Programme Seven - Meet a Mentor

Programme Seven

Behind the Lens

Our seventh programme ran from February to May 2020

Meet a Mentor is delivered in partnership and with the support of Create Jobs and ScreenSkills.

The Meet a Mentor format

Session 1 - Wednesday 12th February 2020
Session 2 - Wednesday 11th March 2020
Session 3 - Wednesday 15th April 2020
Session 4 - Wednesday 13th May 2020
 
The Meet a Mentor programme takes place over four months. Through a structured series of workshops, sessions and meetings, mentors offer mentees support, encouragement and advice on how to get that bit closer to their chosen career path. Mentees offer mentors a chance to work with a younger generation of creatives, impart valuable wisdom and learnings and holistically understand what the new generations bring and the challenges they face when entering the creative industries in this day and age.
 
Each evening’s structured sessions comprise time for the mentor and mentee to spend together working on the mentee’s goals, a group task led by a creative professional that all take part in, and end with a short TED-type talk from an inspirational speaker.
 
Meet a Mentor 7: Behind the Lens is our first industry-specific programme, focusing on the film, television, photography and visual media industry. Mentors and mentees have been carefully selected based on their interest in film.

Cohort

MENTORS Alex Emmanuel, Documentary Director & ProducerAnnabel Hornsby, Marketing ManagerAnnie Ayres, Head of Music & SocialBella Okuya, Foundation ManagerDavid Smyth, Commissioner for EntertainmentDiederick Santer, Script Editor & ProducerGreg Carter, Social CreativeIbrahim Kamara, Digital EntrepreneurJames Garside, Multidisciplinary Art DirectorKiran Gill, PR & Cultural Comms ConsultantKran Kuller, Head of PeopleLaurie Cook, Producer & Head of DevelopmentLucy Luscombe, Writer, Director, CreativeMeji Alabi, Director and PhotographerMyles Whittingham, DirectorRomilly Martin, Brand Director & Creative SpecialistSam Aminzadeh, Designer & FilmmakerSam Anthony, Creative Director & Executive ProducerSam Orams, Producer & Creative DirectorShail Mehta, Interactive ProducerSteven Russell, Photography RetoucherSteve Carrigan, Communications ProfessionalStuart Pring, Television Lighting DirectorTaro Shimada, Director & Strategic Insights SpecialistWill Knight, Art Director & CreativeWill Selden, PhotographerYemi Bamiro, Documentary Director

Session Details

Wednesday 12th February 2020

Photo taken by Eric Aydin-Barberini

We launched Meet a Mentor 7: Behind the Lens in Karmarama with our largest cohort to date. 25 film, television and photography industry-expert mentors were matched with 25 brilliant mentees and budding filmmakers and photographers. They spent an hour setting agendas and goals for the next four months and getting to know each other. The cohort then broke out of their pairings and networked in smaller groups and the evening ended with a talk by Dan Emmerson.

Wednesday 11th March 2020

Meet a Mentor's second session took us to A New Direction's offices. The second session gave mentors and mentees an opportunity for a much needed catch up as they spent the time discussing targets, celebrating new jobs and refining goals. We moved into a fascinating talk by filmmaker, Joshua Osbourne on working as a freelance filmmaker and making films that matter. His eye-opening documentary, On a Knife Edge can be viewed here.

Wednesday 15th April 2020

The third session of Meet a Mentor took place digitally on Zoom. The session started with a brilliant workshop on being creative during lockdown, led by Naana Orleans-Amissah. It gave mentors and mentees a chance to share their experiences, frustrations and coping mechanisms. The session then moved into mentor/mentee catchups using WhatsApp and FaceTime. Discussions started with what each mentor/mentee now needed and could offer each other from their mentor/mentee partnership in these new circumstances. The session ended on a brilliant talk by acclaimed Photographer and Director Leonn Ward on her career so far.

Wednesday 13th May 2020

The fourth and final session of Meet a Mentor: Behind the Lens took place digitally on Zoom. Mentors and mentees were given homework ahead of the session to think about what they had taken away whilst under lockdown and to revisit the goals that the mentees had written before they were This fed into their discussions once they broke off digitally for their mentor/mentee sessions. After the catchups, we had an in conversation between Darren O'Kelly, co-founder of Untold Studios and screenwriter Leon Mayne. The session ended with mentors and mentees making pledges to themselves about the future.

TalksIf you're interested in mentoring or being mentored, need a career-related motivational pep talk, thinking about taking part in the next programme and are curious about what we get up to, check out the below:

- David Smyth, Commissioner for Entertainment, ITV

‘I really enjoyed being part of Meet a Mentor. It's such a well-run initiative and I can see how much the young mentees get out of it. Thank you to you and your team for putting so much energy and enthusiasm into it.'

Annabel Hornsby, Marketing Manager

'It was a very good first experience as a mentor!'

Nathan Ford, mentee

'This is the one programme that has actually catered to what I was specifically looking for in a mentor.'

Romilly Martin, Brand Director

'I’m grateful to be part of this and hopefully being able to offer some support and encouragement to young talent.’

Nicole Rios, mentee

'I have gained a friend in the industry I want to go in and that gives me hope that I'll be where I need to be when the time is right as well as finally having someone that will support me not as a mentor but as a friend too.'