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Manchester creatives get a ‘Foot in the Door’

The Foot in the Door team at The Printworks

Six young Manchester creatives have taken their first career steps with their first ever outdoor advert telling what it takes to get that all-important Foot In The Door.

The short film marks the group’s completion of a talent development and work placement programme funded by The Andy Taylor Foundation and Manchester social enterprise SharpFutures. Foot In The Door was designed to develop skills and opportunities for socially and economically diverse young people who live in Greater Manchester and are passionate about a career in content creation.

One component of the 12-week bootcamp was to create an advert for Ocean screens using a mixture of video, graphic design, branding and a call to action. The film celebrates the cohort’s new found skills, closing with the upbeat message #bethenextus.

Scott Webster, Ocean Outdoor regional account director, said: “We all know how difficult it can be to get into the creative industries. Competition is stiff and non-inclusive selection processes often exclude those with the best potential. Being able to help mentor this cohort of young people working with SharpFutures and the Andy Taylor Foundation has been a privilege.”

During the programme, the cohort learnt about different production techniques, digital storytelling, creative ideas generation, writing and pitching. They also developed their communication and teamwork skills through a wide range of workshops and masterclasses with Ocean and other supporters.

The participants spent six weeks of the programme developing their creative digital skills on work placements with digital publisher LADbible Group, Lime Pictures (the team behind Channel 4’s Hollyoaks), production company Studio Lambert North (Naked Attraction, The Circle, Gogglebox) and ITV Studios.

Lara Taylor, chair of the Andy Taylor Foundation, said: “This first partnership for the Andy Taylor Foundation has exceeded all expectations, largely due to our chosen delivery partners including SharpFutures, Ocean Outdoor and our numerous masterclass providers, plus the breadth of brilliant work placements. Foot In The Door has shown that the media industry recognises and supports our aim to improve the diversity of opportunity in the sector. Our next steps are to attract more great industry partners and find the next class of young people with huge potential but struggling to find opportunities.”

 

 

 

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