The TV Foundation, the charitable umbrella of The Edinburgh TV Festival, has announced the 90 successful candidates that have been selected for its core talent schemes, Ones to Watch (OTW), TV PhD and The Network.
Ones to Watch, founded in 1994, is aimed at those who already have three or more years’ experience in TV and are looking to make the next big step in their career. The successful applicants come from all areas of the TV industry – including Production Management, Post Production, Rights, Scheduling, Development, Production and Casting– and every region of the UK. The OTW candidates will be in Edinburgh for the Festival where they will enjoy bespoke sessions and panels, led in previous years by prominent industry executives and creatives including Jay Hunt, Charlotte Moore and Angela Jain, as well as a full Festival pass. In addition, they will receive 12 months of mentoring from senior industry figures.
The Network is the TV Foundation’s scheme for aspiring industry entrants. Delegates will be given three days of workshops and sessions designed to introduce them to the TV industry and equip them to begin successful TV careers. They also receive a year of mentoring from one of the Ones To Watch and ongoing access to employability support through the TV Foundation’s job pool.
Across both schemes, delegates are from across the UK’s nations and regions. 27% are from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds and 26% identify as disabled.
Sarah Vignoles, Talent Schemes Director, The TV Foundation, says: “This is the fifth set of cohorts I’ve seen come into our programmes and I still find the process of meeting them and discovering what makes them tick completely thrilling. The competition was fierce this year across the board so we’re looking forward to welcoming an exceptional group of people to this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival.”
TV PhD is a joint venture between the TV Foundation and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It gives 15 early career researchers an intensive introduction to TV to equip them with the tools to work in or with the TV industry once they have completed their PhDs.
AHRC funds internationally outstanding independent researchers across the whole range of the arts and humanities: history, archaeology, digital content, philosophy, languages and literature, design, heritage, area studies, the creative and performing arts, and much more.
The Edinburgh TV Festival Ones to Watch 2023 are:
- Jack Bailey, Producer/Director, Freelance
- Heloise Beaton, Disability Lead, thinkBIGGER!
- Kat Butterfield, Writer, Freelance
- Eleanor Canham, Production Manager, Raw TV
- Sarah Conner, Senior Producer Director, Freelance / BBC NHU
- Florence Craig, Journalist, BBC Studios
- Luke Frost, Script Editor, BBC Studios Kids & Family
- Cameron Gray, Planning Executive, Paramount
- Vida Green, Production Coordinator, BBC Studios (NHU)
- Rosanagh Griffiths, Writer / Producer, Freelance
- Dion Hesson, Assistant Producer, Freelance
- Rachel Hunter, Producer, Freelance
- Yeota Imam-Rashid, Assistant Producer, Freelance
- Jasmin John, HETV Assembly Editor/1st Assistant Editor, Freelance
- Talisha ‘Tee Cee’ Johnson, Development Producer / Presenter / Filmmaker, Freelance
- David Kerr, Senior Development Producer, Tern TV
- Hannah Ladds, Dramatic Rights Agent, Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency
- Robert Leventhall, Online Editor, Picture Shop
- Wayne Linge, Casting Director, Crampsie Linge Casting
- Maria McCloskey, Shooting Assistant Producer, Freelance
- Ben Nisbet, Development AP, RDF
- Nikkita Punia, Shooting Producer, Freelance
- Malaka Senanayake, DV Director, Freelance
- Kezia Sheard, Assistant Producer / Development AP, Button Down
- Lauren Taylor, Assistant Producer, ITV
Taking part in TV PhD 2023 are:
- Desiree Acholla – University of Southampton
- Hirah Azhar – University of Southampton and Imperial War Museum
- Emma Bryning – University of York and English Heritage
- Anni Byard – University of Leicester
- Molly Carlin – University of Sussex
- Eleanor Cook – Coventry University/The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum
- Shibani Das – The University of Exeter
- Rebekah Hodgkinson – University of Oxford
- Ruby Hornsby – University of Leeds
- Imo Kaufman – University of Nottingham
- Odile Lehnen – Durham University
- Arisa Loomba – University of Oxford
- Martha O’Brien – Cardiff University
- Daisy Powell – University of Leeds
- Alex Watson Jones – University of St Andrews/National Museums Scotland
Jon Creamer
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