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foot in the door.

We delivered our pilot “Foot In The Door” programme in 2022 with SharpFutures. Even as an unknown, start-up charity at the time, 99 young people applied. The programme gave our 6 participants 8 weeks of recruitment and careful onboarding, followed by 6 weeks boot camp learning about different production techniques, digital storytelling, creative ideas generation, writing and pitching. They developed their communication and teamwork skills through a wide range of workshops and masterclasses. After the initial bootcamp, they spent a further 6 weeks developing their creative and digital skills, on work placements with: digital publisher LADbible; ITV Studios (including on The Bay, Tall Story Pictures); Lime Pictures (on Channel 4’s Hollyoaks); and Studio Lambert North (on Four in a Bed and Naked Attraction). They were paid a real living wage throughout our 12 week programme- making it genuinely accessible.

After graduating our programme, the group had a behind the scenes tour of LBC radio with broadcaster James O’Brien, a visit to digital experts Little Dot Studios and a round table discussion with various senior executives, including Jane Turton (All3Media, Royal Television Society). The cohort were all then matched with mentors for a minimum of six months mentoring and invited to join the SharpFutures talent pool and recruitment programme, People On Demand (POD).

Despite strong desire, plus many previous attempts, none of these young people had worked in the media before. When we met them, all were either unemployed or in entry roles that did not interest them. All have since moved onto employment in the creative industries or are receiving professional development through our alumni programmes. You can read more about their progress in our Where Are They Now section. Foot In The Door showed that properly tailored interventions really change lives- supporting the creative industry’s desire to improve access and embrace more diverse talent. We are so proud of our alumni and all they have achieved.

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ALUMNI - WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

AALA ALSHAMI

Aala discovered the Andy Taylor Foundation when she received an invitation to an open day at Sharp Futures through the Department of Work & Pensions. Her application presented a unique blend of strengths: an academic foundation in engineering, coupled with evident creativity that had previously earned her recognition, including winning a BFI Academy competition for her inaugural short film. As soon as we met her, Aala shone as a unique talent with a quietly assured, intelligent presence. Reflecting on her journey, Aala expressed, “I was applying for jobs for a very long time, without success. After I was selected to take part in Foot In The Door, I appreciated the fact that I was seen as a person, as an individual.”

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During her FITD placement, Aala immersed herself in the vibrant world of ITV Studios. She gained exposure to various elements of scripted drama production while working on the set of Tall Story Pictures’ 'The Bay'. Through the experience, she realised, “We got to learn about so many different fields of media. I wanted to go into scripted drama, but there are so many other areas where I can now utilise my skills. This has really boosted my confidence and given me the skills to go further.”

Following her graduation from FITD, Aala secured a position as a researcher at BBC Children's and Education. In this role, she ambitiously embarked on a mission to introduce programming concepts to primary school students, by harnessing emerging media technologies and the BBC micro:bit as a pivotal learning tool.
Aala eventually found a permanent position that merged her engineering prowess with her creative instincts. Today, she thrives as a full-time Junior DevSecOps Engineer at Domestic and General, a path she hadn't previously considered but has embraced wholeheartedly. Aala tells us she finds fulfilment in the flexibility and challenges of her current role, surrounded by a supportive and inspiring team of colleagues and mentors.

In addition to her professional endeavours, Aala dedicates time to her passion for scriptwriting, actively participating in a writers' group and occasionally taking on researcher roles for small creative projects.
We are incredibly proud of all Aala has achieved and the route into permanent employment she has taken.

April 2024

Grace Barnes

Grace heard about Foot in the Door via a Facebook link, forwarded by her Mum. When she applied, she was out of paid work, spending a lot of my time helping her Mum with my grandma and looking after her animals. Alongside her family responsibilities, she found time to create and post really entertaining content. She had already built a following of around 2,000 YouTube subscribers. Grace’s creative vision, warm delivery and instinctive editing skills shone out to us through her videos.

Being able to place Grace at LADbible for her FITD work placement felt like a match made in heaven. She excelled from day one. Before she had even finished her six week placement, LADbible offered her a full time job.

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They told us she was already the fastest editor under their roof! Soon after that, Grace said: “FITD has changed my life forever, not only in terms of my career as I’m in a job I dreamt of, but also in my confidence in my own skills and abilities. It also helped me meet friends and contacts that will last a lifetime.”

Grace started at LADBible as Junior Video Editor. Like many businesses, LADbible went through some restructuring shortly after Grace arrived. Not only did she survive a redundancy round, she went on to be named ‘Newcomer of the Year’ at their end of year staff awards. Her progression continued. She was promoted to Video Editor. She even has her sights fixed on being promoted again to Senior Video Editor soon!

April 2024

Michael Harrison

Michael always had a huge pull to creative media, hustling from a young age to turn his dream to reality. He secured a place on the Creative Media Course (Film & TV) at UTC, MediaCity. However, on leaving school, he had to take up work rather than go to Uni. Unable to find a suitable entry level media role, Michael carried on writing scripts on the side and worked in a cinema to continue indulging his passion. When he heard about Foot in the Door, he felt it was ideal for him.

Michael’s love of the sector was immediately apparent to us, and his enthusiasm infectious. Michael told us he liked big entertainment formats and had always admired Studio Lambert. We were therefore thrilled to place him with them- initially casting ‘Four in a Bed’, but then he decided it would be an interesting challenge to support ‘Naked Attraction’.

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Since finishing Foot In The Door, Michael has chosen to take arguably the most arduous route of all our cohort. He has been determinedly beating the path of freelance TV runner. In an incredibly tough job market, full of unemployment and disappointment for most, Michael’s talent and personable nature mean he has been doing well. His CV is building slowly, but steadily, to include a raft of household names. He has spent time with BBC (including Dragon’s Den and Children in Need), Fremantle (Britain’s Got Talent), Banijay (Hot Wheels), Whisper (Rewind Clinic), and returned to Studio Lambert (Naked Attraction, Four in a Bed and, as we write, has secured a contract on the next Traitors, UK and US!). It may sound as if things have been a breeze. They haven’t. Not disheartened by the realities of freelancing in today’s world though, Michael has filled down time with bar work and flexible roles to keep money flowing in. His grit is fantastic and we hope it will continue to be rewarded and his opportunities grow and grow, with our ongoing support as needed.

Michael has even somehow managed to shoot his second short film in his spare time. You can watch it at YouTube.com/@cinemh. Michael is a testament to hard work and perseverance and proof that sometimes all people need is that first opportunity.

Michael wrote “It is hard to put into words the monumental shift my life has experienced since Foot in the Door”.

April 2024

Francesco Killough

Francesco was struggling to find a job of any kind in the year after he finished college. He went to the job centre and one of the first things they put in front of him was the Foot in the Door course. He told his job coach he wanted to apply. With an artistic eye, clear creativity and a love of camera work of all types, Francesco impressed us with his mild mannered confidence. He has gravitas beyond his years.

We placed Frankie with ITV Studios. He thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, but really revelled in his time on set (including with major drama, ‘The Bay’). Frankie told us “The experience on set of ‘The Bay’ was a real make or break moment for me. Yes, I had a great passion for creating and filming on my own small scale, but if I’d not found a place for myself on a professional production I’d have found myself at a loose end…. I enjoyed every moment on-set. Each department I was involved in… really broadened my mind as to what I could hope to do in the future, from once relatively narrow goals. I gained a greater appreciation of how everyone contributes to a stellar end-product. Being so close to industry standard equipment I’d only read up until that point about, was likewise really exciting and I was constantly appreciative of how friendly and welcoming everyone was”.

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Frankie is a realist and deep thinker. He decided he needed to move straight into the world of work, whilst reflecting on his experience at FITD and working on his own creative projects. When we caught up recently, Frankie said “After completing FITD, I began writing two longer short-film scripts that I’d conceptualised that year. By the end of 2022, I’d written a 20-page script (“The Lonely Men of Manchester”) and a 50-page script (“The Tell-Tale Cold Sore” originally intended to be much shorter but blossomed much further than I could have hoped). On the advice of my ATF supplied mentor, I banked those scripts in the hope I could pitch them to potential funders in the future and turned my attention to generating ideas for shorter, more manageable projects that I could self-produce.

By the end of 2023, I had 3 potential short scripts (“The Wrong Garden”, “Kill Him” and “What are you listening to?”) one of which I’m set to shoot this month, starting tomorrow. In the meantime, I continued to work, saving up funds to purchase gear and fund my own projects. I’ve continued to seek out on-set work and recently acted as AC on a student film in Edinburgh in association with Screen Academy Scotland “The Man Who Fell in Love with the Sky”. It was a lot of fun and a really great project to be a part of as a production of people that are of a similar age to me. I have a lot to look forward to in the coming year and so far, it’s looking to be an incredibly productive one”.

It certainly is, Frankie. The team at the Andy Taylor Foundation can’t wait to see the result of your upcoming filming!

April 2024

LYSETTE NISHIMWE

Lysette found the Andy Taylor Foundation via a link on Twitter, sent to her by her sister. Lysette had always wanted a career in the media and was working at Sky, but in their call centre. During her application process for Foot In The Door, we found she was a charismatic, driven person with a particular interest in short form content, social media and communications.

For her FITD placement, Lysette took on the additional demand of travelling to Liverpool each day, working at Hollyoaks with Lime Pictures. Lysette relished every opportunity, throwing herself into cast interviews and creating her own short form content.

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After leaving FITD, Lysette secured an 18 month Communication and Marketing apprenticeship at One Manchester. Lysette told us “I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with our Communications Business Partner on external campaigns, social media, and PR. Additionally, I’ve collaborated with our Digital Marketing Manager on our CMS and digital platforms, expanding my website skills. Finally, I’ve been heavily involved with our Internal Communication team and Graphic Designer on various campaigns and projects. One of the main projects I led was National Apprenticeship Week, which was a lot of fun and allowed me to showcase everything I’ve learned so far”. Lysette is working towards Content Creator Level 3 certificate sign off, expected this summer. With everything we know about her, we suspect she will pass with flying colours. Currently, Lysette is keen to continue working in the corporate space within the creative industries.

When Lysette heard we were preparing updates, she wrote to say “I owe a lot to the Andy Taylor Foundation. The FITD program covered valuable lessons on entering the industry, copywriting, video editing, project work, and individual development. Through this, I was able to enhance my skills, grow in confidence, later getting the opportunity to speak at a Screen Skills event, and collaborate with a company called Black Mind Matters. My vision for the next 5 years is to further develop my career and seek opportunities where individuals like myself, a black, working-class raised woman, can thrive and contribute to shaping the future, providing representation for those who need it. I am also eager to find a mentor who can guide me on this journey. I’m thankful for the Andy Taylor Foundation and look forward to seeing other individuals be impacted by this wonderful organisation”. It goes without saying that we have started the process to match Lysette with a second mentor for this next stage of her career.

We know you will continue to go from strength to strength Lysette.

April 2024.

Divine Vika

Divine has an uplifting presence and a fantastic work ethic. She studied journalism and was interested in a route into news or documentaries when we first met her. Divine heard about Foot in the Door from the SharpFutures website. Her professionalism was clear to us immediately. She was a big asset on our course.

Our available work placements didn’t gel quite as neatly with Divine’s goals as they did for most of our cohort, but she still grabbed the opportunity at LADbible with both hands.

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The placement allowed her to expand her style, developing the tone of voice and look and feel needed for a variety of platforms, alongside her strength in traditional journalism. When the opportunity arose for one of our cohort to be interviewed live on LBC radio on graduation day (on James O’Brien’s show- 1.3 million listeners!), Divine was our clear choice. She only had a couple of hours notice, but handled it like a pro [INSERT LINK]. We also surprised her on air- with James himself telling Divine he was going to mentor her for six months. Speaking about graduation day, Divine wrote “If only I could remain on the FITD programme forever. I truly did not want this day to arrive but it has …. One of the biggest things in my life happened to me today…. Ewan told me that I would be going on LBC with Lara Taylor to speak to James O’Brien about the Foundation and our time being on the programme…. I’m very proud to say that I was not nervous in any way shape or form. I felt very calm and composed which shows how much I have developed…. 6 months ago only God knew I would be in this position - being over the moon is an understatement. Being on this programme has been the ultimate dream!”.

After graduating FITD, Divine started at the BBC. Initially engaged for a short 3 month contract, she was recommended internally, role to role without a break, for a year and a quarter. She worked on two of their biggest campaigns (Tiny Happy People & BBC micro:bit the next gen), then the relaunch of CBeebies Go Explore which is now the CBeebies Little Learners App. She also shadowed Newsround and BBC Radio 5 Live (Breakfast, Drive and Nicky Campbell show). At the time of writing, Divine has unfortunately finally faced a break from the BBC. She’s philosophical about it- understanding the market conditions and current nature of contract journalism. We are hopeful she’ll be snapped up somewhere quickly.

Please reach out if you have an opportunity Divine could be perfect for (before the BBC potentially draw her back into their world!) and we’ll connect you to her.

April 2024

FUTURE CULTURAL LEADERS.

We partnered with Factory International, Manchester, in 2023, to support the delivery of their 12-week programme for future cultural leaders from underrepresented backgrounds. The Future Cultural Leaders course was devised and delivered by, Factory Academy, Factory International’s Skills & Training department, to address the pressing issue of a lack of diversity amongst leadership in the cultural sector - an issue evidenced by all the currently available data. The Andy Taylor Foundation led the entrepreneurial and communications week, providing speakers such as Rob Love (Crowdfunder), Lisa Paasche (EKTE Vision) and James O’Brien (broadcaster and author). The programme’s participants gave fantastic feedback about our sessions, really enjoying the practical, real-life insights.

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“As Programme Manager at Factory Academy leading the Future Cultural Leaders project, I’m happy to highlight our collaboration with The Andy Taylor Foundation. Their extensive network has been instrumental in enriching our programme. Thanks to their connections, we were able to provide our participants with access to industry experts who brought invaluable insights and inspiration. Their contributions were pivotal in enhancing the programme’s impact in fostering a diverse and inclusive cultural leadership landscape.”

Kiran Sethi - Factory Academy’s Programme Lead

our work.

foot in the door.

ALUMNI - WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

AALA ALSHAMI

Grace Barnes

Michael Harrison

Francesco Killough

LYSETTE NISHIMWE

Divine Vika

FUTURE CULTURAL LEADERS.

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