Mayor meets our talented 'campers!
21 September 2023
Mayor Andy Street met the latest students of the Drama and Scripted TV bootcamp
The Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, praised the impact the Create Central TV and film bootcamp, delivered by the University of Birmingham, is having on local people’s lives when he met the latest cohort of students at the Selly Oak campus last week.
The six-week bootcamp in Drama and Scripted TV provides an intense and immersive opportunity to learn the practical skills of on-screen production and has already seen past students go on to work on TV shows including BBC comedy Man like Mobeen and Steven Knight’s This Town.
“The bootcamp is perfect for understanding how to take a TV show from idea stage to in front of people’s eyes. The details, the logistics and the practicality has all been great. I’m hoping to use all this knowledge now to go into an entry role and feel confident about knowing what I’m doing rather than being thrown in at the deep end.” said Aisha Houmadi - current Drama and Scripted TV ‘camper.
Ed Shedd, Create Central Chair, said: "Our innovative skills bootcamps are a testament to the West Midlands' commitment to nurturing talent in the creative content industries. With support from the WMCA and training providers like the University of Birmingham, Create Central aims to open doors for creative individuals from underrepresented backgrounds and empower them to pursue exciting careers in the sector. Our industry members play a pivotal role in shaping the bootcamps, and we are thrilled to offer not just training but real-life work experiences that can lead to promising careers in this thriving sector. It's a powerful step towards strengthening the region's creative landscape and creating new opportunities for talent to shine."
Andy Street said he was “delighted” to meet the intake for the latest bootcamp, which has been developed with Create Central and funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), with multiple start dates until February 2024. “90% who take our TV course secure jobs in the industry,” he said.
“It was such a privilege for all of us to be able to share the successes of the Scripted Drama and TV Bootcamp with the Mayor and his team. The University has developed the bootcamp over the course of the last year with Create Central, our brilliant partners in the region, to support those who want to get a foothold in the industry. Over the course of the last year, our bootcampers have gone on to placements and full-time work at BBC Drama Village, Digbeth Loc, and a range of other productions in the region.” said Professor Dan Moore - Head of the School of English, Drama and Creative Studies.