Beyond Brontës Selects 50 Bright New Screen Talents!

Screen Yorkshire is delighted to announce the recruitment of the first 50 young people who will benefit from its ground-breaking Beyond Brontës screen industries training programme. Beyond Brontës is an exciting new programme with a focus on addressing under representation within the screen industries. It is designed to break down the perceived and actual barriers that can prevent young people (aged 18 – 24) from diverse backgrounds break into the screen industries. The group of successful applicants comes from a wide range of backgrounds within Bradford, Leeds, York, Barnsley, Calderdale, Harrogate, Kirklees, Selby and Wakefield.

Working closely with local industry, Beyond Brontës offers targeted support, designed to reflect the growing opportunities for young people who wish to enter the screen industries in the region. The bespoke training package, tailored to the needs of the individual, includes internships, careers information, one to one support, training and mentoring.

The screen industries are growing in the region, but the talent behind the cameras doesn’t currently reflect the diverse communities in the UK. We want young audiences to find out about the opportunities available now and understand that a career in the film and TV industries could be for them. Anybody from any background can have a career in the screen industries; there are so many opportunities and there is a place for everyone.

Sam Fray, Beyond Brontës Programme Manager

A core part of Screen Yorkshire’s broader training offer, Beyond Brontës aligns with our ambition to grow a world-class screen industries hub of international significance in the Yorkshire and Humber region and to build a diverse, talented skilled workforce.

Social mobility, diversity of thought, voices and experiences underpin this bespoke scheme. We want to build a cohort of young people who cannot only provide skills; we want to encourage them to contribute their ideas and experiences to a broadcast media landscape that is continually changing and evolving.

Watch our video to find out more

Beyond Brontës held a ‘Get to Know You Day’ for applicants this summer at Northern Ballet in Leeds, where applicants met with the team at Screen Yorkshire to find out more about the programme. Prospective trainees also got to hear about what it’s like to work in the industry and the many different roles required on a film & TV set from experienced crew, including; Jess Taylor – Head of Make Up (Emmerdale), Ruth Bader – Assistant Producer Factual (BBC Bitesize, Fake Britain), Lisa Phillips-Dodsworth Assistant – Costume Designer (Emmerdale), Ben Reid – VFX (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Breathe and The Ritual) and Richard Knight, Screen Yorkshire’s Production Liaison and Education Manager, who has fifteen years’ experience working as a location manager (Four Lions, This is England, Utopia).

We live in a fantastically diverse region, one we are all proud of and would like to see reflected more widely on screen. ‘Beyond Brontës’ is a ground breaking programme to highlight new talent and nurture those wanting a career in the screen industries. Through our #futuregoals and #4sparks campaign, we’ve already seen huge desire from the next generation of young talent and we’ll continue to inspire and support young people from all backgrounds and all areas of our region to reach their future goals on screen or behind the camera.

Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and NP11

What's next for Team 'Beyond Brontës'?

Now that the first group of 50 Beyond Brontës trainees has been recruited, Screen Yorkshire is working to identify their individual training needs and career aspirations. The team is organising a programme of suitable paid internships, work experience and shadowing opportunities at established regional production companies, including Duck Soup Films, True Vision Yorkshire, Screenhouse Productions, Rockerdale Studios, Wise Owl Films and Prime Studios. Screen Yorkshire is also recruiting industry mentors to offer one-to-one support to Beyond Brontës participants to prepare them to enter the industry workplace.

Screen Yorkshire is also finalising an exciting programme of targeted training events and courses to take place over the coming months, that will equip the Beyond Brontës participants with vital skills to give them confidence when applying for and starting out in roles in the industry.

We think ‘Beyond Brontës’ is a great programme that will help to create a level playing field for young people who wish to pursue a career in film & TV and we’re pleased to be working with Screen Yorkshire to offer placements to participants.

Lizzie Warham at Duck Soup Films