ScreenSkills has revealed the 2024 'Leaders of Tomorrow' who will undertake a three-year development programme in their chosen area of speciality.
Now in its third iteration, the scheme supports 25 people in mid-level positions with a mixture of mentorship, masterclasses and on-the-job training to prepare them for leadership and decision-making positions.
Funded by the High-end TV Skils Fund, contributions from high-end productions and, for one placement, by Sky, it aims to broaden the mix of people working at a senior level in TV.
Two of this year's participants shared their ambitions with ScreenSkills as it unveiled the full list.
Heather Andrews, based in Glasgow, is going freelance with a plan to become sound designer and supervising sound effects editor on high-end television drama and film. "The Scottish TV industry is continuing to grow, but it can be hard to make industry connections and learn from those at senior positions in the craft, particularly in post-production, therefore making it increasingly difficult to progress to a higher level," she said.
"The programme will allow me to focus on what I love best, sound design, and I hope through working and learning from some of the greats in the craft will allow me to progress to sound designer or supervising sound editor in the future."
Meanwhile, Niall Strawson, who has worked in unscripted production and development in the natural history genre, wants to become a producer or director. "As a producer with a disability [he has been in a wheelchair since an accident 10 years ago], diversity and representation are important to me. I feel this programme will allow me to combine my lived experience with the training offered to make me a future leader in TV," he said.
This year's cohort are:
Aimee Whelan - Production, North West England
Caolan McNally - Locations, Northern Ireland
Chad Orororo - Post sound, London
Charlotte Ambrose - Hair and make-up, South East England
Daniel Kennedy - Art, Wales
Danielle Richards - Assistant director, Wales
Elizabeth Royce - Camera, North West England
Garry David Frost - VFX, London
Heather Andrews - Post sound, Scotland
Izzy Morgan - Assistant director, Wales
Jonathan Livesey - Location sound, Scotland
Jyoti Rajput - Unscripted, West Midlands
Lou Macnamara - Camera, London
May Ziade – Post production, London
Melanie Doyle - Hair and make-up, West Midlands
Michaela McCaffrey - Accounts, Scotland
Natasha Roper - Location sound, South West England
Niall Strawson - Unscripted, South West England
Reanne Goodlit-Jones - VFX, London
Robert Hart - Camera, North West England
Ruth Woodside - Camera, London
Samantha Patterson - Camera, Eastern England
Simon Gill – Location sound, London
Solange Welch - Unscripted, South West England
Tim Jolly - Locations, South East England
