ITV Workshops

Last week ITV staff were back in the Screen school running two days of workshops with students, as part of the ITV Northern Lights Partnership.

On day one, the pitching masterclass, students worked with, John Whiston, Managing Director Continuing Drama/ITV In the North, Ben Smith, Development Producer, Popular Factual, Shiver, Matt Cleary, Head of Production, Emmerdale, Jim Adnitt, Production Specialist, Nicky Gillham, Creative Account Manager, Northern Productions – ITV Commercial, AJ (Amanda-Jane) Read, Publicity & Engagement Manager, ITV in the North.

Students developed ideas and pitched them back to the ITV staff. The workshop was a simulation of developing and presenting ideas to commissioners and provided students with a great tool kit for interrogating ideas and making them the best they can be.

The second day was a story-lining workshop with Mark Bickerton, Head of Editorial Engagement, ITV Continuing Drama,  John Whiston and AJ (Amanda-Jane) Read. This was conducted as a real life story-lining conference with students plotting the storyline for Coronation Street moving forward from last week’s episodes.

Both days provided an insight into professional practice. And as well as being intense and challenging the days were very sociable, lots of opportunities for networking and fun!

One student, Jamie Sadler commented that, ‘I had more fun than I ever conceived I was personally capable of!’