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Have you worked in reality TV?

If so, would you be prepared to talk about it?

If so, read on…

Dr Nina Willment (Research Associate at the University of Nottingham) and Dr Jack Newsinger (Co-investigator/ Associate Professor in Cultural Industries at University of Nottingham) are working on a project called ReCARE TV, seeking to explore reality television, working practices and duties of care. The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and more information found here:

They are interested in exploring production workers understandings of care in relation to reality TV production work, exploring:

  • How is care understood, mediated, and practiced by different workers across reality television production?

  • How do production workers across different industry settings (roles/grades, genres) understand and apply ideas of care in their work, for contributors, other workers and audiences?

  • How do the conditions of RTV production structure, enable and limit the experience and capacity for care, both to contributors, other workers and audiences?

  • How are practice guidelines such as Ofcom’s Code of Practice and more informal and company-specific guidelines interpreted in production, and how do they interact with other pressures on workers such as budget constraints and cultural norms?

As such they are therefore seeking participants who have worked in the production of reality TV, who are willing to be interviewed about their experiences of care. They are hoping to interview a diverse range of participants, including individuals working across different sized production companies, and across different roles and grades.

All data from participants will be treated anonymously and information reported in such a way which protects the identities of individuals, companies, and IP.

Involvement in the research would require a roughly 90 minute interview conducted online at a date and time convenient to you. The research team are committed to the welfare of their interviewees, and they have completed trauma-informed interview training.

The interview will be invaluable in contributing to a project which aims to improve care in Reality TV production.

You will be offered a £20 voucher to thank you for your time.

If you would be interested in being involved, please fill in this short survey to be invited to interview and if you have any additional questions or require any further information, then feel free to get in touch via email (Nina.Willment@nottingham.ac.uk).