Campbell Glennie, Director of the Fast Track and Ones To Watch Talent Schemes, on What Makes TV Talent Stand Out

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This is Campbell Glennie – Director, Talent Schemes at the Edinburgh TV Festival. Handsome, no?

(Don’t tell my wife I said that).

I’ve interviewed LOADS of Talent Scheme grads:

BUT then I wanted to go back to the SOURCE.

So I pinged Campbell and you can read the results below.

He talks about:

  • Where does the best TV talent come from?
  • How can applicants to the Schemes get an edge?
  • What makes the best stand out during Festival week?
  • And plenty more…

Whether you’re a Talent Schemes grad or a Talent Schemes wannabe, there’s an awful lot here for you.

Read on and enjoy!

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1. What’s the goal of the Talent Schemes you run?

Our goal for both schemes is that the people working in television are as diverse as the audience watching it. With The Network we do that by finding the most interesting new voices out there and working to get them their first paid job in television, and in Ones to Watch we do it by supporting and celebrating emerging talent who have already made an impact in the first stage of their career.

2. Where does the best TV talent come from?

The most unexpected places. TV is an industry that runs on ideas. If you have the same kind of people who’ve had the same kind of experiences in the room they’re going to come up with the same sort of ideas. Throw in different perspectives, backgrounds, non-traditional routes, people embarking on TV as a second career, and instantly you’re multiplying your idea pool exponentially.

3. I’m sure the schemes are extremely competitive. What makes an application stand out? What can applicants do to gain an edge?

Let your personality come through, let us know where you’re coming from and where you want to go. Don’t give us boilerplate “good” answers that you think we want to hear. Intrigue me. Make me want to meet you to find out more.

4. Can you give us an example of a graduate you’re extremely proud of?

Impossible to single anyone out but I’ll give two examples of people just in the last week from The Network who’ve impressed me – Kayleigh Mills who, in less than a year from doing The Network is now a researcher at Maverick and Kat Golding, a very talented writer, again from last year’s Network who had her work performed at the Royal Court. But go back through 25 years of both schemes and you’ll find lots of very talented and senior people who are among some of TV’s most influential figures.

5. During the festival week, what is it that makes the very best talent stand out?

Those who do their homework and prepare and make the most of the opportunity, and can juggle sessions and parties equally well. Propensity for all-nighters certainly seems to be an asset.

6. And finally: if you had one piece of advice for all the young people trying to make their way in the TV industry right now – what would it be?

Remember that even though it may not seem like it at the beginning, you get something valuable from every job you take. Make sure you learn as much as you can – be curious, ask questions.

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That’s it! You can follow Campbell on Twitter , and learn more about The Edinburgh TV Festival Talent Schemes here.

If you’re reading this and you’d like to share your advice on Media Pug, drop me a line on Twitter or message me via the Contact page.

And here’s that list of interviews with Talent Scheme alumni again:

Báhcci dearvan!

~ Todd

P.S. I’m dedicated to bringing you the best tips, hacks, and insider info on how to make it in media. Sign up to get new posts and much more by email.

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Lyndsay Duthie, TV Exec & Academic, on How She Became A Series Producer Aged Just 23

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Lyndsay Duthie became the Series Producer of Trisha aged just 23, was part of the development team for Loose Women, made a documentary on Death Row, worked at ITV Studios and Endemol, created School Boy Dad – a critically acclaimed film, and has gone on to run an RTS Award-winning university course. She has also served on the Board of Directors for Women in Film & TV and been a speaker at the Royal Television Society and the International Emmys.

Lyndsay now runs her own production and training company – Ice Blue Media – and is the Programme Leader for Film & TV at the University of Hertfordshire.

Want to get her advice? Me too :)

I wanted to know – how on earth did she manage all this? And what would she say to those who want to follow in her footsteps?

In this interview, you will find out:

  • How did she find success so early in her career?
  • What does she advise her students to do once they graduate?
  • What makes a really great producer?
  • What makes a development exec stand out?
  • And much, much more…

Read on and enjoy!

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Helen Docherty, Head of Development at Voltage TV, On How To Create Great TV Shows

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Helen Docherty is Head of Development at Voltage TV.

She joined right at the start, and since then she’s been part of its meteoric rise. Channel 4 just bought a stake in Voltage and they’re making shows for C4 and BBC3.

Before joining Voltage, Helen developed a number of award-winning factual series including Operation Iceberg, Frontline Medicine and Jimmy’s Food Factory. Her production credits include the History Channel’s Emmy-nominated series Mankind.

If wanted to understand more about the TV development process – Helen’s a good person to ask. So I did! In this interview, you’ll find out:

  • How does TV development work from start to finish? (you’ll get the whole story of how Operation Iceberg was created!)
  • What makes a great development team?
  • How did Helen move up the ranks so quickly?
  • What advice does she have for people who want to succeed in development?

Lots of great stuff. Read on and enjoy!

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William Dickerson, Writer/Director of DETOUR, on How To Make A Microbudget Film That Goes Big In Hollywood

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William Dickerson is an award-winning filmmaker and author. His debut feature film, Detour, was listed as an “underground hit” by The Village Voice and an “emotional and psychological roller-coaster ride” by The Examiner.

He wrote a book about the experience of making the movie – DETOUR: Hollywood: How To Direct a Microbudget Film (or any film, for that matter) – and it was this that caught my attention. I wanted to get an insight into how the film was put together, and to hear William’s advice for up-and-coming filmmakers.  So – I asked him!

In this interview, you will learn:

  • What makes a good story
  • How to develop your inner voice as a writer
  • William’s simple, single piece of advice to young filmmakers

Read on and enjoy!

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Jordan Kirk, Games Entrepreneur and Co-Creator of Table Tennis Touch, on How He Made it Big as an Indie Game Developer

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Three years ago, Jordan Kirk and his friend James set out to create a table tennis game for mobile.

Little did they know that it would take so long – or that it would turn into a smash hit that would enable them to quit their jobs and make games full-time.

The game – Table Tennis Touch – was given the coveted Editor’s Choice spot in Apple’s App Store, which meant that it was front and centre on every iOS device, worldwide, for a whole week. It’s a premium app – it cost £2.99 at launch – so every download meant not only players, but also $$$.

Here’s what the launch looked like: straight in at #1 on the iPad download charts in the UK. Top 50 top grossing in the US too!

#1 on UK iPad download charts, May 2014
#1 on UK iPad download charts, May 2014

I caught up with Jordan to find out the story behind the game, and to ask his advice for young games makers:

  • How did he and James create the game?
  • What were their best – and worst – decisions along the way?
  • What does it take to be successful as an indie game dev?
  • What advice would he give to young people starting out in games?

Read on and enjoy!

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Adrian Back on How He Quit Accountancy and Followed His Dream into Sports Journalism

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Last time I saw Adrian, he was unhappy in his accountancy job and plotting an escape into sports journalism. Five years later, I caught up with him to find out that this was a plan that really did come together… and yes, that is World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro…

Now Adrian works out in Dubai, as a sports journo at 7DaysUAE. His Facebook feed shows enviable weather and encounters with a galaxy of stars. So: how did he do it?

If you’re a budding sports journalist, or if you’re struggling to make the switch into the media job you want, this will be super helpful.

Read on and enjoy!

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Luke Ashmead, BBC Radio Presenter (Part 2): How To Get Into Sports Radio & How Football Commentary Works

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This is Part 2 of my interview with Luke Ashmead from BBC Three Counties Radio.

Luke Ashmead has worked at the BBC for the last 15 years, working his way up from unpaid work experience boy to his dream job as a sports presenter.

In the second half of the interview, you can hear about:

  • How Luke made the transition into sports
  • How he got his break as a commentator
  • How football commentators remember all the players’ names
  • What to describe – and, crucially, what not to describe – when you’re commentating

Listen and enjoy!

Zai jian!

~ Todd

P.S. I hope you know by now that I’m dedicated to bringing you the best tips, hacks, and insider info on how to make it in media. Sign up to get new posts and much more by email.

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Luke Ashmead, BBC Radio Presenter, On How To Get Your Start In Radio (Part 1)

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Here goes, the first podcast post!

Luke Ashmead has worked at the BBC for the last 15 years, working his way up from unpaid work experience boy to his dream job as a sports presenter.

I caught up with him to hear his story – and since he’s a radio presenter, we recorded it for you. It’s divided into two parts – second one will be up very soon.

In this interview, you’ll find out:

  • How Luke went from nightclub DJ to radio presenter
  • Why cutting hedges was his smartest career move
  • How to commentate on a football match
  • And why you should NEVER say no (unless something seedy is going on…)

You can catch Luke on BBC 3CR and on Twitter.

Listen and enjoy!

ilá al-liqā!

~ Todd

P.S. I hope you know by now that I’m dedicated to bringing you the best tips, hacks, and insider info on how to make it in media. Sign up to get new posts and much more by email.

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Dr Evan Kropp on How To Get A Media Job After Graduation (Part 2)

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This is part 2 of my interview with Evan (no need to read them in order – but you should read them both, they’re great!).

In part 1, we covered how social media is changing TV, and what you can do to take advantage of it.

In this interview, part 2, we switch gears to focus on the young people he teaches:

  • How do they learn their craft outside the industry before they dive in?
  • What marks out the most successful ones?
  • And what can young people trying to break into media do to maximise their chances?

Evan is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia.

He has supervised hundreds of students on courses like Television Programming and Media Management, and overseen >200 scripts, and presented his work at top-flight academic conferences in the USA.

And he must be the envy of all his academic buddies at conferences because of his Twitter handle: @TVPHD.

Alright, let’s get stuck in. Read on and enjoy!

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Dr. Evan Kropp on How Social Media is Affecting TV and How You Can Use It Best (Part 1)

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Evan L. Kropp is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia.

I reached out to him to find out about his research on how social media is affecting TV (part 1, which you can read below), and about how he helps his students find jobs after they graduate (part 2, coming soon).

He has supervised hundreds of students on courses like Television Programming and Media Management, and overseen >200 scripts, and presented his work at top-flight academic conferences in the USA.

He also has a badass Twitter handle: @TVPHD. Nice.

This gets pretty in-depth, but if you want to learn more about the big changes happening in the industry and how to take advantage of them, you need the helicopter view as well as spending time in the trenches. There’s a lot here to take in that will help you understand the challenges TV bosses are grappling with right now.

Read on and enjoy!

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Isla Gray, BBC and Hollyoaks Scriptwriter, on How To Get Started As A Professional Writer

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Isla Gray writes for a living. 

She started out on a regular TV production track – moving up to Assistant Producer at the BBC – but in 2011 she switched paths to work full-time as a scriptwriter. Since then she has written major storylines for Hollyoaks and is now back at the BBC, working on a secret project that I’m not allowed to write about ;)

I wanted to find out what it’s like to work as a writer, and how she made the switch – so I asked her.

Below Isla tells me:

  • How she got her break as a writer
  • What key advice she would give to young writers in TV
  • How a script goes from initial idea all the way through to production
  • The story behind the story: the biggest storyline she created for Hollyoaks

Read on and enjoy!

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Pete Nichols, TV Producer, on How To Rock It In Music Television

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Pete Nichols is a Senior Producer who has spent most of his career making music television.

He has worked on The BRITs, the MOBOs, the National Television Awards, Children In Need Rocks and the Royal Variety Performance, plus the Olympic and Paralympic Games, London Fashion Week, and Masterchef.

He has also developed new formats for BBC2, Channel 4, MTV, CBBC and 4Music… sheesh.

In this interview you will learn:

  • What traits you need to make a career in music TV, from getting in on the ground floor to moving up to researcher, AP, and producers
  • How Pete came up with multiple successful music formats
  • How keeping in touch with record producers can help your TV career
  • What Pete had to do to a squid to stop it leaking ink all over the set…

Read on and enjoy!

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Jason Mitchell, founder of The Connected Set, on How To Build Your Network in TV

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Did you watch How To Be A Young Billionaire?

I spoke to the guy whose company created the show to get advice on how to make your way in the TV industry.

Jason Mitchell founded and is Creative Director at The Connected Set, an award-winning independent multi-platform production company. He knows a lot about young talent in TV and is a committee member on The Network and Ones To Watch.

I interviewed him on a wide range of topics – read on to learn:

  • Why he started the company
  • What his background in TV production was before TCS
  • What he looks for in up-and-coming people in TV
  • How YOU can build a network of your own

It’s a great interview, in-depth and packed full of quality advice.

Read on & enjoy!

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David Spencer, Broadcast Journalist on talkSport, Monocle 24 and British Forces Broadcasting, on How to Make it in Radio

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David Spencer is a radio fanatic who has made a living doing what he loves.

Not only has he got years of experience from his work at major stations like talkSport, he has also crossed the boundaries of traditional radio to build businesses and extend his career into podcasting (Monocle 24), training private clients (since 1988), and founding a service called the Media Mentor to support young radio journalists and presenters.

I caught up with him to find out about his story, and to ask what advice he would give up-and-coming people who love “media’s most noble art”.

In this interview, we dig into all this and more:

  • How and why did he get started?
  • How is radio changing and what does podcasting mean for traditional radio?
  • How does he make a living as a broadcaster, presenter and coach?
  • What do YOU need to do to make a career in radio?

This gets pretty in-depth, so I’ve broken it up into four sections – current work, career history, non-traditional broadcasting, and Media Mentor. I started out in radio (BBC World Service), so this was great fun and I hope it’ll be valuable for you.

Read on and enjoy!

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Faaye Wheatley, Junior Researcher, on How to Break into the TV Industry After You Graduate

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“Once I started working in the industry, I realised I understood a lot of things which fellow runners who didn’t have a television degree needed explaining to them” – Faaye Wheatley

“Voyeurism is a natural guilty pleasure and making television embraces that!” – Faaye Wheatley

I met Faaye back in 2011 when we were making a show called Scoreboard. Turns out that was one of Faaye’s first TV production jobs! Since then she has steadily worked her way up through the ranks and as I write she is a Junior Researcher at Love Productions, working on For the Love of Cars for Channel 4.

I reached out to Faaye for an interview because I saw on LinkedIn that she’d just got a promotion, and I remembered that she was actually in the middle of her degree course when we met. I wanted to know what she’d been up to since then, find out how her media degree had – or had not – helped her career, and ask what advice she would give you, dear readers, as you’re starting out.

So – here goes! Links and contact details for Faaye are at the bottom of the article. Faaye shares some great insights into TV production, and some really interesting views on how a Media degree relates to the real working world.

Read on and enjoy!

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Hamish Fergusson, Producer/Director at TwoFour and Broadcast Magazine Hot Shot 2014, on How TV Job Interviews Really Work

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Hamish Fergusson is a Producer Director at TwoFour. He was chosen as one of Broadcast Magazine’s Hot Shots 2014, which recognises the top TV talent under 30. He was involved in the original development and production of Educating Essex, Educating Yorkshire, and Royal Marines Commando School. Andrew MacKenzie, Twofour’s Creative Director, says: “Hamish is one of the brightest minds I’ve come across in telly”.

I had a chat with Hamish to find out about his career so far and to get his tips for you guys. There’s loads of great insight and tips in here. And Hamish is a super nice guy! Read on to learn about:

  • How he got started and built up his career
  • How TV job interviews work
  • How top TV shows go from idea to screen
  • The secrets behind the production of the multi award-winning Educating Essex and Royal Marines Commando School
  • How to stand out when you’re applying for roles in TV

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