosted by Channel 4 where Committee Members Tabitha Jackson and Dom Bird work.

Lots of great ideas about sessions – including a brand new workshop which a BIG fact-ent show- but possibly the most exciting discussion around the evening was our Committee Chair’s Joe Godwin meeting with one of the most famous women on the planet… HRHThe Queen!

Yes, in his day job as Director of BBC Children’s Joe recently welcomed Her Majesty to CBBC’s HQ at MediacityUK so was great to see his pictures!  

I don’t think you have to be a big Royal fan to appreciate how exciting the visit was – you can’t deny HRH is a true icon whatever your views on the monarchy.  And, in this Diamond Jubilee year, we’re all celebrating her in one way or another.

Come to think of it, perhaps we should try and book her for the TV Festival this year… as an alternative Elizabeth for the alternative MacTaggart?  Now there’s a thought! 

Have a Great Easter!

Caroline Meaby