Producer pathways in unscripted TV

There is a £250 fee for this programme.

Producer Pathways is a brand new producer training programme for industry talent working in any genre of unscripted TV at A/P, P/D or producer level. 

We welcome applications from anyone who identifies as being from an under-represented group in TV, and/or has experienced barriers to progressing in the sector.

Interactive online workshops, individual mentoring and professional networking events will run part-time between March-June 2022.

From development and storytelling skills, to top tips for managing happy and healthy teams, as well as managing edits, risks, and budget, the training will equip participants with the missing links in their professional skills, and build a cohort of Producers who can thrive and progress in the industry.

Each participant will receive:

• 10 online workshops. Each workshop will be 2 hours long and consist of a 60 min masterclass and a 60 minute practical task including peer review
•  2-3 online mentoring sessions with experienced senior producers/ industry professionals 
• Invitations to a range of bespoke networking events, and to join a peer-led network which will run throughout the project and beyond

All sessions will be designed and delivered by Gritty Talent’s experienced team and carefully selected partners and industry professionals for specific sessions. 

Training will be delivered online with the option to attend regional, in person networking events in several cities around the UK (Covid-19 rules permitting.) 

This programme is supported by the ScreenSkills Unscripted TV Skills Fund which invests in training for the unscripted workforce thanks to contributions from broadcasters, SVoDs and production companies.

Who it's for

Producer Pathways is for industry talent working in any genre of unscripted TV at A/P, P/D or producer level. 

The scheme is particularly aimed at talent from under-represented groups in TV and/or talent who have experienced a range of barriers and blocks to progressing their careers.

For many reasons, lots of people are under-represented in TV. It could be to do with someone’s age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, where they live, or if they have a visible or hidden disability. The reasons someone experiences barriers to career development can be multiple, nuanced and intersecting. Some examples might include:

• Living in a region where there are not a lot of opportunities in production or in the genres you’d like to gain skills in
• Taking time out of work or needing to work part time to raise children, be a carer, or for health and other personal reasons
• Not being a university graduate, or not having a qualification in a specialist subject
• Not having access to practical training and mentoring/placements in the past that would help develop core skills i.e. edit producing, script writing etc.
• Being someone who transferred into the industry mid-career  

What it covers

• The role of the producer - Learn the skills needed to be a great producer (includes dealing with difficult people, influencing and negotiation under pressure.)
• Development skills - Learn how to develop an idea, write a winning pitch, and sell the pitch to commissioners
• Storytelling - Essential storytelling tools, creating jeopardy, the importance of scripting (even for unscripted TV!)
• Inclusive casting - Using outreach to find the best possible contributors, making your series as inclusive as possible, using social media to cast, casting events
• Working culture - Creating healthy work cultures, team management and effective leadership, professionalising the workplace, tackling bullying, inclusive recruitment
• Taking risks - The producer’s role and responsibility, identifying and managing risks, the pitfalls of risk management and their impact on the production (including Covid-19)
• Working in the edit - The Editor/Producer relationship, knowing your rushes, story, style and layering with music, gfx, sfx, writing commentary
• Budget and schedule - Creating and managing budgets, maximising production values whilst meeting financial targets, scheduling a shoot, common pitfalls
• Use of digital & social media - Everything you need to design a campaign: Identifying and finding your audience, what content for what platform, care for contributors, accessibility - from subtitling to camel casing
• Legal and compliance - Clearance & rights, vulnerable contributors, consent or access issues; harm, offense and dealing with an Ofcom complaint; conflicts of interest

How to apply

Click the 'apply' button above. 

In order to apply you should meet at least one of the following experience criteria:

• Assistant Producer - at least 3 credits* at this level in unscripted TV / or 9+ months of contracts**
• Producer or Producer Director - at least 1 significant programme credit* at this level in unscripted TV / or 6-9 months of contracts**

*Credits should be on a programme delivered to a UK or international network channel or SVOD platform like Netflix, Apple etc.

**Contracts can be made up of one long contract or several shorter ones across both linear and digital.

If you believe you have equivalent credits which mean you have a suitable level of experience for this scheme please email us explaining why you believe you have the level of experience needed to attend this course producerpathways@grittytalent.tv

The training programme is heavily subsidised with a fee of only £250, payable by successful delegates or their employers. Bursaries to cover the course fee are available. If you are offered a place on the course, we will provide further information.

Please note: In order to select the most appropriate applicants for this course, ScreenSkills will share the following details with Gritty Talent, along with your answers to the application form and attached CV, as part of the application process:

• Applicant name
• Applicant email

This information will be taken from the information you have given us on your ScreenSkills profile, so please make sure the information is current before you apply.  Any Diversity or Inclusion information you have shared with us will not be shared with Gritty Talent for judging purposes.