Candidates graduate from the HETV Leaders of Tomorrow programme

Nineteen candidates have now graduated from the High-end TV Skills Fund Leaders of Tomorrow programme with graduates and members of the High-end TV Skills Fund marking the occasion with a celebratory event at London’s Kings Place.

Launched in 2021 as an inclusion programme that responded to industry need for a viable pathway to improve the diversity among senior roles, the initiative provided comprehensive support for mid-level professionals to give them the tools, networks and opportunities to progress into a senior, decision-making role. Now, after three years of bespoke training, candidates from the programme’s first cohort are ready to graduate.

Hannah Green, Senior Professional Skills Manager, ScreenSkills, said: “It’s great to see the first of our Leaders of Tomorrow candidates complete their training and take their next steps in their TV careers. It’s been incredibly heartening to see the cohort, from all backgrounds and based across the UK, take on new responsibilities and be able to grow and develop. This would not have been possible without the support of the programme’s partners, Netflix, BBC and Sky, who enabled us to expand the programme to more people, and who we thank hugely.”

The programme offers support to candidates so they gain the confidence to make their next step. Each graduating member was nominated to take part in the programme by senior TV professionals who identified candidates who would benefit from the programme and provided the tools to help them to progress in their career.

Payam Hosseinian is one of those graduating from the programme. Having joined as a sound effects editor, he used Leaders of Tomorrow to progress to a supervising sound editor. He said: "Leader of Tomorrow (LoT) transformed my career. The knowledge and the confidence I've achieved throughout the three years of LoT is invaluable. By placing me at the right place at the right time, ScreenSkills helped me connect with mentors who were ready to give me their time and share their career experience generously. I am so grateful for the opportunity and will endeavour to thrive as a leader in sound post-production for HETV."

Fellow programme graduate Kiri Degon started on the programme as a post coordinator but very quickly stepped up to post super on her first placement where she had a mentor to guide her. With the support of the programme, Kiri was able to confidently tackle each new challenge she faced and on her most recent placement, Sky Original drama Sweetpea, had the opportunity to shadow line producer Emma Biggins.

Kiri said: “Leaders of Tomorrow is a life-changing programme that has measurably accelerated both my career and my confidence within this industry. Having worked on a number of smaller comedies, Sweetpea offered me the chance to enhance my knowledge of HETV production to a new level. The opportunity to shadow producers during the shoot has given me a wider context of the many decisions that ultimately come to affect post-production, and the team encouraged my contribution throughout these conversations. The responsibility of overseeing a series this size – from prep to delivery – has helped boost my confidence and has strengthened my desire to continue my career path towards producing.”

The HETV Skills Fund will be announcing a new Leaders of Tomorrow cohort who will start their three-year career progression journey in 2025.