Kit Start, the film and TV industry access and skills initiative founded by Dan Evans ACO and production hub Our House Pictures, has joined forces with the Mark Milsome Foundation (MMF) to create an expanded Kit Start programme for 2026.
The collaboration will see MMF provide financial and administrative support, involvement in the selection process, provision of its Health and Safety Passport to short-listed candidates, as well as access to its network of supporters within the industry.
Screen Scotland will provide additional funding.
Joining last year’s collaborator Panavision London on this important industry pathway are No Drama and Progressive Broadcast Hire who will provide new opportunities in Scotland for 2026
Kit Start is a work experience programme aimed at adults wanting to work in the camera department who may have faced barriers accessing the film and TV industry, because they come from a low-income background, have not had access to higher education or come from an underrepresented community.
Applications open in early November 2025 with placements taking place in February and March 2026. Six successful participants will receive three days of hands-on, paid experience inside professional camera rental houses working alongside their technicians and freelance crew. Each placement will provide practical skills, professional contacts and mentorship and career guidance from industry professionals.
Our House and Mark Milsome Foundation working together on Kit Start is significant as Our House and Kit Start founder Dan Evans first met Mark Milsome on Downton Abbey when he was Milsome’s camera assistant. They continued to work together on various projects until Milsome’s tragic death in 2017.
Commenting, Dan Evans said “Mark gave me my first opportunity behind camera and I’ve continued to operate with the mantra, ‘Be More Mark’. Taking Mark’s enthusiasm for filmmaking and his belief in nurturing new talent on and off set, I founded Kit Start. Talent and passion should be what determines success, not access or privilege. Kit Start continues to open doors for new voices and perspectives in the camera department”.
Applications are open to individuals who are 18 or over, are a UK citizen or have the right to work in the UK, come from a background under-represented in the screen industries, live in Scotland for Glasgow placements or London and the surrounding areas for the Panavision placements, and are available for 3 consecutive days from 8am to 6pm during February or March 2026.
Tia Agbro participated in the Kit Start programme and said, “This experience has influenced my career goals, showing me how valuable working in the kit room can be. What made me feel most confident about my career path was seeing how many past employees at Panavision were able to transition into freelancing through the connections they made with the crews they prepped kit for.”
Pippa Considine
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