Fremantle x Learning the Ropes Bootcamp: Day 1

As part of the Learning the Ropes six-month programme the group took part in a 3-day intensive Industry Bootcamp which comprised a whistle stop tour of all things production from Commissioning to Post Production and everything in between. Inspirational talks, masterclasses and workshops were run by the amazing folk at in-house Fremantle UK labels, some freelance creatives and a few of our amazing mentors including Channel 4 commissioners & writers.

Written by Erin Mussett

If you’re reading this, you might already know how difficult it can be to make your way in the TV industry. As a current journalism student, with a background in English literature, history, many years in retail and virtually zero TV experience, after a seemingly never ending stream of ‘no’s, Fremantle and The Tuskar Trust’s Learning the Ropes mentorship programme finally came as the ‘yes’ I had been so desperately hoping for. 2 months into our jam-packed six month schedule, my fellow mentees and I were treated to a three day industry ‘bootcamp’ at Fremantle HQ. Across the course of three days, we got to hear about everything from casting to equipment to pre- and post-production in the world of unscripted TV.

Before all of the insider info could come our way, our wonderful programme leader Fran gave us a quick rundown of the day ahead of us. As we all (very excitedly) settled into our seats, day 1 was kicked off by Head of Digital at Thames, Jamie Crossan. Jamie shared some great insight into the work done by the digital team behind the scenes of some of Thames’ biggest productions, like Britains Got Talent. From the latest TikTok trends to viral Youtube videos, Jamies team handles everything social media related. He shared how his team has changed in recent years, for both the worse (thanks, Covid!) and the better, now recognised as one of the most important teams at Thames. We were introduced to the variety of roles within a digital team, and what kind of skill sets a hiring manager might look for. This was an area of TV that I hadn’t given much thought to previously, but, considering the fact that digital has all but taken over, its importance comes as no surprise. Jamie’s whistle stop tour of Thames’ digital work reminded us all that, in many ways, digital short form storytelling really is the future.

Our next session was led by COO of Label 1, Jo Taylor, who, luckily for me, also happens to be my amazing mentor. It didn’t take Jo long to capture the room and suck us all in for a presentation suitably titled ‘Production 101’. To get started, we were given an introduction to the ‘big-scale popular factual television’ produced by Label 1, by means of an amazing showreel (not sure if this is the proper term?) which showed clips from shows like Hospital, Soldier and Nurses on the Ward. By Jo’s side was Production Coordinator, Lottie Southard and Senior Production Coordinator, Rebecca, or Beki, Fletcher. Together, the trio gave us the run down of various roles within production management. We learned about the production timeline and how a show goes from an idea, to being commissioned, to pre-, production, and post-production. The conversation style presentation allowed us to hear different perspectives from Jo, Lottie and Beki, hearing about their different paths to their current roles, as well as what they do and don’t like about them. Before long I was hearing of roles that I didn’t even know existed, as well as stories about long, tiring but exciting days filled with endless organisation and scheduling. My biggest takeaway was that despite some hair-raising moments and the many hours of lost sleep, Jo, Beki and Lottie still shared an unwavering love for their jobs, and TV as a whole, years into their careers.

After lunch laid on by Fremantle, we took part in a professional development session with Head of Talent Victoria Roye and Business Development and Talent Co-ordinator Ibtisam Zein. We were given all kinds of tips and advice on what makes a good cover email and makes your application stand out and why doing your research pays off. Next up was a look into casting with freelance Assistant and Digital Producer Destiny Williams and Casting Director and ‘Girls Like Us’ founder Steph Okoye. To me, casting has always been an intriguing yet rather mysterious area of TV. When I think about my favourite TV shows, both unscripted and scripted, it’s the people in them that have always made them the most memorable. It’s safe to say I was eager to take in every little drop of information from this talk! Destiny introduced us to the importance of casting, centering on vital elements such as welfare, duty of care, aftercare and GDPR, as well as the need for improved diversity and representation. We learned about the different stages of the casting process and what kind of skills and experience is usually required at each stage, as per Destiny’s experience on The Rap Game. Destiny also introduced us to some casting home truths, reiterating the importance of the casting process, reminding us that the key to success in casting will come from self-motivation, an open mind and above all, care for both yourself and others. Steph gave us a more in-depth look at different casting methods, which can range from scouting on social media, or, Steph’s favourite, street-casting, which she told us stems from her belief that ‘everybody has a story’.

Steph told us about her experience street casting for crime drama Top Boy, shedding light on her favourite street casting methods and what to look out for. Steph also reiterated that knowing what is happening in and around the industry, both within and outside of casting, is important, as this knowledge can often shape how, and who, you might cast if you one day find yourself acting as casting director. The biggest take away from ‘Casting is Everything’ was that, well, casting is actually everything. Without those who work in casting, and the casts that they create, there would be no one on screen, and ultimately, no show.

The last session of the day, titled Commisioning 101 was run by the brilliant Evie Buckley & Kaio Grizelle both Mentors on the programme and Commissioners at Channel 4's youth skewing digital brand Channel 4.0 aimed at 13-24 year olds. With its own dedicated You Tube channel and other social platforms as opposed to traditional broadcasting platforms we learned that at 4.0 nothing that is commissioned is for a duration of more than 20 mins. Evie & Kaio's session also walked us through our commissioning paces more generally covering everything from What even is a commissioner?  to What is a brief ? They also showed us a typical commisioning timeline from start to finish and gave us some helpful tips, tricks and 'icks' (Don't do's) during the pitching process. They ended with a fun exercise in which we had to pick between a real idea commissioned and a fake one and say why. As the day drew to a close I was feeling equal parts enlightened and exhausted. But, as I had learned throughout the course of the day, such is the nature of the beast that is TV, and so as we exited the giant front doors of Fremantle HQ, I was more than ready to do it all again the next day.