Tomorrow's responsible leaders | Lisa Campbell

"Prune the raspberries to make way for new growth," declared broadcaster Michael Buerk this week.
Essentially, his point was that to make way for the fresh-faced in this industry, we need to ditch the wrinklies.

Not surprisingly, his comments met with cries of ‘ageism!’ and ‘sexism!’ Yet exactly how new talent breaks into this industry is a perennial problem. Forget whether the golden oldies are hogging all the plum jobs or not, the more immediate questions are: do you have to be from the right background/part of the country/university? Do you need to know someone?

It’s ironic that an industry obsessed with youth and keen to appeal to increasingly fickle 16-34-year-olds makes it tricky not just to get in, but crucially to get on. Attending an RTS Futures event last year, an AP with a string of decent credits told me he was on the brink of quitting as he could not see how to progress his career, and as a freelancer, felt there was little support from employers. His remark prompted similar comments from the other 20-somethings in the room.

This is why we’re keen to extend the aims of one of the festival’s new talent initiatives, Ones to Watch. Traditionally, we’ve focused on identifying and supporting tomorrow’s leaders; now we want to find tomorrow’s responsible leaders. We want to find people who are not just determined to make great telly, but determined to make a difference to their industry, whether it’s around diversity, working conditions for freelancers or through a willingness to mentor others.

As well as benefiting the wider industry, those prepared to rise to the challenge will reap personal rewards: a free ticket/accommodation for this year’s festival and a tailored programme of events. Last year’s lucky delegates had their own Q&A with Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan and BBC1’s Charlotte Moore. They also joined an impressive network of alumni including: Myfanwy Moore (ITV), Kate Quilton (C4), Cameron Roach (Sky), Kim Shillinglaw (BBC), Katy Thorogood (ITV), Andrew Zein (Warner Bros) and current advisory committee members Anna Fern (ITV) and Neale Simpson (RDF).

We’ve helped over 4000 individuals to get in and get on in the television industry so far and we know that between us, we can do more.

The deadline for entries is fast approaching – 27 April – so recommend the best here: geitf.co.uk/onestowatch/recommend 

Or encourage them to apply here: onestowatch-tv.co.uk

• We are also hosting a Ones to Watch surgery on Wednesday 23 April in central London. This informal drinks event is an opportunity to learn a bit more about the scheme and chat to our alumni about their experiences. You can register for your place here.

Good luck!

Lisa Campbell | Festival Director
lisacampbell@geitf.co.uk

Conscious coupling | Lisa Campbell

No doubt your "hearts are filled with sadness" at the "conscious uncoupling" of Gwynnie and Chris, so we've embarked upon some conscious coupling of our own to help ease your pain.

These two are as beautiful (ok, one of them is) and as talented - but crucially, they'd be much more fun to go for a pint with, which is why we've brought them together to host one of the best nights out in the TV calendar - the festival's annual We Love TV Quiz.

Step forward Rachel Riley and Mark Watson who, with help from our lovely friends at Dave, we've lined up to host one of the most fun, competitive and, yes perhaps, drunken nights out you'll ever experience (with the exception of Karl Warner's leaving do).

We'll be mixing TV trivia with some Countdown rounds, so dust off your dictionaries and brush up on your arithmetic, ready for battle. It's one of our key fundraising events, so enter your A-team now. Book a table here.

Our aim as a charity is to foster new and diverse talent in the industry with The Network and Ones to Watch schemes. We all know how hard it is to get a foot in the door in an industry which, like the charge levelled at the BBC's arts plans this week, is "too London, too white and too establishment". So if you know a promising individual who'd benefit, please encourage them to apply. The deadline is fast-approaching (The Network: March 30, Ones to Watch: April 27)

Recommend an individual for Ones to Watch or read more about The Network.

And while I'm cracking the whip, there's another deadline to bear in mind - entries for our Channel of the Year Awards close on Friday April 4.  There are several categories up for grabs, including the new TV Moment of the Year, so submit your best work now. And unlike most other award schemes, they are free to enter.

The festival's sessions are shaping up and this week we bring you news of what are bound to be two of the most popular. Want to see how the other half live? Join Keith Lemon for our opening session, Through the Keyhole with the Controllers, where he'll be sniffing out the secrets behind closed doors (literally, no doubt).

Meanwhile, the controllers will be on stage again as we reveal the results of our latest commissioning survey. Will we see the improvements promised at our last festival?

It was one of the most talked-about sessions, and with more channels taking part, it's set to be the same this time around.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Lisa Campbell  | Festival Director
lisa@geitf.co.uk

What's your TV Moment of the Year? | Lisa Campbell

I'm delighted to be in post as the new festival director of The Guardian Edinburgh International Television
Festival powered by You Tube and I'm looking forward to helping shape an event that will celebrate creativity but also deliver great business insight for all our delegates.

We're busy developing session ideas at the moment and there are some great suggestions which we'll be announcing in coming weeks. I'm also thinking hard about how we make this premier event in the TV calendar even better and I'd love to hear your thoughts. (You can email me on the address below).

We're likely to make a few tweaks this year and introduce further changes in the longer term, but we plan to keep you up to speed with all our news in these new fortnightly newsletters. One new initiative I'd like to tell you about is our new awards category,  TV Moment of the Year - and I'm sure many of you have material which could be a contender for the title.

If you think about your favourite TV series of years gone by, there's always a classic moment that sticks in the mind. They may be moments that make us laugh no matter how many times we've seen them - the comedy gold of Del Boy falling through the bar in Only Fools and Horses - or moments in which we marvel at the sheer inventiveness of the show's creators - from Python's Dead Parrot to David Lynch's dancing dwarf in Twin Peaks.

They may be cringeworthy moments - the first time we saw a jungle-dwelling celebrity chow down on a testicle; or David Brent gyrating in The Office  - or even moments we wish we could forget, but can't - George Galloway, on his knees, lapping milk like a cat on Big Brother makes me shudder even now.

Then there are the moments that shock, that surprise, that leave us gasping in incredulity - the Breaking Bad finale or Game of Thrones' Red Wedding. 

Every producer seeks that golden moment - whatever the genre - the moment that causes the nation to unite and react together whether in sadness, shock or laughter. It’s the moment that sees everyone take to Twitter to ask: ‘did you see that?!'

Which is why we wanted to add a new category to Edinburgh's Channel of the Year Awards. We want to identify and celebrate the most iconic moments of the year and there is certainly plenty to choose from in what has been a stellar year for television.

Whether it’s the explosive ending of a series such as Sherlock; the exit of a much-loved character such as Corrie’s Hayley; or a heart-wrenching minute such as Musharaf overcoming his stammer on Educating Yorkshire, we want to reward the most talked-about 60 seconds of television.

 You can make your submissions for TV Moment of the Year until June 30, and submitted clips will be showcased online in May and June when the category will be opened up to a public vote. The winner will be announced as part of the festival’s Channel of the Year Awards on August 22.

Don't forget to tweet about your moment, and include a link using #TVmoment.  You can find us at @EdinburghTVFest. 

We'll also be featuring a selection in our newsletters.

So get your entries in and good luck!

Lisa Campbell | Festival Director

lisacampbell@geitf.co.uk