Are you looking to take a step-up to Line Producer in live-action Children’s TV and have experience in any of these roles?

  • Production Manager
  • Assistant Producer
  • Location Manager
  • Production Accountant
  • 1st AD

Is the next step in your career as a Line Producer in live-action Children’s TV?

If you answered yes, then this free to attend short course is for you.

Children’s TV has identified that there is an acute shortage of Line Producers for live-action productions. This course has been designed to fast-track industry professionals with related experience to become Line Producers.

This, free to attend, online course, is taught by a highly experienced Line Producer in Children’s TV and is aimed at ensuring that UK productions have access to a cohort of skilled and educated professionals who can bring increased value to the production chain.

The training course will enable 24 participants working across the UK to gain the necessary skills and knowledge to step-up to Line Producer in Children’s TV. In addition to the training course there are up to 8 funded ‘Step-up’ placements available for eligible participants.

Line Producers need to be equipped to understand the bigger picture on the production so that they can manage the budget and schedule, as well as managing the relationships within the production, and be the link with the production company and the commissioning organisation.

Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis.

We welcome applications from all individuals, if you would like support completing the application form and/or would like us to send it to you in an alternative format please email training@mission.guru.

Delivery team

This course would normally cost participants £800, but thanks to funding from ScreenSkills it is currently being offered to you for free. If you fail to attend, we reserve the right to request reimbursement of costs, unless your place can be taken by someone else. 

 

Our Funders

This training is supported by the ScreenSkills Children’s TV Fund with contributions from UK children’s TV productions. 

The course is aimed at people who are committed to a career in live-action Children’s TV and have approximately 5+ years experience in:

    • Children’s 
    • Scripted 
    • Unscripted 

We will be looking to recruit 24 participants who are currently working as:

  • Production manager
  • Assistant Producer
  • Location Manager
  • Production Accountant
  • 1st AD

Please note: if you are looking to transfer into Children’s from another genre we will be looking for demonstrable commitment to building your career in Children’s TV.

The course is designed as 7 x 4–hour sessions delivered online over a 3 week period. The course will run twice, with up to 12 people per group, allowing for a total of 24 places on the course.  

To allow for maximum availability for participants, the first iteration of the course will be delivered on weekdays, while the second iteration will be delivered on weekends. 

Course 1 Dates Time
Week 1
  • Wed 25 January 2023
  • Thur 26 January 2023
  • 0930-1330
  • 0930-1330
Week 2
  • Wed 1 February 2023
  • Thurs 2 February 2023
  • Fri 3 February 2023
  • 0930-1330
  • 0930-1330
  • 0930-1330
Week 3
  • Wed 8 February 2023
  • Thurs 9 February 2023
  • 0930-1330
  • 0930-1330
Course 2 Dates Time
Week 1
  • Fri 10 March 2023
  • Sat 11 March 2023
  • Sun 12 March 2023
  • 0930-1330
  • 0930-1330
  • 0930-1330
Week 2
  • Tue 14 March 2023
  • Fri 17 March 2023
  • Sun 19 March 2023
  • 0930-1330
  • 0930-1330
  • 1330-1730
Week 3
  • Tue 21 March 2023
  • 0930-1330

Session Topics
Session 1 The Line Producer role | Budgeting and Cost Reporting | Broadcaster requirements (Albert / Diamond / Regional) | Prod Co. Policies
Session 2 Recruiting  Crew (inc union agreements) | Negotiating Equipment, Locations and Facilities
Session 3 Scheduling | Working with Children including parents / chaperones
Session 4 Health and Safety and Children’s TV |  Facilities and requirements for Children’s TV
Session 5 Managing Artists and Crew | Problem Solving as Line Producer on Children’s TV
Session 6 Introduction to Movie Magic Budgeting Software
Session 7 Introduction to Movie Magic Scheduling Software

Up to 8 ScreenSkills funded placements will be available following this training course. These are paid placements on children’s production, working alongside an experienced line producer. Upon completion of the course participants will be invited to express an interest in a placement. 

8 placements will be part funded by the Children’s TV Skills Fund and that additional placement may be available subject to availability. 

Placements are expected to start within 3 months of taking the course. We expect placements to be from a mix of live action Children’s TV genres with a focus given to Drama and Entertainment. Placements will be sought across the nations and regions. 

This training course is a fast-track opportunity for individuals who are looking to make Line Producer in live-action Children’s TV the next step in their career. Course content includes:

  • Introduction to the role of Line Producer
  • Budgeting and Cost Reporting
  • Recruiting Crew
  • Negotiating for Equipment and Facilities
  • Scheduling
  • Health and Safety
  • Managing Artists and Crew
  • Child licencing
  • Relationship with production accountant
  • Relationship with all departments
  • Dealing with commissioning company
  • Expectations of production company
  • Introduction to Movie Magic Budgeting and Scheduling

By the end of this training course participants will have :

  • Been trained by respected and established colleagues
  • An in depth understanding of the role and responsibilities of a Line Producer
  • Learned how to position themselves within both the operational and the creative process
  • Shared their knowledge, experience and concerns with colleagues and peers
  • Had the benefit of a peer support network

Course Tutors

Alison Grade
Alison GradeCourse Director
Alison founded and runs Mission Accomplished. The company regularly delivers training courses for ScreenSkills. Alison is an experienced Line Producer and Production Manager as well as a Nesta Accredited Creative Enterprise Trainer. She regularly delivers training that enables creatives to take their careers to the next level. Alison is the author of Penguin published book, The Freelance Bible and offer many workshops and training programmes to support freelancers
Alan Fairholm
Alan FairholmLead Tutor
Alan is an experienced Line Producer who started his career at Tyne Tees Television before moving to Zenith Entertainment where he worked across a large number of projects, firstly as a production accountant but quickly moving across to production management, Line Producer, Production Executive and finally as the Director of Production, working with all the UK Broadcasters.

In 2006 he became freelance working as both a Production Executive and Line Producer. In 2009 he was approached by BBC Children’s to set up the production hub in the North East that went on to produce Award winning series including Tracy Beaker Returns, Wolfblood and The Dumping Ground which is still in production and is one of CBBC’s most popular shows. Currently, Alan splits his time as a Consultant Line Producer on scripted and as a trainer.

Addie Orfila
Addie OrfilaCourse Tutor - Movie Magic
Addie has extensive production experience spanning over 25 years including ITV, All3Media and BBC. Starting as a trainee, Addie worked her way up as 3rd AD, 1st AD, PM and Head of Production. She has worked on all four of the big UK serial dramas and was HoP at Hollyoaks and Production Manager at Coronation Street. Having worked on shows such as Heartbeat, Touch of Frost, Countdown, My Parents are Aliens, Emmerdale, Barking and Jinx, Addie has a wealth of experience to draw from, is a mentor for Women in Film and Television, was a member of Channel 4’s Mentoring Diversity Network as well as trainer on the pan-industry Project Diamond Diversity monitoring scheme. Addie set up her own training company 7 years ago, delivering bespoke training nationally and internationally for production companies, broadcasters, studios, ScreenSkills, the Film and TV Charity, PACT, The Production Guild, Netflix, BBC, ITV, TRC, BECTU, Screen Yorkshire and others.