Production Assistant Training Programme for Unscripted TV
Cohort 1 undertaking their training in Birmingham
September 2024 saw us come to the end of running the ScreenSkills Production Assistant Training Programme for Unscripted TV. It was a very exciting programme that provided 41 successful applicants - split into two cohorts - with training, mentoring and up to 3-months’ worth of placements working at an unscripted TV production company. It had a regional focus, with trainees from 11 cities across UK: Bath, Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London and Manchester.
Launched in August 2023, the programme was funded by the ScreenSkills Unscripted TV Skills Fund (USF) which invests in training for the unscripted workforce thanks to contributions from broadcasters, SVoDs and production companies. It was designed to offer a pathway into production management which is a vital department and a career pathway that often gets overlooked, with very few people outside of the industry even realising it exists. It’s the job route that I took from day one in the industry (after myself realising it existed during my first week of work experience), and it’s a career path that is challenging, exciting and incredibly rewarding. Without the production management team, programmes just wouldn’t get made. They are responsible for (among many other things), booking crew, arranging shoots and all the logistics involved with these, booking kit, clearing music and archive, sustainability, health & safety, completing contractual paperwork and ensuring everything stays on schedule & on budget. It’s a career path that I’m hugely passionate about, so I was very grateful to be awarded funding by the USF to deliver a programme to encourage people to undertake these roles.
We looked to recruit trainees who had worked in more junior roles such as office assistants or runners who were ready to step up to a production assistant (PA) role. We also aimed to recruit trainees from within the industry who were working in different parts or in different roles. This resulted in us taking on trainees working in scripted, radio, TV and films sales and in editorial roles. We also ensured that we recruited trainees from outside of the industry who had transferable skills and would thrive in the PA role. 58% of our trainees were transferers and these trainees came from events, theatre, retail, travel, hospitality, finance and administration. We even had an optometrist and photographer.
Find out more about some of our trainees in our case studies here.
Successful applicants undertook 7 days’ worth of training which was vital in preparing them for the PA role. It covered:
· What to expect when working in TV (including office basics)
· ALBERT/sustainability
· Setting up shoots – location, studio, outside broadcast, overseas (including in remote &
hostile environments)
· Understanding kit
· What is required on a call sheet
· The importance of Risk Assessments and H&S on productions
· Release forms
· GDPR/dealing with confidential and sensitive information
· Expenses/petty cash/per diems/POs/credit cards/cost managers/budgeting basics
· Clearances/copyright (including music & archive)
· The post production process/workflow
· Post production paperwork including how to use Silvermouse
· Negotiation skills
· Mental health awareness
· What to do when things go wrong
· Freelance toolkit and CV clinic
Plus, the trainees undertook the following e-learning modules - Addressing unconscious bias: basic awareness in the workplace, Tackling bullying & harassment at work, Inclusive hiring for the screen industries.
Cohort 1 at their networking meal
As trainees were from all across the UK, the majority of the training took place online via Zoom. I (Hannah Gosney, the Programme Manager and owner of Media Career Advice) conducted the majority of the sessions covering the production assistant role and CVs and cover letters, but we also had some great trainers join us to cover their specialist areas. Matthew Harrisson demystified the type of kit used on unscripted productions, Jude Spencer from Dolly Mental Health, focused on mental health awareness and David Thomas ran the freelance toolkit to prepare trainees for the freelance nature of the industry.
We also ensured there was an in-person element to the programme, so the trainees got to meet each other to strengthen their peer support and to provide useful networking opportunities. This involved them attending two days of the training in Birmingham plus a ‘networking meal’. It was also a great opportunity for the Media Career Advice team to meet the trainees. We encouraged both cohorts to keep in touch with their peers to share job opportunities, ask questions and just provide general support to each other, which they all really embraced.
After the training was complete, the trainees undertook their 3-month placement with an unscripted production company. 30 production companies were actively involved in the programme, across the UK. These companies included: One Tribe TV, Pulse Films, North One, Big Wave Productions, Oxford Films, Firecrest Films, Double Act, Tuesday’s Child, Arrow Media, Monkey Kingdom, Nine Lives Media, Sandstone Global, Windfall Films, Southshore, Zandland, Humble Bee Films, Emporium Productions, Hungry Bear Media, Wall to Wall, Full Fat TV, Chalk Productions, Gold Dust Films, Twenty Twenty, Pulse Films, Naked, Remarkable Entertainment, Walk on Air Films, Zodiak Kids, The Garden and Daisybeck Studios.
Trainees worked on a variety of unscripted genres including: Documentary, Current Affairs, Natural History, Music & Arts, Observational Documentaries, True Crime, History, Factual Entertainment, and Reality TV. These genres provided varied experience for our trainees and included setting up location, studio and overseas shoots.
A selection of programmes our trainees worked on included: Who Do You Think You Are?, Panorama, Rich House Poor House, Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel, Shop Smart Save Money, The Hit List, The Yorkshire Vet, Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking, See No Evil, Made in Chelsea, Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of the World, The Rap Game UK, Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams and The One Show inserts.
Cohort 2 undertaking their training in Birmingham
In addition to the trainee’s placement, they were also assigned an industry mentor who provided 6 hours of support across the programme. These mentoring sessions were tailored for each trainee to cover things they wanted to discuss. Some work-related topics discussed with mentors included CV improvement and interview skills, negotiating pay and contract terms, as well as advice around work hierarchies and protocol. Mentors also supported their mentees with the development of their personal skills such as communication at work, building confidence, time management, organisational skills, managing expectations, and managing relationships, conflict and personal welfare, and work-life balance.
We had a total of 34 industry mentors from across the UK who volunteered their time to support the trainees. They worked in roles from junior production managers, production managers, line producers, production executives and even heads of production. They undertook training which was provided by our mentoring coordinator in order to make the most out of the mentoring relationship. The mentoring was a vital part of the programme to ensure that trainees felt fully supported and confident taking on their new roles.
Find out more about the benefits of the mentoring relationships in our case studies here.
On behalf of the Unscripted TV Skills Fund and Media Career Advice, we’d like to take the opportunity to thank companies that took on our trainees and the industry mentors who supported the trainees in learning more about the production assistant role. Without them, this programme wouldn’t have been as successful as it has been.
Of course, those who took part in the programme deserve a massive round of applause. They all worked so hard during their time on the programme. They took on a lot of information during the training and put it all into practice during their placement. They established mentoring partnerships and committed their time to undertake these mentoring sessions. As a result of the programme, they’ve taken the first steps towards a career working in production management. If our trainees are reading this, I hope you reflect on the challenging but exciting time you’ve had and are incredibly proud of yourselves!
We had a really passionate and committed team who worked on the programme who I’d also like to give my personal thanks to:
Inge Samuels was our placement coordinator. She had the daunting task of finding placements for our trainees all across the UK. This meant establishing contact with companies local to those areas to see what productions they had coming up and whether they could take on one or multiple trainees to work on those productions. She worked really closely with the companies and trainees to find the perfect match based on the trainees preferred genres/desired work experience and the company’s requirements for their available production roles. It was a particular challenge due to the downturn in commissions and work available, but she did a fantastic job in such a difficult period in the industry.
Anna Roberts was our mentoring coordinator. She provided training to both our industry mentors and our trainees to prepare both parties for the mentoring partnership. She expertly matched our 34 mentors with our 41 mentees, with some mentors taking on more than one mentee, ensuring that all partnerships were running smoothly throughout. She did a fantastic job of supporting all of our mentors and mentees throughout their partnerships.
Alongside my team, I worked as the programme leader and main trainer. I oversaw the programme as a whole to ensure employers, mentors and of course our trainees were all getting the most out of the programme. I promoted and marketed the programme and vetted applications. I adapted and developed the course from the 2-day more intensive production co-ordinator course we run and ran these online and in person.
Plus of course our guest trainers who provided their expert knowledge which I know our trainees really appreciated.
I also want to mention the fantastic ScreenSkills unscripted team who are an absolute pleasure to deal with as always and supported us throughout the programme. I feel so honoured that I get to work closely with them to deliver both short courses and longer programmes. They are truly committed to filling the skills gaps in the industry and I love that they recognise and promote the production management roles as an exciting and rewarding career to both new entrants and established freelancers.
Out of 484 applications, we trained 41 individuals from all across the UK. 35 of the trainees graduated the programme. 30 companies provided placements and 34 industry mentors volunteered their time from across all of the UK.
Due to the decline in commissioning it was not possible to secure placements for every trainee but the training programme still provided 41 fully trained new production assistants, who can utilise this knowledge to apply for roles when things pick up and benefitted from working with their mentor to improve confidence and employability to help them with future job roles. We had some great feedback from our trainees, employers and mentors which you can read below.
Cohort 2 at their networking meal
Trainee feedback
“I've really enjoyed the scheme and felt incredibly well cared for by Media Career Advice. It was wonderful to enter the industry surrounded by a cohort of others, to get a placement in a production company and be aided by an experienced mentor. It's such a thorough and friendly scheme, I would definitely recommend!”
“The support & experience of the team has been amazing. I have learned so much and it’s been a really useful bridge to tie in my existing skills and experience into a new industry.”
“Hannah and her team have given me the best start to my career, providing me with valuable industry training, found me a placement and organized a mentor to support my new career path. I think it is a brilliant programme for new entrants and hope to see it taking place again next year.”
“The PAUTV programme has jumpstarted my new career and given me a strong foundation of knowledge and skills to help me succeed in unscripted TV. Hannah is a fantastic trainer and her team have worked extremely hard, in challenging times within the industry, to find my mentor and placement. I highly recommend the programme to anyone pursuing a career in production management in unscripted, but especially new entrants like myself with no previous experience in TV.”
“This scheme has really helped me feel more confident navigating the industry and has given me a good starting point to grow my career in production management. The training allowed me to develop my skillset within the role and gave me paid experience to show it. Being assigned a mentor who has the experience has been of great help, allowing me to discuss with them about my experiences and use their knowledge to grow towards my career goals, and confront any concerns I may have. Overall, I would definitely recommend this scheme to anyone wanting to get into production management in order to start their career in TV.”
Employer feedback
“The company have benefitted from receiving a Production Secretary that has required little or no training whatsoever, this has created a better time flow and introduction into work, which helps during the busiest of times in production.”
“The PAUTV programme is so useful for aspiring candidates to get their foot in the door into the Television industry. The programme helps candidates become industry ready, straight from the finish which means they are thoroughly prepared to enter the industry with the knowledge and experience that is necessary to begin their journey.”
“The benefit is being able to have trainee's with so much passion and experience enter the industry at entry level, and also independent companies giving back to the community and gives people the opportunity be part of the industry.”
“Its a great way for people to get into or back into the industry who have key skills we need.”
“It opens doors and gives opportunities to a wide range of people and enables them to rapidly get a really good level of experience in all stages of production which is brilliant.”
Mentor feedback
“The programme is making great steps to combat the skills gap and I'm very grateful to be a part of that. The training and support have been very good.”
“Great programme - training for me as a mentor was extremely useful, and I can see how my mentee has grown throughout.”
“I have really appreciated the opportunity to mentor, it has given me confidence in my own knowledge and experience and has been very rewarding passing this on to help [my mentee] on her way in the industry.”
“Excellent learning and communication experience. Opportunity to listen and guide new members of the industry towards achieving their career goals, help them build professional resilience and confidence tactics to thrive in their placements and beyond.”
“Very well run and both mentor and mentee are well supported throughout.”
Take a look at our case studies to see what a positive impact the scheme has had on our trainees here.
The Production Assistant Training Programme for Unscripted TV was funded by ScreenSkills' Unscripted TV Skills Fund (with contributions from production companies, broadcasters and SVoDs in the UK) and was delivered by Media Career Advice.
Programme Lead and Trainer: Hannah Gosney, Media Career Advice
Additional Trainers: Matthew Harrisson, Jude Spencer & David Thomas
Placement Coordinator: Inge Samuels
Mentoring Coordinator: Anna Roberts
For more information about ScreenSkills please visit ScreenSkills
For more information about the USF please visit Unscripted TV Skills Fund - ScreenSkills