First Break - Period Drama - Open Doors Event

GET YOUR FIRST BREAK IN TV DRAMA

HBO are filming a TV period drama series in North Wales!

• Are you aged 18+ and not currently in full time education?
• Do you live in north Wales, in particular the areas of Gwynedd, Conwy and Ynys Môn?
• This is not for individuals who have worked in production at any level previously in high-end TV, paid or unpaid.

Come along to our free event to find out more about the First Break programme.

First Break is an opportunity to get paid work experience as part of the crew on a period drama.

As part of First Break you'll get careers advice, a training session explaining what to expect and the chance to apply for the paid placement on the production. 

We are looking for people who are keen to learn, who are enthusiastic, hardworking and who are passionate and interested in working in TV drama. We welcome applications from those who are unemployed or looking for a career change.

You could gain experience in a range of different departments. 

To find out more about the kind of roles involved in making a TV drama, look at our Film and TV job profiles.

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For this First Break we are working with the team at Sgil Cymru as our Project Managers. They will be organising this Open Doors event on behalf of ScreenSkills.

If you have any accessibility requirements or further questions before booking, please contact lowri@sgilcymru.com.

Who it's for

Please note First Break opportunities are not for:

• Actors - this is a support programme to find crew and is not for those looking to develop their on-screen career.
• This is not a role for individuals who have worked in production at any level previously in high-end TV, paid or unpaid. Find additional support for your developing career here.
• This is not for people currently in full-time education.

What it covers

How does First Break work?

The first step is to apply through this page to attend our First Break Open Doors event.

Stage one: Open Doors event

Date: Wednesday 9th April 2025

Where: Online via Zoom

Time: 5pm - 7pm

Meet members of the TV production crew and ask them about their different departments and find out about their jobs. Find out who makes the sets you see on TV, who chooses the locations, and how filming works.

*PLACES ARE LIMITED. YOU MUST SIGN UP IN ADVANCE TO ATTEND*

Stage two: TV 'Need to Knows' training Day

Date: Saturday 26th April 2025

Where: *In person*venue TBC

Time: 10am - 4pm

Participants who attend the Open Doors event will be given information and invited to apply to attend the training session.

It will introduce you to how the TV drama industry works and key skills for working on a TV set.

Stage three: Paid work experience

The paid work experience may run from approximately 27th May onwards and into June for approximately three weeks). The exact placement dates and length will be confirmed later in the process. Some department roles may start earlier.

Participants will be given the chance to apply for the paid work experience where they will have the opportunity to spend time in a range of different departments. 

The work experience placement is paid at National Living Wage. 

Applications for the work experience will open after attendance at the TV 'Need to Knows' training day.

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After the work experience placement, ScreenSkills and the team at Sgil Cymru will provide the participants with support to develop a career in high-end TV.

ScreenSkills has developed five free e-learning modules called Getting into the screen industries to support people who want to get their first job in screen. You may want to take these modules.

How to apply

To participate you will need to set up a ScreenSkills profile online. Please follow this link to do so before you book your place. You will only need to do this once and you should keep your login details in a safe place so that you can access them when you need to.

Click get ticket to book your place and find out if a career in TV drama could be for you.

Contact information

Email: lowri@sgilcymru.com