Young people benefit from behind-camera workshops in the North East

Young people aged between 16 and 25 in the North East of England have benefitted from a series of free workshops and visits exploring behind the camera roles in the UK’s film and TV industry.

The workshops were part of the IGNITE Your Creativity initiative, a partnership between Netflix and National Youth Theatre (NYT) aimed at breaking down barriers for young people who want to work in film and TV.

The week-long course included visits to Theatre Space North East and Pride Media Centre before culminating in a final workshop at Sunderland Empire Theatre.

Christy Robinson, who participated in the workshops, commented: “Being able to meet so many creatives in my area has been so rewarding and encouraging, it makes the experience of being an emerging creative in the North East feel so much more accessible.”

The scheme follows research from Netflix and NYT that found that the majority of working-class parents do not want their children to pursue creative careers.

The IGNITE Your Creativity partnership has already hosted 33 workshops in the West Midlands, working with over 700 young people, and 17 workshops in Dagenham in east London working with 455 young people.

The first year of the partnership saw over 1,100 young people reached in South Wales, West Yorkshire and Sunderland.