Dream Big! 2024-25

Are you looking to kick start your career in children's TV?

Apply to join this 3-6 month, entry-level programme and get your foot in the door at some of the best production companies and animation studios specialising in making content for children and young audiences. 

Paid placements are available as a trainee development researcher, a trainee production coordinator, or a trainee production assistant.

Alongside your role, you will receive training and support from thinkBIGGER! 

Dream Big! is funded by the Children’s TV Skills Fund with contributions from UK productions.

Placements are funded by the Animation Skills Fund, the Children's TV Skills Fund, and the Adobe Foundation.

If you have any access requirements, need additional support to complete your application or require the application form in an alternative format please contact Shelley - shelley@thinkbigger.uk.com 

Who it's for

This programme is for people new to the TV industry with ambitions to work in either live-action or animated content for children.

No previous experience is necessary. Applicants must:

• be 18+
• be based in the UK 
• have the legal right to work in the UK

We recruit inclusively to support current and future generations of talent to flourish in the screen industries. We are committed to embedding diversity in all its forms, including geographic representation,  in the workforce we help to build.

What it covers

Dream Big! is a comprehensive training programme.

Successful applicants will receive training and support from thinkBIGGER! throughout the programme in addition to a 3-6 month paid placement.

Before completing your application, please read the information below on:

• the available job roles
• the transferable skills required for each role
• the companies involved in the programme and the individual job specifications for the placement opportunities they are offering.

You will need to use this information to decide which opportunity you would like to apply for.

If you have any access requirements, need additional support to complete your application or require the application form in an alternative format please contact Shelley - shelley@thinkbigger.uk.com 

Job roles for placements:

Production assistant

Production assistants work in the production management department and, depending on the type of programme being made, could be office-based, out on location or the person at the director’s right hand. On large projects, production assistants support production coordinators, but on others may support production managers, producers or whole teams.

Their role is varied and can include organising the production contacts list, making and taking calls, and processing paperwork such as contracts, release forms and invoices. They also help to support editorial teams filming on location and are often involved in research for programmes in development and production. 

Transferable skills:

• Organisational - do you love a to-do list? Love getting things done? Are you always thinking ahead? As a production assistant your work will be varied, exciting and always busy!
• Problem solving - in TV you need to think fast and be proactive. Even the most junior person in the team can save the day with a brilliant idea or an alternative plan that can help deliver magic onscreen.
• Communication. Have you worked in customer service or hospitality? As a production assistant you will be working with a range of teams from across the business so being personable and having the confidence to ask questions to help you deliver on tasks is key for this role. 

Please click on the links in the 'companies' section below to read the individual job specifications.

Production coordinator

Production coordinators are part of the production management team who look after the logistics of making TV – this includes budgets, transport, schedules and health and safety.

Production coordinators work underneath production managers, but will also work very closely with editorial staff (producers, assistant producers, researchers) to facilitate filming requirements.

A production coordinator will book travel and hotels for crew and contributors, organise crew visas and filming locations. They will be looking after paperwork for production, such as release forms, and compiling a call sheet - a document issued for all filming shoots containing contact details, locations and schedules.

Transferable skills:

• Organisational – do you love to create a holiday schedule or planning events or a wedding? A co-ordinator keeps a team organised!
• Finance – have you worked in a bank? Looked after a university committee's budget? Worked in retail? Production management are in charge of budgets and as a coordinator, you’ll be working with invoices and cost monitors.
• Problem-solving - unfortunately, as organised as we try to be, a TV shoot may not always go to plan. So we are looking for people who can think on their feet and find a train to replace that flight that was just cancelled.

Please click on the links in the 'companies' section below to read the individual job specifications.

Researcher

Researchers are part of the editorial team, who are responsible for the creative content of TV making. They will typically work underneath assistant producers and producers.

Their tasks will vary depending on the genre of programme, which makes it a really exciting job role. If you are working within casting you would be spending a lot of time on the phone looking for people to take part in your programme, conducting background checks and looking after them during filming. As the title suggests, the job involves researching content for the show – speaking to experts, reading studies and books and compiling briefs with facts.

More experienced researchers can go on to specialise in different areas such as casting, archive, development or question writing for game shows.

Transferable skills:

• Communication. Have you worked in retail, customer service or hospitality? As a researcher you will be working with a range of contributors in the same way you would with a customer - being personable and dealing with any problems!
• Writing. Have you written a blog, dissertation or a persuasive letter to your local MP? This will help when writing briefs, biogs and pitch documents.
• Problem-solving - TV is fast-paced and can be unpredictable so being quick thinking helps. Have you organised a big event or started a podcast or other content where there were a lot of hurdles? Managed to shoot a film in lockdown?
• Organised - keeping organised notes and planning shoots are some of the daily tasks you’ll undertake as a researcher. If you’ve planned a day trip with friends or taken notes during a lecture then these skills will keep you organised in TV!

Please click on the links in the 'companies' section below to read the individual job specifications.

Companies involved and the role they are looking for:

Children’s live-action TV

• Black Camel Pictures (Glasgow, Scotland) - trainee production assistant (4 month placement)
• Drummer TV (Bristol) - trainee production assistant (3 month placement)
• King Banana TV (London) - trainee production assistant (6 month placement)
• Lion TV (London) -  trainee production assistant (3 month placement)
• The Connected Set (London) - trainee production assistant (6 month placement)
• BBC Studios  (Manchester/Glasgow) - trainee production coordinator (6 month placement)
• Particle 6  (London) - trainee production coordinator (3 month placement)
• Terrific TV (Maidstone) - trainee production coordinator (4 month placement)
• Big Little Fish (London) - trainee researcher (3 month placement)
• Brilliant Trees Media (Salford) -  trainee researcher (3 month placement)

Animation

• Aardman (Bristol) - trainee production assistant (3 month placement)
• A Productions (Bristol) - trainee production assistant (6 month placement)
• LoveLove Films (Bournemouth) - trainee production assistant (6 month placement)
• Magic Light Pictures (London) - trainee production assistant (6 month placement)
• Paper Owl Films (Holywood, Northern Ireland) - trainee production assistant (6 month placement)
• Wild Child Animation (Stirling, Scotland) - trainee production assistant (6 month placement)

NB: You don't need to be based in the city of the company you are applying for, but you do need to be willing to travel or relocate.

How to apply

Click the 'apply now' button on this page to submit your application. You will need to be signed into your ScreenSkills account in order to apply.

Key dates:

• Application deadline: Noon on Monday 22 July
• Interviews:  Monday 29 July - Friday 9 August
• Programme start date: Monday 16 September

In your application you will need to specify the company you most want to work for and why.

Contact information

Name: Shelley
Email: shelley@thinkbigger.uk.com