PACT Indie Scheme London

More information soon...

New Entrant Programmes

---

Sign up on our Opportunities page for more information!

This six-month, entry-level scheme will help you get your foot in the door at some of the best independent production companies ("Indies"), alongside training and support from PACT, the trade body which supports independent production companies and distributors.

The salary is London Living Wage.

We offer access support to disabled applicants, tailored to individual requests. If you have any access requirements or require an alternative format please contact application@thinkbigger.uk.com

HAVE a read our 'Tips for Applying for Schemes' before applications open.

WHAT ROLES ARE ON OFFER?

We generally have roles from runner, production or researcher.

WHAT ROLE IS RIGHT FOR ME?

• What is a runner / production assistant?

  Runners, Production Assistants, and Production Management Assistants are all brilliant roles to get your foot in the door in the industry and have the opportunity to learn about all aspects of production.

  In these roles you will be helping the smooth running of various departments, meaning you will have the opportunity to meet and observe various parts of the production process.

  Transferable skills:

  Communication - Have you worked in retail, customer service or hospitality? In this role no two days will be the same and you will be comfortable working with a variety of people.

  Finance - Have you worked in a bank? Looked after a university committee's budget? You may be in charge of office admin and petty cash so managing money is a great skill.

  Problem-solving - TV is fast-paced and can be unpredictable so being quick thinking helps. Have you organised a big event or started a podcast or other content where there were a lot of hurdles? Managed to shoot a film in lockdown?

  Learning quickly - and more importantly, an enthusiasm for learning new skills! Did you teach yourself a new language or craft hobby during lockdown? As a central part of the office you'll be taking instructions from a variety of team members so an ability to learn new skills is a great attribute

• What is a researcher / development?

  Researchers are part of the editorial team, who are responsible for the creative content of TV making. They will typically work underneath and Assistant Producer and Producer.

  Their tasks will vary depending on the genre of programme, which makes it a really exciting job role. If you are working within casting you would be spending a lot of time on the phone looking for people to take part in your programme, conducting background checks and looking after them during filming. As the title suggests, the job involves researching content for the show – speaking to experts, reading studies and books and compiling briefs with facts.

  If you are working in development you will be helping too come up with new show ideas, thoroughly researching them and preparing documents to pitch to channel commissioners.

  More experienced researchers can go on to specialise in different areas such as casting, archive, development or question writing for game shows.

  Transferable skills:

  Creativity - Are you a Tik-Toker? Do you create content for social media? Make short films? Have your own YouTube channel?

  Communication - Have you worked in retail, customer service or hospitality? As a researcher you will be working with a range of contributors in the same way you would with a customer - being personable and dealing with any problems!

  Writing - Have you written a blog, dissertation or a persuasive letter to your local MP? This will help when writing briefs, biogs and pitch documents.

  Problem solving - TV is fast paced and can be unpredictable so being quick thinking helps. Have you organised a big event or started a podcast or other content where there were a lot of hurdles? Managed to shoot a film in lockdown?

  Organised - Keeping organised notes and planning shoots are some of the daily tasks you’ll undertake as a researcher. If you’ve planned a day trip with friends or taken notes during a lecture then these skills will keep you organised in TV!

STILL NOT SURE?

You can take this ScreenSkills quiz to find out what role might suit you based on your existing skills.

ScreenSkills also has a wealth of resources on Starting Your Career in the screen industry, including Job Profiles and Career Maps.

READY TO APPLY?

Read our blog on top tips for applying to training schemes.