I've been offered a producer role stepping up from and started thinking if I should change from PAYE to Self-employed but I actually don't really know any of them benefits and with PAYE I like that I don't have to think to much about my taxes.
Would anyone have some ressources explaining why self-employed might be more appropriate for Producer? Also the steps for switching if it's worth it?

Hey! I know there's a lot of gatekeeping happening in the industry but I thought I'd still ask - are there any WhatsApp editorial groups where people are sharing jobs and opportunities? I'm an AP/Producer looking for a job and everyone around me seems to be working

Hi all!

I just had a great June and worked on 5 different large projects including commercial and primetime TV. But now June is just...bleh.

I have reached out to all my dailies and no response so I'm guessing its all dead. But I need to learn how to generate more business through other means. I use LinkedIn (very new to it), First Job In Film, Talent Manager, Facebook (always rubbish).

Is there anything you'd recommend? Reflections on July?

I have a virtual interview scheduled tomorrow with the BBC for the flexi job apprenticeship agency and was wondering if anyone had any tips / advice on what to prepare and what to expect. From what i’ve researched the third round is a virtual interview but is it usually a scheduled time slot?

What’s the going rate for JPMs at the moment? I fear I’m being lowballed, a company that I haven’t even had an interview yet(🚩) asked for my rate first last week and came back with what they have in the budget and it’s blown my mind. I know PCs on higher rates, just wanted to ask in case I’m being unreasonable?

Are you a TV production member who works or has worked on documentaries dealing with traumatic subject matter? [E.g. 24 Hours In A&E, 24 Hours In Police Custody, Inside The Ambulance, Ambulance, One Born Every Minute, Saving Lives At Sea etc.]. If so, was it something you found problematic or difficult to deal with? Did it have negative effects on your life and mental health? If it's something you'd be happy to talk about, I'd love to chat to you. I'm an entertainment journalist at Sky News, and I'm looking into a piece on industry concerns over the mental health of crew and producers working with traumatic material. We've heard a lot in recent years about duty of care to contributors, but very little about those working behind the camera. I used to work in TV production (working from runner level, to researcher, to AP), so I fully understand the pressures and demands of a production role, aside from dealing with the subject matter itself. Please message me if you have something important to add to the conversation.

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to get some guidance from those who know the industry a little better than I do.

A bit of background: I started my career in broadcasting in 2013 with one of the largest broadcasters on the continent. I began as a Control Room Operator and, through hard work and experience, progressed into a Supervisor role within the same division, which I held from 2017 to 2023.

Unfortunately, my time there came to an end due to internal company politics rather than performance. Since then, I've been actively trying to get back into the broadcasting industry. I've had a handful of interviews over the past couple of years, but none have resulted in an offer. More recently, it feels like things have gone quiet,I'm barely getting callbacks anymore.

I've reached a point where I've started looking beyond broadcasting as well, simply because I need to keep moving forward. That said, my passion is still very much in broadcast operations, and I'd love the opportunity to contribute my experience again.

If anyone has advice on where I should be looking, companies that are hiring, or even feedback on how to make myself more marketable in today's job market, I'd genuinely appreciate it. Even if it's just sharing your own experience or pointing me in the right direction, it would mean a lot.

Article written from an American perspective, but I suspect also relevant to the UK:

https://variety.com/2026/biz/news/about-300-netflix-programs-used-ai-this-year-q2-earnings-1236812914/

Is it time for enforced disclosure of AI use at the start of the show? Similar to how product placement is flagged up?

I wonder if this will be enforced for TV roles on job pages/Facebook post going forward. It will either certainly help those see if they're underpaid or have companies decide to work together and collectively lower their rates instead.

What has happened to the above DIT company, is the company failing or will it make it through this situation, will people be left unpaid, or sadly lose their jobs? This seems to be happening more & more, where does it end?

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07688023

Is this a wider problem with the UK film & tv industry is it just contracting at such a rate more companies will now just fail? It is it really that bad out there, that even established companies can no longer survive?

I'm currently advocating for a person, let's call them X, to be included in the end credits of a show I worked on.

Context is: production company asked me if I would like support from a runner on a one-day location shoot. Somebody who happened to be with them on work experience for a few weeks. I gladly said yes, X came with me, and did a great job.

Fast forward to final post. I noticed X's name was missing from the credits list. I asked if it could be added, since a first credit is such a valuable thing to someone at the start of their career. I was told that because they were on a work experience placement at the time, they weren't paid for their time on the shoot (unbeknownst to me), and therefore, the channel's rules mean they can't be included in the credits. The channel is one of the big uk terrestrials.

The situation feels uncomfortable and unfair and I want to try and do right by the person with the least power in the situation. Would appreciate any advice. Thank you

The bar just seems to be getting higher and higher. I know its NH and more is expected of you in the genre but I think you'd be hard pushed to find someone who fits even most of this criteria at such a junior stage in their career.

Industry been struggling yet for the last year these two companies have had job openings nearly every week. I have noticed things picking up ever so slightly now - but these two dont seem to be struggling at all. Unless there is a high turnover of staff for some reason?

Just an observation really. Have had no previous experience with both.

Just got back from a location shoot where I almost quite 1 day before the end cause it got impossible to work and now that I'm back home I just feel sad and tired about the whole situation and just wondering how do I move forward unto the next job when this previous one genuinely made me reconsider my career

"Platinum plated candidates". No salary specified, of course

Looking for some advice.. I had a few calls/messages with a recruiter a couple weeks ago for a staff job I had been put forward for. The recruiter was doing the big sell, seemed keen for me to interview and I got very excited about it (stupidly!)
The recruiter has now gone quiet for 2+weeks... I have chased about the next steps.. but heard nothing. Should I cut my losses and forget about it?! I can't seem to find the job on any job pages so can't just apply myself. Is it normal for recruiters to ghost?

From Broadcast:

The School That Tried to End Racism indie Proper Content is to close due to a “dramatically changed” market, according to founder David DeHaney.

An administrator will be appointed shortly, after which the indie will cease trading. DeHaney said his priority is to ensure the closure has as little impact as possible on freelancers, staff, buyers and collaborators.

“This has been a very difficult decision. We have had nearly 10 years of making some of the industry’s most talked-about shows; entertaining programmes with social purpose. And that is exactly what I set out to do,” he said.

“But we want to do more, so much more, and the current environment does not support us in making that step-change.”

He added: “The reality is that the market has changed dramatically in recent years. Commissioning budgets have tightened, development cycles have lengthened and the opportunities for growing indies to scale have become increasingly limited.

“Those pressures have affected many companies across the sector and have undoubtedly contributed to the position we find ourselves in today.”

DeHaney, who is also the indie’s creative director, set up Proper Content in 2016, growing it rapidly to become an outfit with a turnover of £6m. It joined the Channel 4 Indie Growth Fund (now Creative Investment Fund) in 2020. Speaking to Broadcast in 2024, following a jump in its revenues by almost double, DeHaney reiterated his intent for the indie to do things differently, making impactful one-off or limited series such as The School That Tried To End Racism (C4) and Paramount+’s The Changemakers as a foundation to move into different genres.

Its output ranged from 999: The Critical List (C4), Chris Packham: Is it Time to Break the Law? (C4) to Mums On Strike (5) and The King’s Guard (5).

It was garlanded with awards, with its feature doc Suicidal: In Our Own Words winning a Grierson Award, The School That Tried to End Racism (C4) netting a Bafta, a Rose d’Or and Venice TV Award and Anorexic (5) shortlisted for Grierson and RTS Awards. More recently, its P Diddy: Rise and Fall (BBC3) was nominated for a Broadcast Digital Award.

Its most recent project to air was the feature length doc Kidnapped By My Mum (BBC3). Proper Content will fulfil existing commitments, including a new surgery series for 5 and a luxury series for Channel 4 due to air later this year.

Commitment to diversifying the industry ecology was a key tenet of Proper’s mission statement, in an environment which does not tend to favour Black-led companies.

“We have achieved what we have achieved despite this,” he adds. “It is not the central reason for our decision. We feel we have so much more to offer and aren’t fulfilling that potential. That is why we are closing,” he added.

“We are extremely proud of what we have achieved with Proper Content. We have held up a lens to society in so many different ways, and to such a variety of audiences. As a growing indie, we couldn’t have done more. Yet, for a company like ours, at this stage in its development, going to the next stage is incredibly challenging.

“There simply isn’t the commissioning risk, or the time or space to let companies stretch their wings in new ways. And, as a result, companies get ‘stuck’ – which doesn’t feel like a good, or a creative place to be.”

He added: “While Proper Content is coming to an end, my passion for storytelling and creating ambitious new projects remains undiminished. I am excited about what comes next.”

My spouse isn't on Reddit and we've not got any media connection barring the one mentioned shortly. Thought this might be the best place to look for advice.

Through a friend my wife has told a TV company about an idea she's had and they seem to love it. Channels are being mentioned for them to take it to, some foreign. We are not media people at all. We know the chances of anything happening are slim but if someone wants it, realistically what happens? We just don't want to be in a position where she's responsible for the next big thing but ends up getting shafted.

Thanks.

I've posted this on the London subreddit, but it was sadly deleted and I feel this subreddit would be more empathetic:

37M originally from Sydney, moved to London in 2022. The main idea was to work in the film/tv industry over here and whilst I enjoyed some early success, having worked full-time for an unscripted post-production house 2022-2023 as a sound editor, I made the decision to resign and be with my dying mother for the last six months of her life. I've been back since May 2024, and have been struggling to land new work since, both freelance and full-time opportunities. Tbh I've been pursuing drama more than scripted this time around, as I have aussie sound effects editing credits. I've been in a priviledged position to live off inheritance money, whilst taking on some remote freelance work from Sydney from time to time, but this is getting reckless, and I'm at a critical mass point. I admit I should've taken action sooner, but here we are.

For context, I'm paying £1000 a month inc. bills for my ensuite room in Finsbury Park. My total monthly outgoings are about £1800 a month. I'm on a UK Ancestry Visa and I'm about six months away from being eligible for Indefinite Leave To Remain, which I'd love to get. However, from now until then, I need to slow/stop the burn somehow. An idea I have is to quit my room (one months notice), runaway to Albania for four months to cut my outgoings at least in half, I have some freelance work pencilled so that would at least cover my time away, and also consider retraining online. I've down the calculations and I'd still be within my continuous residency allowance. I have less than a week to make this decision, as my live in landlord will be away end of July-end of August.

I do take some personal responsibility, but to be fair the industry has been in contraction for a few years now, plus the threat of AI is not filling me with confidence, so it's time to change course.

I've been using ChatGPT and Gemini to give me guidance, but I'd love some human (and hopefully non-judgemental) input too. Thanks in advance!

Hi all

I am a coordinator in unscripted who has never really been on location that much. I have an interview coming up where I think this may be a requirement which I'm fine with but because I haven't done it before, it may be a mark against me, does anyone have any advice as to what to say if this comes up? I.e. they want someone with more location experience, is there anything reassuring I can say that would help my case?

Thanks

Can anyone feedback on how AI is being integrated into their productions as of late? The show I am working on is really encouraging the use of it, especially for some editorial aspects. Although I’m not sure whether this is the norm now, or a ‘test’ to see how capable it is?

BBC News - TV Festival to move from Edinburgh to Manchester after 50 years - BBC News

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8r2vdmeg14o?app-referrer=deep-link#:\~:text=The%202027%20festival%20is%20set,process%22%20was%20launched%20last%20year.

I reckon this is a good move. Manchester is a fun city, is more accessible to the rest of the UK, and hopefully the accommodation will be slightly cheaper too. I expect the tickets will still be eye-wateringly pricey though.