Jobs with the BBC are some of the most sought after in the media and The INto INdustry Programme provides the ideal preparation for those wanting to work there. This has been clearly highlighted in two ways.

1. OTOXO graduates who went on to work in the BBC

INto INdustry participants have been consistently finding work with the BBC after participating the programme. Below, some of those former participants have summed up how their experiences on the programme allowed them to secure, and then successfully handle, work with the BBC.

Leanne Hayman, 2015 Participant.

Storyville and BBC Factual Commissions and Acquisitions Assistant

“The INto INdustry programme gives newcomers the perfect practical foundation for going on to workplace experiences at the BBC.”

Richard White, 2014-15 Participant.

Post Production Assistant at BBC Documentaries

“The INto INdustry programme expanded my practical and technical skills and my confidence to be able to go into the Television Industry and obtain various positions at the BBC including Live Studio Runner on the One Show, as well as Post Production Assistant for BBC Documentaries”.

Bertie Alison, 2014 Participant.

Researcher, BBC Natural History Unit

The INto INdustry programme provided me with all the required knowledge and experience to work alongside some of the world’s top documentary producers at the BBC in Bristol. Not only did it give me technical knowledge in terms of camera skills and editing, it provided me with confidence to find great stories which I have utilised in my role in the Development team at the Natural History Unit.

2. Guidance from the BBC

During a recent seminar held by the BBC Academy, a panel of industry experts each outlined the core skills and work experience which they considered crucial for young people who want to enter the BBC. The recommendations they make, summarised online and below, fit exactly with training and experience provided by the INto INdustry Programme –

 

What the BBC say

Donna Taberer, head of the BBC Academy College of Production thinks there are six key elements that a successful newcomer must have –

 

  • Resilience: being able do everything that’s asked and always offer up 20% more
  • Confidence: the ability to have ideas shot down again and again
  • Ideas: “they are your currency”
  • Knowledge of why programmes are made, not just how: “who are the audience?”
  • The ability to network, and an awareness of the difference between networking and stalking
  • Can use the phone, not just the internet.

 

What The INto INdustry Programme does

Making a great film in less than six months, and handling the people at the heart of that film is not easy. Learning to do it all, at the same time makes it more challenging still. But, that’s what makes the INto INdustry Programme unique, and ensures that our participants leave it with the confidence and resilience to handle anything the media can throw at them.

 

Because each INto INdustry participant is a co-director on the film, they cannot slot into typical, safe but creatively limited work experience roles. They have a huge creative impact on the film, and with it, an equally large creative responsibility. They must generate the ideas that ultimately create the film, and they must always do so with an audience in mind. Our whole research and writing process is built around this. And, whilst having the ability to use the phone and not hide behind the internet might seem like a minor, particular task, it is actually at the centre of our first week of research training.

 

The final phase of the programme is dedicated to ensuring our participants become established industry professionals, This part of the programme has a large focus on collaborations, co-productions, commissions and funding for future projects, at the heart of which is of course, networking.

What the BBC say

Jason Horton, head of local and regional programmes, BBC Southampton, said that he was looking for a recruit who

  • Has ability to find and also tell a story
  • Can locate and develop contacts
  • Has already done some relevant work experience.

What The INto INdustry Programme does

In tandem with their training, INto INdustry participants co-direct a 30 minute documentary with OTOXO Productions for BTV, so relevant work experience is exactly what the programme provides in a way that so many other internships or courses do not. OTOXO films, and consequently, INto INdustry productions always put a huge emphasis on narrative and characters. We believe that above all, documentary is about finding and telling the stories of fascinating people, and our programme trains participants to do just that. Developing contacts in central to the INto INdustry experience, from week one during the hunt for film subject matter, right up to the final day when participants make their final preparations for entering the media industry professionally.

What the BBC say

Huw Edwards, presenter, BBC News at Ten and BBC News at Five, wants an entry level staff member who

  • Is able to tell a story
  • Can contribute to the creative process
  • Has an informed interest in the world
  • Is curious about the way the world works
  • Has a genuine interest in journalism and current events.

What The INto INdustry Programme does

 

On the INto INdustry Programme, the participants drive production from its inception onwards. For those participants to find and then create a film deserving of the OTOXO stamp and TV broadcast on BTV, it is essential then that each and every one of them has an informed interest in the current events, is curious about the way the world works, is able to tell a story and contributes to the creative process. These attributes are the cornerstones of factual filmmaking and storytelling, and as such, all INto INdustry productions.

What the BBC say

Lucy Adams, director of Business Operations, BBC People said that above all she looked for young people with –

  • Adaptability
  • Mental agility
  • Geographical flexibility
  • Fusion of skills

What The INto INdustry Programme does

 

In documentary, situations change in an instant and events rarely turn out as planned, so developing the adaptability and mental agility of our participants is central to our training. They need think practically and effectively in the moment, to ensure the best results can be achieved even in the most difficult or surprising circumstances, and we need to train them to do it. Fusion of skills is also central to the programme. We ensure that participants become experts in every part of the production process and that they can switch roles at a moment’s notice. We need them to have these skills for the success of the programme, and equally for their survival in the industry once they leave us. Geographical flexibility is also key. Apart from the fact that the programme itself teaches participants a new language and culture, and the skills to direct factual films in a foreign country, we also work with them to develop connections with relevant people on a international scale. The media is global entity and our participants build up global connections to help them thrive within it.

What the BBC say

David Docherty, chief executive, Council for Industry and Higher Education, said that people who want to work with the BBC must be

  • Able to lead: we need leaders, not employees
  • Able to apply theory to practice through their expertise; not just perform a defined skill, as skills and technology change quickly
  • Interdisciplinary in nature and able to lead interdisciplinary teams
  • Willing to develop a fusion of creative and technical skills
  • Collaborative and flexible
  • Internationally minded.

What The INto INdustry Programme does

 

Again, all the above are skills that we instil from day one of the INto INdustry programme. Converting theory to practice is essential for anyone in such a fast moving sector, and our participants put their new skills into practice, often within 24 hours of learning them. They also need to adapt and interpret learning and apply it to unique, one off practical situations on a frequent basis during production. We ensure each one of our participants is a capable and confident leader, and equally comfortable as part of a collaborative effort. The unique nature of the programme means that all production tasks are real, and have consequences. And, from around the 3 month of the programme, groups of participants start tackling these task independently, and need to be able leaders in certain moments, and willing collaborators in others. an interdisciplinary fusion of creative and technical skills is at the heart of the programme. We train people who can be flexible enough handle every aspect of production and also develop their cross media skills so that they are prepared for all kinds of work in a hugely interwoven media landscape.

What the BBC say

Jonathan Baker, head of the BBC Academy College of Journalism want new recruits who are

  • Able to combine technical and editorial skills
  • Prepared to adapt to change

As the programme covers every aspect of the production process, our participants gain vast quantities of experience in everything from camera operation and and film editing right through to research, pitching, treatment writing and press release writing, so their abilities to combine technical and editorial skills are extremely strong. By putting that such a wide range of skills into practice on the production, means that they can also adapt to change very effectively

As you can see from both the opinions of BBC decision makers, and the experiences of INto INdustry Graduates, The INto INdustry Programme offers the ideal training and experience to secure roles with the BBC.