Midlands & the East

Creative
UK

Creative UK invests in and champions creative people and businesses.

Create
Central

Create Central is an industry body whose members comprise of film, tv, games and other creative sectors. They are based in the West Midlands and aim to work with national and regional partners to create an agile and responsive network to ‘turbo-charge’ the screen sector in the area.

Create Central is one of the UK BFI Skills Clusters which aims to grow a local skills base, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds. They have a range of activities to support the existing workforce in the area and new talent.

West Midlands
Combined Authority

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is committed to ensuring that every resident has the opportunity to reach their potential and they aim to achieve this through providing people with the skills to obtain good jobs and careers. They have supported the creation of Create Central, the new Screen industry body for the West Midlands. Their website hosts career information.

Filming in
England

The filming in England partnership connects different organisations across England, outside of London to create a film friendly environment. Their database of crew and facility listings is comprised of over 8,000 listings. From runners up to HOD they have a fantastic knowledge of where crew are based and who is available. They also offer and confidential crewing service. They can send out anonymous jobs post on the production’s behalf.

East Midlands
West Midlands

Film
Birmingham

Film Birmingham is the city’s film and television office, providing a ‘one-stop-shop’ service to the industry. It has location services, can help arrange permits, offers support and knowledge in the city and West Midlands region. It also has a crew and facilities directory.

Film
Leicester

Film Leicester is a platform to enable Leicestershire’s filmmakers and talent to support and collaborate with one another in order for Leicester to produce world class independent films. They want to represent the underrepresented community of filmmakers within Leicestershire. The online community can help with crew and talent searches and there is a searchable online directory via job role or keyword.

DESIblitz
Jobs

DESIblitz Jobs is a jobs board for employers who are looking to be more diverse and competitive. Based in Birmingham, DESIblitz is a web magazine for those with South Asian subcontinent roots (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka).

Beatfreeks

Beatfreeks is an engagement and insight agency with a community of young creatives. They aim to connect them to brands, government, and funders so that they can influence how the world works. They have a live opportunities section and the community page has details of all members.

Positive Youth
Foundation

Positive Youth Foundation is a charity which works with young people and organisations to raise aspirations and outcomes, including employment programmes such as ‘Raising Aspirations’ and other creative programmes.

Culture
Central

Culture Central is the collective voice of the cultural sector in the West Midlands. They convene, challenge, and connect to create opportunities through culture for places and people across the region. The represent organisations of all sizes, individuals, and freelancers. They cover rural, towns, cities, and urban centres in the West Midlands.

More Than a
Moment Pledge

The More Than a Moment Pledge was created in Summer and Autumn 2020 by the More Than a Moment Working group in partnership with the Black Creative Workforce and West Midlands Cultural Sector. It is the West Midlands Arts sector’s promise to take radical, bold, and immediate action to dismantle the systems that have kept out Black artists and creatives and stopped them from achieving their full potential. Organisations can sign up to the pledge to ensure equity, investment in, and opportunities with and for Black artists and creatives.

Birmingham Young
Film Network

The Birmingham Young Film Network is supported by the BFI and aims to support young people in film by building a creative and collaborative community. They do this by building a supportive community of likeminded people, facilitating, and creating opportunities for Birmingham’s young film community and to promote, publicise and raise the profile of the projects and creators in the network.

Black Arts
Forum

The Black Arts Forum is committed to supporting the development of black arts across the West Midlands. It supports emerging and established individuals to make their work more visible, promote/network activity and to strengthen and grow more black leaders in the arts. The aim to support and nurture new and developing talent.

Film Hub
Midlands

Film Hub Midlands provides funding and training to help people in the region watch, make, and show films. Film Hub Midlands is a partnership between Broadway in Nottingham and Flatpack Projects in Birmingham (see below for more details on both organisations). They cover all things film cinema and film across the Midlands and part of their remit is to nurture the Midland’s new way of filmmaking talent and to support fiction writers, directors, and producers at the start of their careers with original stories to tell and inspired approaches to their craft. They hold regular events to encourage networking, filmmaker collaboration and skills development. Their website hosts a range of resources, training, and opportunities for talent.

Broadway

Broadway is a recognised leader in independent cinema, arts, and technology in the Midlands. They encourage a film community, they show a range of UK and international film and support young people to begin their film careers with the BFI Film Academy and Near Now (which is a studio space).

Royal Television
Society Midlands

RTS Midlands runs masterclasses, screenings, and an annual career fair, as well as an awards ceremony. They have a Twitter feed @rts_mids or you can email [email protected] to get involved.

Birmingham Film
& Television Festival

The Birmingham Film & Television Festival (BFTF) is a film competition for filmmakers worldwide. They support film-makers from all backgrounds, who are either just beginning their careers or are seasoned professionals. They offer a platform to tell stories and reach a wide audience.

Guild
TV

Guild TV is the student television from the University of Birmingham. They offer students with an interest in pursuing a career in media or television they chance to train, gain experience, and learn on the job.

SHOUT
Festival

SHOUT is Birmingham’s Annual Festival of Queer Arts and Culture taking place across venues in the city. It celebrates and platforms the work of LGBTQ+ artists and communities. The festival includes screenings of films and short programmes.

Flatpack
Festival

Flatpack is a mobile arts organisation which exists to show work, bring people together and develop new ideas. They are a partner in Film Hub Midlands.

Writing West
Midlands

Writing West Midlands is a literary development agency for the West Midlands region. They provide a range of services, including a young writers programme (for ages 11 - 17) and a writers' development scheme (Room 204).

Powered
By CAN

CAN is a charitable organisation that supports the development of young people through creativity. They run various projects including HOME: Routes to Roots in which young people unlock the hidden stories of their community, including using filming to tell their stories.

Punch

Punch is a leading music and arts agency, who are committed to working with Black Music, Arts and Culture in four main ways – creating, touring, programming, and educating. They have a range of talent programmes designed for creatives and entrepreneurs to develop their practice and make their careers more sustainable.

Midlands
Movies

Midlands Movies is a place for local filmmakers to promote the local area through film. They host awards where they invite entries from local filmmaking talent including shorts, features, animation, and documentaries.

Midlands
Film Archive

The Midlands Film Archive is a showcase of films made by talent from the Midlands. They are passionate about finding new voices, discovering new talent, and showcasing existing creatives.

Recognize Black
Heritage & Culture

Recognize Black Heritage & Culture is a community based social enterprise providing a bridge to the African Caribbean community. It aims to promote positive diversity, organise cultural and acts as an outreach coordinator with institutions aiming to connect with the hard-to-reach communities.

Midlands
Film Festivals

There is a wide diversity of film festivals take place in the Midlands region including:

Birmingham Indian Film Festival
The UK Asian Film Festival in Leicester
CINEQ – Queer Film Festival
Shropshire Rainbow Film Festival
DEAFFEST UK International Deaf Film & Arts

Come the
Revolution

Come the Revolution are a collective of creatives from Bristol and Birmingham committed to exploring black life through cinema. They are raising the profile of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic filmmaking.

Channel 4 Production
Training Scheme

The Channel 4 Production Training Scheme is for entry level talent looking to break into the industry. Applicants must have degree in Film and TV or have previous experience through running, work experience, short term placements (no more than three months). It is aimed at those currently underrepresented in the industry, disabled people, people from a Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds or from lower socio-economic groups. It is run throughout the nations and regions – Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Belfast, Cardiff, North Wales, and Glasgow. The placements are paid and last for one year.

BBC: Production Advanced
Trainee Scheme

Based at BBC Birmingham, the BBC Production Trainee scheme is an 18-month scheme working on the job and being supported by BBC Academy training.

BBC Production Apprenticeship
Fast Track England

Based at BBC locations across the Midlands, the BBC Apprenticeship is an 18-month production apprenticeship, offering work experience on the job and a Certificate in Creative Content and Production.

BBC Writers Room:
Coventry Voices

BBC Writers Room aims to discover, develop, and champion new and experienced writing talent by offering support, script reading, bursaries, networking. New writing voices awarded annually.

BACK
IN

BACK IN is a nine month talent development programme for early career black filmmakers in the Midlands, supporting them via training and commissioning. It is delivered by Punch.

The
P Word

The P Word is a leadership development programme for diverse artists and entrepreneurs, targeting professional and practical ‘roadblocks’ preventing business growth and success and seeks to amplify their practice and business.

BFI Film Academy
At Broadway

Broadway’s BFI Film Academy offers opportunities for 16 – 25s in Nottingham and the East Midlands to get to know more about film and how to make a career in the screen industries. The offer short courses for practical skills, specialist courses which aim to develop skills and build a career in the film industry and labs in which young filmmakers can get industry insight, professional advice, and support via masterclasses. They also run events and screenings of recommended films.

Screen & Film
School

Based in Birmingham, Brighton and Manchester, Screen & Film School’s mission is to delivery practical courses and train the next generation of filmmakers wishing to enter the film industry.

Women in
Film & TV

WFTV mentoring scheme in England is for women looking to take a significant step in their career at mid to senior level.

Midlands
Television Work

A group to post job adverts for television freelance staff based or wishing to work in the Midlands.

Film-Makers, Models, Actors
& Photographers Birmingham

A group for people who want to get into the media industry, including fashion, film-making, or photography.

Midlands
Games Industry

Twitter page of a collective of groups connecting the Midlands games industry for a better region.

Creative
Midlands

Creative Midlands is a group for Midlands based people to collaborate on creative projects.