Media Trust & ScreenSkills Emerging Talent Mentoring Programme helped me get started in the industry

I applied for Media Trust & ScreenSkills Emerging Talent Mentoring Programme after I had just graduated from university, towards the end of lockdown. I had recently applied for a trainee programme but was unsure of what the roles were and where I might fit in. 

I wanted to connect with people who were in the industry as I didn’t have existing contacts, and this programme provided the perfect opportunity to establish these new relationships. 

As part of the programme, I was paired with mentor Gareth Qually from Warner Bros. Discovery. We had so many interesting conversations during our time, and it was great to get to know him and learn from his experience. He provided me with so much useful advice and helped with my CV and applications – perfecting them to make sure that they would stand out, to show off who I was, and enable me to demonstrate what I had to offer to the industry. During our mentoring sessions we really got stuck into what it was I wanted to do, helping me to determine if it was right for me based upon my goals and where I saw myself in the future. 

I am currently working with one of Scotland’s leading scripted indie companies, Black Camel Pictures. I’m working in the Production Department, helping to facilitate the pre-production of a high-end TV drama. I’ve been here for about a month now and got the role through a training programme called PACT Indie Diversity. I only heard about the role because of the mentoring programme, which acted as a great talking point during my interview!  

The programme taught me how to conduct myself in interviews and I learnt more about what employers look for when hiring. I met so many brilliant people who I’ve formed strong connections with – enabling me to start building up a network of my own. The mentoring programme is the real reason that I was able to get my foot in the door in TV production.  

I would encourage anyone interested in the programme to apply – it’s a no brainer! It’s such an amazing introduction to the industry, in a low-pressure learning environment. The team took so much care matching everyone with the right mentor, and they were always so happy to help with absolutely anything we needed. I’ve made some lovely pals and even worked on a project with another mentee. Media Trust & ScreenSkills Emerging Talent Mentoring Programme presents excellent opportunities if you’re keen for development, and it’s such a great experience – thank you, Media Trust!