NORTHERN ROUTES - MEET THE TRAINEES

Competition has been fierce for the Northern Routes Training Scheme, with almost 500 applications received for just 22 places. The level of submissions was high, with all applicants hoping for a chance to get invaluable hands on experience through a range of placement opportunities with award winning television programme makers across the North of England.

The route is already mapped out for 6 of the hopefuls, who after a rigorous selection process for the Yorkshire placements, have found themselves getting hands on experience, in studio and on location, for a BBC drama currently being shot in the Bradford and Leeds area.

Chris Fry, Producer,  says:

''I think Northern Routes is an excellent way of helping young people with a leg up into a very competitive industry. You cannot beat hands on experience.They are all fantastic and have fitted in brilliantly. It is great to see them all with so much enthusiasm.''

Meet the Northern Routes Yorkshire trainees and hear what they have to say:

Keely Milovsorov (Location Trainee)
Sarah Fenton (Production Assistant Trainee)
Ross Collier (Sound Trainee)
Jayne Anderson (Costume Trainee)
Owen Charnley (Camera Trainee)
Nadine Al-Samarraie (Make-up and Hair Trainee)

Northern Routes is a partnership between the three northern regional screen agencies; Screen Yorkshire, Northwest Vision and Media and Northern Film and Media and supported by the training body for the audiovisual industries, Skillset.

Please note that interviews for the Northern Routes Trainee places in the North West and North East of England will be scheduled over the coming weeks.

The closing date for Northern Routes has passed and further applications cannot be accepted.

Case StudyProducer - Lokesh Kaushal

As a latecomer to the industry,
Screen Yorkshire's Fast Track
scheme was exactly what Lokesh
Kaushal needed to give him that
extra impetus in the early stages
of his career, which is now
flourishing. "I went on to
work with Yorkshire indies on
productions like God's Waiting
Room (Century North: Channel 4)
and Building Britain (True North:
BBC 2 & BBC North) and mentors
based in the region, including
those introduced to me through
Screen Yorkshire, have since
become good friends and invaluable
sounding boards," says Lokesh.


He's clear about what Yorkshire
and Humber has to offer productions
and what ultimately is the source
of a sustainable industry in the
region: "The size and wealth of
the region puts it alongside any
other area of the country in terms
of locations and diversity, but
the key resource for any ambitious
sector is talent and there's plenty
of it in the region (experienced
and new). The trick is to continue
nurturing and feeding that talent
so it stays in the region to exploit
Yorkshire's undoubted resources
through indigenous productions.
My experience of indies and most
of the people I've worked with in
Yorkshire has been positive and
enjoyable, so I hope the region can
continue to hold its own and pull in more production."