Mission Accomplished are delivering a brand-new Unscripted Development Assistant Producer training programme.
The training will run in two cohorts (one in May and one in July – precise dates TBC). Training sessions will take place on weekdays during standard office hours. The schedule includes:
- 4 x 3-hour online sessions (including an array of guest speakers)
- 2 x in-person training days (Birmingham)
- 1-2-1 session with the course leader
- 6-month work placement as a Development AP – with partial salary support from the ScreenSkills Unscripted Skills Fund.
We’re looking to recruit 20 delegates based across the UK.
This programme is aimed at those who have demonstrable experience working in unscripted TV development at Development AP or Development Researcher level. You could be a newly appointed Development AP, eager to hone their skills and build confidence, or an experienced Development Researcher, ready to step up into a Development AP position.
You can access this course in two ways:
- Independent Route: If you’re a freelancer or between contracts, you can apply for one of our dedicated placement opportunities. Please note: You will need to be approved by both the training provider and the placement company to be selected for the training.
- Company Route: If you are currently working for a company as a Development AP, or about to be stepped up from Development Researcher, and your current production company is supporting your application, you can apply with a letter of recommendation.Please note:
- The company must be committed to a six-month placement and agree to top up the salary contribution provided by the ScreenSkills Unscripted Production Fund.
- No more than 50% of the places will be allocated via this route.
- Host companies must evidence a need for partaking in the programme to create this opportunity.
There is a fee of £300 (+VAT) for this course, which is payable upon enrolment. Bursaries are available and will be prioritised for independent applicants.
Mission Accomplished is particularly keen to receive applications from traditionally excluded groups especially those from:
If you need additional support to complete your application or require the application form in an alternative format, please contact USF@screenskills.com .
THE COURSE WILL COVER:
This course is aimed at addressing the lack of training for Development AP talent and is aimed at ensuring they are ready to tackle the current and future challenges within the unscripted TV sector.
The course will cover the development process within a production company:
- Brief
- Ideation
- Formulating the Idea
- Creating Pitch Decks
- Sizzles
Course content headlines include:
- Thriving as a Development AP in an evolving landscape
- The business of creativity
- Maximising creative performance
- Leadership, managing teams and setting boundaries
- The Developer’s Guide to Production
- How to be the best Dev AP you possibly can
Subject to market conditions, the placements will run concurrently with the training to maximise opportunities to implement the learning. The training itself will be split across two cohorts:
Cohort 1 dates (placements beginning in May):
- Friday, 9th May, 2-5 pm – Online
- Tuesday, 20th & Wednesday, 21st May – In-person full days in Birmingham
- Thursday, 5th June, 2-5 pm – Online
- Thursday, 19th June, 2-5 pm – Online
- Thursday, 10th July, 2-5 pm – Online
Cohort 2 dates (placements beginning in July):
- Thursday, 3rd July, 2-5 pm – Online
- Monday, 14th & Tuesday, 15th July – In-person full days in Birmingham
- Thursday, 7th August, 2-5 pm – Online
- Thursday, 21st August, 2-5 pm – Online
- Thursday, 4th September, 2-5 pm – Online
Click ‘Apply Now’ at the top of the page and follow the instructions to complete your application through the ScreenSkills website.
You must have demonstrable experience working in unscripted TV development at Development AP or Development Researcher level.
In the application, you will be asked to specify whether you are applying for support as a freelancer or an employee of an unscripted TV company. If you are applying as an employee, you will need to provide your company name and the contact person we can reach if you are successful.
You will also be asked for your three most recent credits. Please provide the programme/series title and your job role.
While most questions in the application form are multiple choice or require short answers, four questions will require longer answers. For your preparation, these four questions are:
- Why do you feel you are a suitable candidate for this training programme at this time in your career?
- What are you looking to achieve by completing this training programme?
- Do you have any other hobbies, interests, or specialist knowledge that could influence your practice?
- What is your future career goal?
If you need additional support to complete your application or require the application form in an alternative format please contact USF@screenskills.com
KEY DATES:
- Application Deadline – Sunday, 30th March, 23:59 2025
- First-round interviews with Mission Accomplished commence – Monday, 7th April, 2025
- Second-round interviews with the production company offering placement commence – Monday, 14th April 2025
You will need to be approved by both the training provider and the placement company to be selected for the training.
By the end of the training course, participants will:
- Understand the role and responsibilities of a Development Assistant Producer
- Have the skills and knowledge to take on a role at Development Assistant Producer level
- Know themselves and their creative identity
- Know their buyers (channels / SVODs) and how to crack them
- Understand the need to look at ideas afresh and be continually challenging their thinking
- Have started to develop Leadership and Management skills needed for the role
- Have developed their brainstorming and ideation skills and upscaled their creative processes
- Understand access, talent, their assets and how to sell them
Alison Grade | Course 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 offers many workshops and training programmes to support freelancers.
Sophie Morgan | Course Trainer
She is an experienced TV and multi-platform content creator, screenwriter and development consultant with over twenty-years working as award-winning creative director, commissioning editor and BAFTA-nominated producer. Working in the UK and US, she has developed, and exec produced hundreds of hours of TV content including Britain’s Next Top Model, RuPaul’s Drag Race, London Ink and Jade.
In 2021 she founded multi-platform ideation and development consultancy Pontariva Media with the aim of adding value to production companies, multiplatform content studios and broadcasters like Channel 4 and Sky. They do this by helping them devise more ambitious, omni platform content and find innovative ways to exploit IP, use emerging technology and design new funding models.
She also devises and delivers industry training on topics including Gen AI, agile leadership, industry diversification and best creative practice and runs regular workshops for ScreenSkills and Creative Enterprise as well as the NFTS and Warwick University. She chairs several industry panels for Broadcast’s AI summits and is a neurodiversity advocate and mentor. She has written two novels and two screenplays for Sky and the BBC.
