Top TV Producers Selected For Talent Initiative

The BBC has decided to invest £130,000 in the training of the next generation of series producers. Fourteen new producers will benefit from the training. The BBC has extended its partnership with Glasgow-based TRC (formerly The Research Centre) by jointly creating a new year-long Series Producer Programme for BBC and independent producers.

TRC is an independent charity working in partnership with international and UK broadcasters, producers and public agencies to provide high end training, original research and business support to the creative content industry.

For the BBC, the programme marks another major investment in developing senior network production talent outside London. For TRC, it will be the latest in a series of training initiatives with broadcasters and development agencies to strengthen the creative production base in key centres around the UK. It follows the success of four previous Executive Producer Programmes, which involved 42 in-house and independent producers from the Nations and Regions. 

BBC Director of Nations and Regions Pat Loughrey, who leads BBC Out of London initiatives, including planning the major move to Salford, said: "The BBC's commitment to developing talent across the UK has never been stronger and investment in training is a crucial part of the mix. This scheme helps us to create more opportunities for more senior producers, inside and outside the BBC, to flourish outside London."

Krishan Arora, the BBC's Independents Executive, added: "Independent producers and freelancers find this a really useful scheme to move careers onto another level. The training and networking offered by The Research Centre will prove invaluable to them, and the BBC is proud to support this scheme."

The Series Producer Programme, which will be run from Manchester, will include a range of high level master-classes focussing on honing skills across areas including multi-platform production, understanding audiences and trends in technology, team leadership, managing talent and diversity. The programme also offers unprecedented access to top BBC decision-makers and commissioners.

Carol Sinclair, Managing Director of TRC, said: "We've been working with the BBC for a number of years on developing key talent in the nations and regions. It's great to be announcing the launch of this latest initiative. The Series Producer Programme addresses a real need in the skills mix across the nations and regions. It will deepen our relationship with the BBC and enable us to continue developing the next generation of network programme makers."

The Programme is an evolution of the Executive Producer Programme, which has benefited 42 network producers since 2002 - 23 from BBC centres in the Nations & Regions and 19 from independent production companies outside London.

The fourteen delegates who will begin the 2006/07 course on December 14th are:

Scotland

Paul Tucker - Freelance

Tony Followell - BBC Scotland

Jane McWilliams - BBC Scotland

Birmingham

Teresa Bogan - BBC Birmingham

Andy Vernon - BBC Birmingham

Wales

James Smith - Freelance

Andrea Dixon - Freelance

Manchester

Matthew Laza - BBC Manchester

Victoria Roye - BBC Manchester

Northern Ireland

Brendan Byrne - Independent (Hot Shot Films)

Andy Bell - BBC

English Regions

Jon Sen - Freelance

Charlotte Wheeler - Independent (TwoFour Productions)

Charlie Robinson - Independent (Imago, Norwich)