Are you neurodivergent and working in the media?
The Neurodiverse Media Community aims to connect, engage and support anyone with a diagnosis of (or experiencing) autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia or any other neurological condition who works in the media.
Looking for a job at one of the UK’s biggest production companies?
A great opportunity to hear about jobs at Fremantle as soon as they are posted.
Mark Forstater. Matthew Critchfield. Nathan Neuman. Swipe Fever.
They made a film called “Swipe Fever”. Freelancers were taken on in good faith that they would be paid for their work and then discovered that the cupboard was pretty bare when they presented their invoices.
Luke Elkins.
Luke Elkins runs a Facebook page called UKTV Runners, copying and pasting jobs from other sites. Employers are not happy. Elkins is by all accounts also a sometime freelancer in the business. Hopefully employers will remember the name and behaviour when he comes around looking for work.
Production Hive – leeching off unwary freelancers.
Sites that charge freelancers are doing little more than sucking money out of the pockets of industry workers while providing precisely zero value along the way, given that almost all the jobs they advertise are also available on free-to-use social media sites.
How Much Should I Be Paid?
We thought it would be a good idea to show the minimum you should be paid per hour. Find out about the National Minimum Wage rate for your age, internships, apprenticeships, holiday pay entitlement and what to do if you are not being paid it! Rates are updated every April 1st.
Serra Erkli. Moishe film.
Serra Erkli has been asked why the minimum wage isn’t being paid for the work but she is unable to say. Caution should be exercised by anyone who is contacted about this production: it may very well add up to less than it first seems. Another employer to avoid.
Too much work, not enough trained workers.
That’s the conclusion Screenskills have come to in their latest report on the state of employment in our industry, which reveals there are acute shortages of suitably skilled workers in various unscripted TV roles.
Rajesh Kalhan. Boy About Town Films. Selfie Control.
Another employer trying to take on an unpaid Runner. If anyone has taken this work and not been paid for it, please feel free to make contact and we will pursue this chancer for the pay you should have received.
Marc Hayward. Spark Content.
Bullying, enforcing excessive working hours and failing to pay people on time. That about sums it up. There should clearly be no place for Hayward in our industry in the future. If he should crop up again, best advice is for everyone to continue to spread the word of his history.
Zuzanna Skurtys. Art Director.
Late payment and – occasionally - no payment at all, are twin dangers lurking with all employments. This employer walked away from her commitments to pay her workers and also refused to discuss the matter at all, simply shutting up shop to all enquiries.
Two articles all industry freelancers should read…
Disillusioned freelancers and the best places to work.
Global TV, holiday pay and the tax treatment of runners.
Global TV, getting it all wrong when it comes to holiday pay and the tax status of Runners.
Dave Morgan. DLM Media. Homecoming.
He likes to use freelancers, he just doesn’t fancy paying them.
Surabhi Bhatnagar.
“Living a champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget”. Nice for her - not so much for the freelancers she stiffed for their pay.
Evelyn Obahor. Channel 52. Floodlight Broadcasting Network.
Lots of unpaid workers, BECTU have taken action.
Cover Email Tips
When emailing your CV as per the instructions on an advert, please ensure you do a cover email with it. With an average of 40+ applications for most jobs we publish, you need to give yourself the best chance of being considered for the post the employer has advertised. This starts with your cover email.
CV Writing Tips
If you are finding it difficult to write your CV for the TV/Film production industry – here are some starting tips of what to include. It is written by TV professionals and employers and widely accepted as the best way to present yourself and be successful.
Vaishali Paatil. Mohaan Nadaar. ASEQ. Stone Circles Production.
A pair of filmmakers well worth avoiding if you want to be treated fairly and paid right.
