Exciting Industry opportunities are waiting for you in Manchester, ahead of our opening in September

We’re itching to go here at Screen and Film School Manchester and amongst the many things we’re very fortunate to have as we prepare to launch is a world of opportunity for new filmmakers entering the industry all around the city. Whether it’s high-end feature films, TV, music video, commercials or social media jobs…Manchester has it all. Wherever you go, whoever you talk to, one thing remains steadfast when it comes to our surroundings: the film industry is booming!

We have built up a plethora of contacts for our students to take advantage of here, and the great news this week is that Banijay have signed up as an Industry Partner. Banijay are the parent company to a whole host of leading television companies around the world. The prominent Manchester companies that they work with include Dragonfly, Kudos, Remarkable, Shine, Tiger Aspect and Workerbee.

We are thrilled to have this new relationship with Banijay, as you can see, their ethos sits brilliantly with ours: 

“We are greater than the sum of our parts. We are a collective of the best talent in the world and collaboration sits at the heart of all we do.” 

Banijay are extremely passionate about diversity within the Film and TV industry; they aim to encourage new and emerging talent from all areas of society which is something we feel strongly about at Screen and Film School too.

In a recent chat with the Head of Production at Workerbee, Nicola Hirsch, she expressed her desire to get budding film makers to work with them as quickly as possible. They have a busy production office and are always on the lookout for an extra pair of hands. That could be making a cup of tea, logging the tapes of a factual entertainment show or supporting the development team on upcoming shows they have in the pipeline.

Our College Principle, David Thompson, also hopes to see our students move into the world of work as soon as they feel ready. David said when discussing the topic of industry: “Our week is designed in a way that students have time for their personal development.” 

Workerbee have just been nominated for a Grierson Award for the Sky Series, Bruno v Tyson. They have also just commissioned a new series for discovery+ UK, with football legend Peter Crouch, looking at grassroots football. 

Workerbee and Riverside Studios are both in the Enterprise City area of Manchester – the best neighbours we could ask for once we open our doors at the end of summer. Nicola also expressed her delight at having such a pool of budding students on their doorstep, students who could come in and work on an ad hoc basis as soon as the school term starts in September. We are very excited about our relationship with Banijay and Workerbee and we are looking forward to meeting the other production companies that are affiliated with them very soon.

That’s the view from outside our college classroom, now what about the voice of the students who will have all this opportunity at their disposal? We asked Chloe Bush, who is ready to get started when the academic year begins, about the prospect of tapping into the local industry network: 

“I’m really excited about having the opportunity to learn from and engage with Screen and Film School Manchester’s industry partners. It will be amazing to receive any advice and guidance about the industry that anyone is happy to share with us, having been in our shoes before, to help us on our own journey. Telling stories is something that I feel very passionate about, and I can’t wait to experience more about the work that goes into all the different departments and aspects of bringing the films, shows and music videos we all love so dearly to life – taking those first steps into an industry that I’m ecstatic to be becoming a part of.” 

Employability is a key focus at Screen and Film School Manchester, and we are committed to providing directional support into work, so you’ll build a portfolio of work, a network of contacts and industry placements allowing for a smooth transition into your career.

We look forward to sharing all of this with you very soon.

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