Sponsored content
ScreenSkills’ Make A Move programme provides opportunities for freelancers in mid to senior-level positions to advance their careers
For more than a decade, the High-end Skills Fund has been investing in training that supports the screen workforce at every stage of their career. In that time, its Make A Move (MAM) programme has become instrumental in developing the careers of mid to senior-level freelancers.
Designed to provide on-the-job learning opportunities to those ready to take the next step in their careers, the initiative has helped 1,200-plus freelance crew members advance to a more senior role.
Joanna Crow joined the Chloe production in 2022 and, through MAM, stepped into a producer role. She says: “MAM was instrumental in my move to becoming a Bafta-nominated series producer [including Netflix’s Supacell and BBC1/Amazon drama Chloe]. The scheme gave me a foot in the door but also incredible support from the ScreenSkills team. I cannot thank MAM enough. Without it, I might still be waiting on the bench.”
Over its 10 years, MAM has become an intrinsic part of the Fund’s offering, supported by up to 95% of contributing productions and offering positions on the likes of Adolescence, Blue Lights, Brassic, Call The Midwife, Department Q, Down Cemetery Road, Killing Eve, Outlander, Peaky Blinders, Sex Education, Ted Lasso, Vera and The Witcher.
Hannah Green, Head of HETV, ScreenSkills, says: “Career progression is a vital part of ensuring the continued success of our thriving production landscape. Alongside gradespecific training and programmes, MAM has been central to the Fund’s ability to offer crew members the platform and mentorship to enhance their skills and develop their careers.”
“MAM offered me the opportunity to step up into a role that had previously seemed not impossible but very difficult”
Steven Grainger, production designer
The programme provides a vital bridge for freelance crew stepping up to more senior roles across departments. In addition to work-based learning, it offers candidates short training courses, equipment and mentoring to ensure individuals have the skills, resources and confidence to step up.
Steven Grainger is a production designer whose career was boosted by the scheme after joining The A Word in 2019. He explains how it inspired him to pass on similar opportunities to those looking to mirror his move: “MAM offered me the opportunity to step up into a role that had previously seemed not impossible but very difficult. Without ScreenSkills, I’m not certain the production company I was working for would have been in the position to support my step up. Since then, I have been involved in helping other members of my department utilise MAM in successfully furthering their careers.”
Created to support both the workforce and productions filming in the UK, MAM grants contributing productions access to funding to help aid candidates’ progression and they are asked to nominate a suitable mentor, with additional wraparound support provided by the ScreenSkills HETV team.
Production manager Cat McNamara regularly uses the programme. She explains how it’s helped her on productions: “Make a Move allowed us to develop the skills and talents of seven crew members across different departments. Using the MAM funding, we were able to work closely with relevant HoDs to ensure that the balance of the teams supported each MAM candidate, that they had the necessary mentors to learn from and the objectives outlined in each training plan could be met. The programme is unique and motivates productions to create opportunities.”
Through its success, the programme has evolved to help crew and productions across other screen sectors, with opportunities in animation, children’s TV and film now available. In more recent years, the Fund has expanded its reach and supported more than 100 freelancers working on HETV-qualifying unscripted shows to step up. After 10 years of supporting the workforce, Make a Move continues to drive progression across the screen industry.
