Media Parents

We’re delighted to announce that John Yorke, the man behind many of Britain’s best dramas, is acting as a mentor on the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme, and has also kindly donated a place on his storytelling for screen course to one lucky Media Parents member. For details on how to apply by THURS 18th JUNE please see the watercooler at www.mediaparents.co.uk

John Yorke and the cast of Shameless. Huge thanks to John for mentoring for Media Parents and for this opportunity.

STORYTELLING FOR SCREEN (ONLINE) – FEEDBACK

Rachel, UK

“Brilliant course. It’s been a blast. I’ve learned a lot from all my fellow writers. All David’s help and feedback during the course has been fantastic, and as a result of the course, I feel much more confident about tackling difficult story lines than I ever have done before.

The final report in particular was very useful. I have learned a lot, and I have loved it. I know I still have quite a bit of work to do, but I don’t mind hard work. All the feedback and encouragement has been extremely valuable.”

Norman, UK

‘The end-­‐of-­‐course feedback was fantastically helpful – I’m already at my desk, working on the next version of my treatment.

David has given positive and focused criticism throughout the course – and this, combined with the insights from John’s book, mean I really feel a lot more qualified to write a script now that I have done the course. The beauty of structure!”

TEACHING

• The course lasts 16 weeks.
• Each of the first 6 sessions runs over 2 weeks; the final session runs over 4 weeks.
• All the teaching, interaction with participants and tutor moderation takes place in an online classroom, accessed via a website, and course materials and forums are open 24/7.
• Sessions open on a Monday; assignments must be completed and uploaded by the following Wednesday with critiquing of fellow participants’s work completed by the final Sunday in the fortnight, before the next session opens.
• Completed sessions remain open throughout the course so that you can review course materials and revise your work.

The course is taught using the following:
• Short audio files from John Yorke.
• Short video files from John Yorke, David Roden and/or other industry experts.
• Online guidance notes and directed prompts and exercises, devised by John Yorke.
• Directed reading and viewing lists from John Yorke.
• Online peer critiquing from other participants in the group.
• Tutor moderation (David Roden).
• The support of an online community and virtual classroom.
• A dedicated resources area, continually updated by the Into the Woods course team.

FINAL SUBMISSION

At the end of the course, you will be invited to submit a 4-­‐page treatment for one of your own stories. This might be for a drama, documentary, corporate video or reality show.

You will receive detailed written editorial feedback (of up to 1,000 words) on your submission from John and David, to evaluate your ideas and handling of techniques such as acts, scenes, and use of suspense, action and visual thinking, plus advice on where to take your ideas next.

SESSION PLAN
Session 1: Introduction to Storytelling Part 1
This first session is about reading, watching, thinking and experimenting. You’ll start by thinking about the grammar of storytelling and the essential elements of a story, and experiment with summing up a protagonist’s wants and needs. This session is also about getting to know your fellow participants.

Session 2: Introduction to Storytelling Part 2
The second session builds on the basic building blocks of the archetypal story identified in Session 1, examining structural form in more detail. Now you can identify a story’s protagonist, antagonist and desires, we’ll look at the inciting incident, the character’s journey and story endings (crisis, climax and resolution).

Session 3: Essential Storytelling Tools
This third session is about being able to see if a story works – how to ‘break a story’. You’ll start by thinking about the essential elements of a story, and experiment with three-­‐act structure. By the end of this session you should be able to deconstruct a story.

Session 4: Five Act Structure
This session breaks down a story into five acts and looks at why this is such an invaluable tool for storytellers. Practical exercises include identifying turning points and midpoints and rewriting a TV soap episode in five parts.

At the end of this session there is a live Q&A chatroom session with John.

Session 5: Building Stories
Introduces the basic building blocks of stories – scenes – and their properties, and explains why you need to get inside characters’s heads to make them work. Practical exercises include identifying the different parts of a scene and writing a story in five scenes.

Session 6: Top 25 Storytelling Tips
By now, you should know how to create your story, know how to test its elements to ensure it works, and structure your story into beats, scenes and acts. This recapping session takes you through some of John’s simple tips that we hope will inspire you to look at stories and scripts with a fresh eye. These are the 25 most important things to bear in mind when creating drama, and there are mini-­‐exercises and clips throughout so you can check your knowledge and learn from masters of story structure in TV and film. If you have a problem with a story, these 25 tips probably provide the solution.

At the beginning of Session 7 there is a live Q&A chatroom session with John.

Session 7 Developing your own Treatment
Every television show will ask you – before commissioning a story – for a synopsis and a treatment. We start this final session by looking at the difference between a synopsis and a treatment, then learn the rules for writing a successful treatment.

This final session lasts four weeks, with two weeks to write your treatment and another two weeks to give and get feedback from your peers.

Approximately 2–4 weeks after the course finishes you will receive detailed individual feedback on your treatment from David and John. You will also have the option to continue working with your peers in a specially created course alumni area online.

The online classroom closes at the end of this session, but you can join the alumni area for an annual fee of £50. This gives entry to an archive of course materials and allows you to continue posting work for review from your peer group.

GETTING THE MOST FROM ONLINE LEARNING

The course has been carefully designed by John Yorke with the Professional Writing Academy, which has extensive experience in delivering writing courses online in universities, for CPD training, and for recreational writers. The course is intended to develop the skills we believe are essential for good writing in every medium, from novel to screen, including:

• greater knowledge of story structure
• an understanding of the writing craft and professional conventions • discipline, independent practice and confidence in your work

• the ability to critically evaluate writing (your own and that of others) within a professional context.

The learning model is structured around a combination of peer and tutor feedback and aims to develop and hone your critical faculties through constant practice and revision.

You will not be given detailed tutor feedback on every piece of work you submit (there are mentoring schemes offering this, if that is your preferred route). You will receive individual tutor feedback on each of your final session pieces, and then detailed feedback on your treatment from your tutor and John Yorke at the end of the course, which discusses your strengths and weaknesses, and offers advice on where to take your work next.

Although your tutor monitors your work through the course, perhaps more important in the learning experience are the close working relationships you establish with other participating practitioners, who will include writers, editors, creatives and professionals from the writing and screen industries.

The practice of critiquing each other’s work increases and refines your understanding of what makes a good story – and the working relationships that form very often carry beyond the course to provide you with ongoing discussion and feedback from a close-­‐ knit group of practitioners you trust.

Sometimes, students with little experience of critiquing or working in a group can feel rather intimidated by the process at the outset – often because they think they will feel more comfortable with a one-­‐to-­‐one relationship with a tutor.

This is fine, but it isn’t what we offer here. So please think carefully before accepting a place that will challenge you, develop your work, and require you to work with other writers and to deadlines.

This course is not a passive experience predicated on submitting work for ‘marking’ by a tutor, but a challenging, dynamic process that we know will help you grow into the best creator of stories that you can be.

BIOG

John Yorke is former Controller of BBC Drama Production, Head of Channel Four Drama and Managing Director of Company Pictures. As a Commissioning Editor and Executive Producer, John has championed many of the defining works of British television, and is responsible for some of the biggest audience for drama in UK TV history. He has overseen some of the UK’s most enduring and popular programmes, from Shameless and Life on Mars to EastEnders and Holby City, alongside award-winners like Bodies and Wolf Hall.
John has worked with a vast array of talent, from Paul Greengrass and Paul Abbott to Debbie Horsfield and Jimmy McGovern. In 2005, John created the BBC Writers Academy, the only writing course in the world guaranteeing broadcast work and which has produced a generation of successful television writers. His first book Into The Woods (Penguin) is the UK’s bestselling book on narrative structure.

www.johnyorkestory.com

I remember when I first started working in TV, I was told by a producer that I should either have kids now (age 18), or wait until I was 40. I didn’t really take much notice at the time, but I soon began to realise that I very rarely saw women working in TV who had kids and if they did, they were at a very senior level. So I have to admit that when I became pregnant a couple of years ago I did feel like I was committing career suicide.

AP Jenn Westlake meets with Sugar Films' MD Pat Younge, ex BBC Head of Vision.

While my career is very important to me, having a baby wasn’t something I was going to put after it; I wanted to be able to have a baby when I wanted and still return to work when it felt right. I had Alexa (now 15 months) after working in Canada for a year. I then moved to Germany and came back to London when she was 6 months old. I started to look for part time work, but I was at a bit of a loss as to where to start – the company I had worked at for a couple of years before moving to Canada had closed their TV department and my other contacts only had full time work to offer, which I wasn’t comfortable with as Alexa so young. I did eventually manage to get a brilliant AP job at Bare Films, working from home for a few months, but knew that was very rare and lucky!

AP Jenn Westlake (right) with Back to Work Media Parents PD Victor Schonfeld (left) and Shooting AP Luke Jameson at BAFTA.

By chance came across Media Parents, after a friend had ‘liked’ it on Facebook. I’d never actually heard of Media Parents before (wish I had!), but realising that there were people out there trying to help people like me gave me the reassurance that there was flexible work out there to be had.

I immediately signed up to Media Parents and soon after won a place at their Back to Work scheme, where I attended at day at Creative Week UK. Amy Walker was such a great support right from the very beginning and really boosted my confidence when it came to networking with everyone there. Listening to the talks and chatting to others really reignited my passion for the industry and made me realise that not all employers discriminate against women with children!

AP Jenn Westlake with ITV Shiver's Head of Talent Michelle Matherson and the Back to Work Team at BAFTA

It was great to be up to speed with the industry trends again and to hear first-hand from directors about the challenges of taking risks and having a passionate commitment early on, with the reward of a great film afterwards (i.e. Jonathan Sehring on Boyhood).

Boyhood Producer Jonathan Sehring (right) talks to Matt Mueller from Screen International at Broadcast's Creative Summit.

With branded content being a hugely talked about thing within the industry, it was really interesting to listen to Amy Kean’s (of Havas Media Labs) fun presentation on the future of technology and the possibility of ‘dreamvertising’/ advertising to you in your dreams. While the notion seems quite far-fetched, it definitely got me thinking about where the industry will be in a few years’ time.

Amy managed to set up meetings with Talent Execs and MDs for me, which really gave me the push I needed to get my name out there and make new contacts. I’m really excited about what the next few months will bring and hope that I manage to find a job that enables me to balance my family life with work. I work as an AP or Production Coordinator, you can see my CV and contact details here when logged into Media Parents : http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/11011/jenn-westlake

Media Parents is delighted to partner with Broadcast Creative Week for our latest Back to Work Scheme. Below are the latest successful Media Parents delegates who will be attending the conference days at BAFTA, learning and networking alongside Media Parents Director Amy Walker. Please contact us through www.mediaparents.co.uk if you would like to meet at the conference or would like to receive anyone’s CV.

alana baily, development producer

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/10458/alana-baily

An experienced development executive and producer, I enjoy working across a broad range of genres from documentaries and specialist factual to factual entertainment and formats.

I have developed ideas for all UK broadcasters as well as many US and European networks in previous roles at ITN Factual, Princess, BBC, Love, Ricochet, Optomen and numerous others.

My credits include the critically acclaimed presenter-led series ‘Reggie Yates: Extreme South Africa’ for BBC3, documentary single ‘How To Find The Perfect Flatmate’ for C4 and the award-winning BBC2 series ‘Climbing Great Buildings’.

I worked so hard to get into TV in the first place and I really love what I do – I think I appreciate it even more since I’m on a forced break from it – that I really don’t want to become another ‘mum who leaves television’ statistic. Whilst I’m incredibly keen to get back to work, I’m not prepared to sacrifice seeing my son during the week so am determined to persist with trying to find a part time position.

jenn westlake, AP / PC

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/11011/jenn-westlake

I am an organised, effective, hard worker with a wide skill set from assistant producing to coordinating to editing. I have experience working in the UK and Canada and am confident in setting shoots up abroad. I can turn my hand anything and enjoy having a varied role. I’m self motivated and equally happy being part of a team.

I have a one year old daughter and am initially looking for part time work until I am ready to go back full time. I have a baby at home who is obviously very important to me, but my career is also very important and after a year of being at home I’m really itching to get my teeth stuck into something. I am really struggling to balance the two at the moment, but am confident that with some coaching I can make it work.

Kirstin Cameron, Producer, Glasgow

Kirstin Cameron, Producer / AP

Timing as they say is everything and after years of trying, the joyful but unexpected arrival of my baby son has put my career progress from AP to Producer on hold. With the Television industry in Scotland being a small network, and therefore opportunities for new Producers limited, working away from home to pursue my goals would be the obvious solution but being away from my son who is still only 9 months old, isn’t feasible at this stage.  Limited opportunities, healthy competition, a lack of credits, poor confidence combined with parental guilt, is a terrible combination!

Growing pains of a new Media Parent aside, there are projects which I’m keen to pitch, Producing skills I would like to hone and after establishing a good reputation and collaborating on (I hope) exciting productions, ultimately I want to take the next step to Series Producing. I feel my adaptability, forward planning, problem solving and creativity have probably improved thanks to my son arrival but its time to put those skills to use outside of the home!

Kyra Beguiristain, Producer

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/8889/kyra-beguiristain

I am an experienced Producer who works across a wide variety of genres, from Current Affairs (the Tonight series) and Consumer (Rogue Traders, Cowboy Builders, Homes From Hell), to Fact Ent (Britain’s Secret Shoppers, A Place in the Sun), and primetime Features docs (The Day The Immigrants Left, The Town That Never Retired, Embarrassing Bodies), bringing a sound journalistic approach to every job I do. I have also worked in Development and I am a confident shooter.

One of my key skills is negotiating difficult access, with Government institutions such as the Ministry of Justice, Scottish Prison Service etc. as well as large multinational companies and NGOS. Very comfortable dealing with difficult contributors, in often extremely sensitive situations.

I enjoy working with complex legals and secret filming; very used to dealing with programme lawyers and compliance issues! I started off my TV career cutting News for BBC World; I am very keen to make use of that experience and would love to do more work in the edit!

NB: the large gap in my CV is due to taking a couple of years’ maternity leave!

Luke Jameson, shooting AP / vision mixer, Manchester

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/8439/luke-jameson

I have lots of experience in different areas of TV, radio and online production, including sport, fact ents, obs docs and Childrens TV.

I’ve recently qualified for and completed a Creative Skillset funded Vision Mixer training course at BBC Wood Norton, after directing (some vision mixed) over 40 hours of multi camera motor sport output for Motors TV in 2013.

I’d like to progress with Vision Mixing but would consider other appropriate opportunities. I could do with a little help to get me started.

Victor Schonfeld, PD

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/8516/victor-schonfeld

I have developed and researched, as well as written, produced and directed internationally acclaimed, award-winning documentaries with highly sensitive subject-matter and controversial viewpoints. Credits include ITV, Channel 4, BBC, etc.

I took a long break from documentary making for family reasons and to pursue other professional interests. I am now eager to resume documentary production, bringing my zest and proven high standards to big and small projects.

For more information and each freelancers’s CV and profile please see http://www.mediaparents.co.uk talent section.

Please join www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events.

So it’s been just over 6 months since I came back into telly and wow has it been busy! writes Helen Landeau.

Helen Landeau (right) with her mentor Katie Brewer-Frankl, Little Gem's Production Executive.

It was a bit unnerving at first as my last credit was 8 years ago and no-one wanted to know, but after reading Harriet Wallace’s Media Parents article I was determined, and more importantly, I remained positive that I would get work.

Then Teri Samson from Dot to Dot Productions gave me the opportunity to do the paperwork for Series 1 of ‘Art Ninja’ (CBBC).  It felt like I hadn’t been away and fell straight back into it but was a bit under pressure as I wanted to do a good job.  I must’ve done because they asked me to do their paperwork again!

I attended an event in November at the BBC whereby they offered CV clinics with Talent Managers.  Amy Walker was there championing Media Parents so I subsequently applied for the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme too – and got a place!  I met Elsa Sharpe (Talent Manager, BBC Documentaries) and she suggested that I spoke with her colleague, Louise Heaton (Talent Co-ordinator, Factual Department) who oversees Production Co-ordinators.  Before I knew it, I was having an interview with her.  Somehow, she already had my CV and was going to call me!

Production Coordinator Helen Landeau talks to the BBC's Charlotte Lamb at Media Parents Back to Work drinks.

A week later, I had an interview with Gezz Mounter, Production Manager for ‘Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners’ and hey presto – started in December. I was due to finish in February but kept getting extended and finally left in March. I had a great time on this.

Following on from then, I was headhunted by Studio Lambert and unfortunately didn’t get the job but was encouraged to keep in touch and have had several indie interests. I was looking for work afterwards and didn’t think to turn to Media Parents for help.  An error I’ll never do again. Through the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme Amy was fantastic in contacting various companies who offered me work but by that time, BBC Lifeline turned up (part-time role) and I’d signed on the dotted line.

I’ve been with Lifeline since March and in that time have learnt a lot!  The team are also responsible for producing the DEC Appeals and I’ve never worked so hard in turning around an appeal for Nepal in 48hrs but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  A new skill for me now is delivering on file.

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/9357/helen-landeau

MENTORING THROUGH MEDIA PARENTS

Amy has worked really hard in finding a suitable mentor for me on the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme and she hit jackpot!

Katie Brewer-Frankl is a Production Executive who is very experienced. She was with Fresh One Productions for a long time and is now working for Little Gem – a start-up production company with Ben Gale.

Our first meeting was really enjoyable – Katie’s very supportive and encouraging.  She even gave me the confidence to market myself as a Senior Production Co-ordinator which I’ve taken on board. I told Katie I wanted to experience PMI and SilverMouse and she’s organised training for me on these too.

With thanks to Katie Brewer-Frankl, part time Production Exec at Little Gem, for Mentoring on the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme.

I met with Katie again this month (May).  Again, another productive meeting where we discussed my skillset, CV and how I should also market myself as a Junior Production Manager – after all, I’m the doing the role already but I just wasn’t aware of it!  I’m getting the confidence to push the boundaries further and market myself in higher roles.  I think I could do it but just needed that push to get out of my comfort zone.

I wasn’t sure what to expect in coming back to TV after such a long time but it’s the best thing I could’ve done.  Let’s see what the next 6 months bring…

Join us for FREE CV advice at the BECTU Freelancers Fair on May 29th https://www.bectu.org.uk/events/freelancers-fair. Please join www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events.

Media Parents is partnering with Broadcast to offer up to 6 parents an introduction to the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme. Each person will receive a day ticket to Broadcast’s Creative week – worth £340 – plus coaching in networking, a day of networking par excellence chaperoned by Media Parents Amy Walker, and a personal CV surgery. You must be available to take up a place on either 2nd or 3rd June. Please email events@mediaparents.co.uk for an application form and further details which include training cost – completed applications must be received by 8pm Wednesday 27th May. Here follows more info on Creative Week:

Media Parents Amy Walker, with Back to Work Scheme mums at BVE. One of the mums got a job offer through networking that day!

Creative Week is a unique event connecting the worlds of television, film and advertising.

The Media Summit, Creative Summit and Global TV Summit will gather leaders and creative from across the media industries for a week of cutting-edge content, leading speakers and fantastic networking.

The packed programme includes thought-leadership sessions from industry leaders, expert analysis of consumer and market behaviour, and insights into the creative trends and digital innovations shaping the future of the sector.

With numerous networking opportunities across the event, Creative Week offers an unrivalled opportunity to exchange ideas and make new connections across the media world. Creative Week is held at BAFTA, London, 1-3 June 2015.

www.creativeweek.co.uk

Join us for FREE CV advice at the BECTU Freelancers Fair on May 29th https://www.bectu.org.uk/events/freelancers-fair. Please join www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events.

Having received some really positive feedback on my blog which was featured on Media Parents in March, I decided to write another about how social media can work flexibly, writes part time Producer Sarah-Lee Jones.

Part time Producer Sarah-Lee Jones's reason for working flexibly.

I was contacted numerously by previous colleagues who have found themselves in a similar situation to mine, trying to get back into employment in the TV industry whilst also raising a family. I felt the first blog had a number of positives for people who are in a potentially negative place, trying to get back into the television industry after deciding to start a family. I mentioned looking for employment at smaller independent companies, rather than going through the embarrassment at the interview stage of having to explain they could only work office hours due to childcare issues.

I currently work for an indie film production company called Future Artists. For the past few months I have been co-producing a sci-fi web series called Portal which was released on 31st March. This is the reality of social media at its best, proving that working flexible hours really pays off for both the employee and the employer!

Tuesday 31st March – The launch of Portal.

In the space of 24 hours Portal went viral with over 70,000 views. It was all hands on deck at the office. We, meaning a small team of 3, have had to learn the fastest and most efficient available methods of DIY film distribution.

Wednesday 1^st April

Constant e-mails, Skype chat, interviews, filming behind the scenes, social media has gone mad. What I love most is the power and instant availability of social media. Having a 19 month old daughter who doesn’t sleep through the night (and never has), being constantly woken up at stupid o’clock where at times I’ve found it impossible to get back to sleep, I’ve been able to jump onto Twitter, correspond through emails and update our Portal Facebook fans on the view count on the DailyMotion website (which has become addictive). 90,000 views to date!

Sarah Lee Jones at work with Future Artists on their feature Portal.

Thursday 2^nd April

The views keep on rising, the press are heavily involved and we have got so many interviews booked in, I’ve had to get the trusted white board out just to keep up.

Future Artists are fully aware of my circumstances so if I’ve been working on social media throughout the night I am able to come into the office later on in the day or, where possible, work from home.

Skype is amazing, I can chat to the office and have regular updates throughout the day.  Work doesn’t have to be at a desk, social media can be sorted out from anywhere in the world, mostly in this case, my living room!

Friday 3^rd April

100,134 views in less than a week. Not bad for a team of 3 people working a 4 day week (Future Artists don’t work on Mondays).

How many other companies out there work in this way? Can this flexible hours approach work for larger companies in the industry? Will this method of working help parents back into the TV industry? These are often parents who are highly trained and skilled, who desperately want to get back into work? I really hope employers latch on to this approach, so giving us media parents the break that we need!

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/collaborator/10542/sarah-lee-jones

Thanks to everyone who came along to the Media Parents CV Tear Up, 50 of us had a great night at ENVY, kindly sponsored by Alias Hire. UKTV’s senior commissioner Catherine Catton, Dawn Beresford from Arrow Media and CPL, Peter Grimsdale, DLT’s Michaela Hennessy-Vass, Lucy Eagle from Cactus, Wild Pictures’ Diana Hunter, Esther Johnson from Boundless and Nick Dyne from Fremantle joined the Alias Hire and Media Parents teams to meet freelancers who wanted to improve their CVs, or just make contacts. There is a link to CV tips at the bottom of this article if you want to rework your CV.

Catherine Catton meets Jo Molloy from the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme. Jo has found work at Channel 5.

Boundless HoP Esther Johnson seemed to have an ever-growing queue of freelancers waiting to meet her.

Wild Pictures HoP Diana Hunter meets Kate Boddington from the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme.

Cactus Head of Production Lucy Eagle, and Media Parents' Amy Walker meet freelancers.

Ex-commissioner Peter Grimsdale was on hand to offer scripted and factual advice.

Former commissioner Michaela Hennessy-Vass met freelancers for DLT Media.

Midnight Oil's Producer Ros Attille and MD Gillane Seaborne.

Alias Hire's MD Danny Dawson nailed the elevator pitch on cameras.

Nick Dyne met freelancers on behalf of Fremantle Media.

Arrow Media and CPL Talent Exec Dawn Beresford called for more CVs before she left. There was a light stampede.

With thanks to The Alias Hire Team

FOR MORE CV TIPS PLEASE GO HERE https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2014/01/new-year-new-cv-new-job/

FOR MORE CV TIPS PLEASE GO HERE https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2014/01/new-year-new-cv-new-job/

Please join www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events. www.mediaparents.co.uk Please SAVE THE DATE May 20th for our next event and keep an eye on site emails.

On Tuesday April 28th Media Parents is hosting a CV Tear Up, kindly sponsored by Alias Hire. Senior Commissioning Editor Catherine Catton is joined by a host of Execs and HoPs from various indies to meet freelancers, and MD Danny Dawson and Natalie Brady, Head of Training at Alias Hire, will be talking about their new PM course and kit.

Catherine Catton, Senior Commissioning Editor, UKTV

UKTV's Catherine Catton

With over ten years’ experience in TV, including brand development, running channels and commissioning, Catherine is currently Senior Commissioning Editor at UKTV. We are also delighted that Catherine is a mentor on the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme.

In this role, she has been responsible for breakout hits across the UKTV network including returning formats such as Storage Hunters UK, David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities, My Flatpack Home and Nick Knowles’ Original Features as well as food series such as The Roux Scholarship, Choccywoccydoodah and Hairy Bikers’ Mississippi Adventure.

Catherine has also commissioned a number of films for Yesterday focusing on the 1940s and 1960s, including WAGs of ’66, Cilla’s Unswung Sixties, and the award-winning Arctic Convoys.  In addition, she has commissioned a number of Advertiser Funded Programmes including two series of Find My Past, winner of a Broadcast Digital Award and the UK’s first Factual product placement deal.

Peter Grimsdale, Exec Producer & Writer, Scripted & Factual

Peter Grimsdale, Executive Producer

Peter Grimsdale is a novelist, screenwriter and TV producer.  A former commissioner at BBC TV, Channel 4 and Five, he has worked in all the genres and his credits range from Big Brother to Crimewatch. He won an RTS Best Strand award for C4’s Witness strand.  Subsequently, his work as a freelance Executive Producer has appeared on all the main UK stations as well as the History Channel, NatGeo and Discovery in the USA.  He was also co-creator and writer on ITV’s recent medical drama thriller, Breathless. We are delighted that Peter is also a mentor on the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme.

Diana Hunter, Head of Production, Wild Pictures

Diana Hunter, HoP, Wild Pictures

Diana has been working in television for over 20 years, and has worked all over the world with leading independents and broadcasters in the UK, Europe and the US. Originally from Los Angeles, Diana has been based on both sides of the Atlantic.

Following a Fine Arts degree at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania and 3 years at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Diana fell into production quite accidentally discovering a passion by working on social, political and investigative documentaries for strands - Inside Story, Critical Eye, Everyman and Dispatches. She then donned many caps on a diverse range of productions from arts and natural history programmes, reality, entertainment and magazine formats, features, commercials and across science and technology programming on C4’s Equinox strand and series’ - Time Team and Scrapheap Challenge/Junkyard Wars. She was Head of Productions at Outline Productions for 6 years and now as Head of Production at Wild Pictures, immersed in the factual output of the company.

We are delighted that Diana is also a mentor on the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme.

Michaela Hennessy-Vass, Exec Producer, DLT Entertainment

Michaela Hennessy Vass with Media Parents' Amy Walker and Claire Brown at BAFTA

Award winning production and distribution company DLT Entertainment appointed former ITV Comedy Commissioning Editor Michaela Hennessy-Vass to join its London based development team in 2011. We are delighted that Michaela is also mentoring on the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme.

Michaela has extensive and award-winning experience in comedy, drama and more recently children’s programming, which she brings to DLT as she develops new projects for the UK and US based company. Michaela also meets talent for DLT’s factual output.

Throughout her twenty years at ITV (the last eight of which were on the commissioning team), Michaela worked across an impressive roster of programming becoming Comedy Commissioning Editor in 2007 responsible for top rating programmes such as Benidorm, Ladies of Letters and Bad Mother’s Handbook. In 2010 she left ITV to work as Development Consultant with Leopardrama. She produced a 26 part, international co-production live action children’s comedy for Talent Television, for transmission on ITV.

Esther Johnson, Head of Production, Boundless

Esther Johnson, HoP, Boundless

Head of Production for Boundless, Esther has overall production management responsibility across all factual titles – from Daytime Factual: Escape to the Country and Great British Railway Journeys, to Factual Entertainment: The Apprentice and You’re Fired, Features: Grand Designs, and Specialist Factual: Four Rooms.

She joined the company in May 2008, initially as Head of Production for Factual Features at talkbackTHAMES, which included responsibility for the regional production base in Amersham.

Prior to this, Esther was at the BBC, working initially as a Programme Finance Manager and Senior Genre Business Affairs Manager in Factual Commissioning and then as Production Executive working across the BBC’s in-house production activity in Science & History key titles during this time included Horizon, Timewatch, Supervolcano, Industrial Wonders of the World and Jimmy’s Farm).

Esther started her career at the British Film Institute working in research and TV production.

Lucy Eagle, Head of Production, Cactus TV

Lucy Eagle, HoP, Cactus TV

Lucy joined Cactus in January 2015 as Head of Production. Her many years as a freelance Production Manager/Line Producer and most recently Production Executive have given her a wealth of experience across many genres including food series, reality TV, shiny floor shows and a brief foray into sport – making programmes for broadcasters in the UK, America and India. Lucy is across all of the Cactus output.

Gillane Seaborne, Exec Producer, Midnight Oil Productions

Gillane Seaborne, Midnight Oil

Gillane has worked in TV for over 20 years. Specialising in factual entertainment, travel, lifestyle and children’s programming, she’s made shows for all the major networks in the UK and the US. She’s also produced live studio shows, an animated series and run a BBC Learning competition. We are also delighted that Midnight Oil are supporting the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme.

Ros Attille, Producer, Midnight Oil Productions

Ros Attille, Midnight Oil

Ros has worked in television for over twenty years, specializing in studio based live and pre-recorded shows, quiz and game shows and children’s programmes. She has written and produced for a variety of broadcasters and indies, including the BBC, ITV, Disney Junior, Sky, STV, GMTV, Ragdoll, Archie and Lucky Day Productions She has developed, scripted and produced for many iconic children’s brands, including Teletubbies, Rosie and Jim, Totally Doctor Who and Art Attack. During a five year stint at the BBC she produced shows for both CBBC and CBeebies, including Tikkabilla, The Story Makers, CBBC Presentation and Xchange. Ros also specialises in studio quiz shows having produced and devised the format of C5’s Wordplay, revamped and reinvented STV’s Postcode Challenge, and established the format of Sky TV’s The Loop.

Dawn Beresford, Talent Exec, Arrow Media & CPL Productions

Dawn Beresford, Talent Exec

As Talent Executive at Arrow Media and CPL Productions Dawn is responsible for helping grow the companies’ output and scouring the industry for the top production talent.

Prior to this Dawn spent over 3 years as the Creative Executive at Shine TV where she initiated, designed and managed Shine TV’s graduate trainee programme; managed cross genre development for the Factual, Features and Entertainment departments and Exec Produced a series for T4 funded by the Department of Education. As Genre Executive for BBC TVs Factual Commissioning Department, she was an integral member of the team that brought the best in-house and independent sector ideas to the Channel Controllers and Exec Produced ‘Africa Kicks’, a season of documentaries for BBC 3.

Dawn began her career in broadcasting in the BBC’s Youth and Entertainment Features Department working on shows from Rough Guide to the World, to Reportage, to The Sunday Show. She went on to Produce and Direct a number of shows including Desperately Seeking Stardom and to Series Produce Lonely Planet.

Viki Carter, Head of Production, Riverdog

Viki Carter, HoP, Riverdog

Riverdog is a UK-based independent television production company making documentaries as well as factual and factual entertainment formats. The team has been responsible for some of the most popular and successful programmes on TV and we aim to originate and produce the next generation of hit shows for audiences at home and abroad.

A production manager / HoP with over 7 years experience across a range of factual and entertainment programming, Viki is accomplished at managing complex shoots and edits varying from single self shooters to multi camera location and studio shoots with multiple VT and programme edits running concurrently. A proactive problem solver who works collaboratively with the editorial team to ensure the best show possible while of course keeping a firm hand on the budget.

Nick Dyne, Office Manager, Fremantle Media

Nick Dyne, Fremantle Media

Nick joined TalkbackThames in June 2007 and worked his way up to become Office Manager in 2012. Responsible for interviewing and employing office runners and helping them make the next steps into production running, by giving them advice, support and making sure they are making contacts with all of Fremantle’s Productions, and ensuring they have a general understanding of our business. As Office Manager Nick is responsible for the smooth running of the building and ensuring that each of our productions have everything they need to make their shows.

Nick will be passing CVs back to Fremantle from freelancers at the event, and is also about to take his first steps into the freelance world.

Danny Dawson, MD, Alias Hire

Danny Dawson, Alias Hire

Danny Dawson is the Managing Director of Alias Hire, having originally joined in 2009 as Hire Manager. In the time, Danny has been influential in repurposing Alias Hire into one of the industry’s premier video facility companies. Prior to Alias Hire Danny was a production professional operating for 8 x years as a Researcher, Shooting AP and PD on varying titles and formats including live transmission “City Hospital” BBC1, “Who Do You Think You Are?” BBC1, as well as corporate production. Danny entered into the broadcast industry in 1999 first for Hammerhead TV and then to Metro Broadcast where he joined as a runner to running the hire desk within three years.

Danny was elevated to Managing Director in October 2014 and is committed to focusing Alias Hire into exploring new areas of broadcast services, including bespoke training, aerial video and IP Streaming.

Natalie Brady, Head of Training, Alias Hire

Natalie Brady, Alias Hire

Natalie Brady has been working in the media industry for over 20 years. Starting as an assistant at the BBFC in Soho Square. After taking time out to have children she went back to work as a casting agent and in 2005 she joined a training company as a coordinator for Soho Editors.

Since then she has gone from strength to strength helping companies and freelancers get high end training while also securing lots of funding from Creative Skillset to help make training more affordable for everyone. http://aliastraining.co.uk/ Natalie has facilitated Alias Hire’s training programme (as well as running the office and on most days the company).

Mark Wilson, Hire Manager, Alias Hire

Mark Wilson, Alias Hire

Mark has worked in various areas of the Media industry for 7 years. Graduating from Edge Hill University in 2007 with a degree in Film Studies with Film and Television Production he spent 2 years as a presenter on live radio before moving to London to pursue his goal of being part of the Film and TV World.

Working for Alias Hire has given Mark a fantastic insight into the world of media, liaising with both production and post production clients, building relationships and learning about all of the equipment that goes into creating a show or film. Mark manages a team of booking co-coordinators, technicians and drivers to help deliver and fulfill clients needs and wishes.

He has  a love of art and film, and is often found doing story-boarding and pre-production design in his spare time for friends and colleagues with his creative personality and a love for storytelling. Mark also has a passion for performance, starring in and being the face for Alias’ online videos.

Amy Walker, Director, Media Parents

Amy Walker, with the Back to Work Scheme winners, centre, red specs.

In addition to running Media Parents Amy Walker works as a series producer and talent exec. She has produced factual programmes for all the major UK broadcasters and a few US ones, filming on location across five continents. She is currently very pleased to have produced a series that’s just been nominated for a Scottish RTS award. Amy has seen about a million CVs over the course of her varied career, and is delighted to be able to meet so many talented people in TV through Media Parents.

Please join www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events. www.mediaparents.co.uk Our next event will be in London on April 28th.

You know what its like when you apply yourself to something and it takes off?  Its like watching a snowball roll down the hill, just getting bigger and bigger.  Well that is what I feel the start of this year has been like writes PD and Back to Work Mum Graciela Watson.

Diana Hinshelwood (2nd from left) and the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme Winners at BVE.

BVE15 in February was the launchpad for Media Parents Back To Work Scheme.  This was an inspiring event for many reasons. There was BVE15 itself - a huge industry event which has all the technology you expect from brand new cameras to new sound recording equipment, flexible lighting kits to editing platforms and impossible to miss were number of Drone cameras flying around.

The advancements made technologically are impressive enough but even more interesting for me was the amazing amount of free seminars.  Anything from tutorials on FCPro X to lighting for 4K and panel discussions, such as  “Pros and cons of self shooting – are we suffering its limitations or benefitting from flexibility and cost savings?”  It was hard work trying to fit in as much as possible but the result of attending BVE15 all three days was that I felt much more up to speed about the industry and more passionate than ever to start making programmes again.

One of the most useful seminars I attended was “How to market yourself on Social Media” by Samantha Baines (Penguin In the Room).  First we had a crash course in twitter use from Media Parents, then we headed straight to hear Samantha. It goes without saying that if you work in media you should have a public profile.  Any potential employer has to be able to find you by simply typing your name into a search engine.  Samantha advocates seeing yourself as a product, taking regular photos of yourself and keeping your profile up to date at all times. Simple, but good advice. Her other tip was to imagine your face on a billboard next to anything you tweet…

Richard Ayoade hosted a session which looked at how to write and pitch comedy ideas which gave a real insight into his personal experiences in TV. At the other end there were talks about  the future of tv involving interactive apps the audience downloads before the show airs giving them more control over content.  This has actually already started happening!

Also and by no means second, I got to meet the other women who have been lucky enough to make it onto the current Back to Work Scheme. It’s always difficult going back to work, whether you’ve been out for a few months or a few years (I’m in that last category) but what’s really reassuring are meeting others who are all in the same place.  It gives you a chance to come together and breath a sigh of relief – “Phew!  It’s not just me – I’m not alone! These women have amazing credits too – we are all going to make it together!”

There are 8 of us on the current scheme and once we’d actually found each other in the vast arena of London’s Excel centre, we immediately started swapping stories, talking through our fears and expectations for the year ahead.  It sounds corny, but it was beautiful to meet up with women who are all embarking on the same journey as myself. Watch out for us breaking back!

Since writing this article Graciela Watson has landed a job at the BBC through www.mediaparents.co.uk. For more details of the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme please email events@mediaparents.co.uk

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/3272/graciela-watson

Please join www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events. www.mediaparents.co.uk Our next event will be in London on April 28th.

I’m thrilled to have won a place on the Media Parent’s Back To Work scheme, writes Children’s TV Producer Diana Hinshelwood.  It’s a great opportunity, being mentored by BBC Children’s Exec Ninder Billing, and also workshadowing producers at another company that works with Media Parents – fingers crossed!

Diana Hinshelwood (3rd from left) and the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme Winners at BVE. http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/3211/diana-hinshelwood

As was BVE ‘15 for the scheme’s launch.  Keeping up with new broadcast technology is a must, and it’s all here at BVE in an impressive array of cameras, editing systems and gadgetry.  Wow!  Just Wow!  While BVE showcases new technology, new content is important too, and I’ve never stopped developing programme ideas.

I’ve won two radio commissions, and, with two ex BBC colleagues, an option agreement for a children’s TV animation.  After developing characters, creating storylines and producing a bible and animatic, we went to sunny Cannes for MIPJnr to pitch our idea. The only way to learn the skill of pitching is to actually do it.  And of course, you need people to pitch to, so our first task was to line up meetings beforehand. Through existing contacts, I arranged meetings with Cookie Jar, Nelvana, Cake and Nine Story amongst others, making notes on all of them.

Diana Hinshelwood at Hong Kong Filmart.

We practised our pitch to each other, which sounded great in the hotel room but when the time came for real, nerves kicked in and my mouth felt dry.  However, everyone was friendly and I realised that the delegates are there to find new shows so we weren’t imposing. It helped to overcome any nerves.

We had an amazing time in Cannes, and we came away with a number of co-production offers, not to mention a meeting on a boat and a reception at the famous Carlton Hotel.  The only sticky moment was when one delegate viewed the animatic in scowly silence. I was about make apologies and leave when he suddenly announced “You’ve got a very original idea here.”   Oh my!  From despair to elation in a moment. Cannes was a valuable experience from which I learnt a lot.  No experience is ever wasted and I’ve used my time out to develop ideas and acquire new skills.

As well as development and pitching, I’ve also gained valuable experience in digital production, and I’m mastering Twitter. These, along with my Back To Work place, mean I’m ready for the next step.  Kidscreen, anyone?

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/3211/diana-hinshelwood