Netflix & National Youth Theatre launch IGNITE Your Creativity Year 2
Tom Arber
Netflix and the National Youth Theatre have launched year two of IGNITE Your Creativity. The free programme will equip 1500 young people from the West Midlands, North East and London who want to work in film and TV with the knowledge, skills and connections to build networks and confidence.
The opportunity is launching after new research from Netflix and National Youth Theatre found the majority (89%) of working class parents don’t want their child to pursue a creative career and almost three in four young people (16-25) in the creative industry say their parents, guardians or carers view their career as a waste of their education.
Anna Mallett, Vice President, Production APAC, EMEA and the UK, Netflix said: “The UK is a creative powerhouse, but we'll only keep our edge if our sector is open to young people from all backgrounds. This new research shines a light on the need to better support diverse talent. We're delighted to partner with the National Youth Theatre on the next iteration of the IGNITE programme to help young, aspiring creatives build the networks and skills needed to make their mark in the creative industries."
Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said: “Our world-class creative industries generate a whopping £125 billion for our economy, offering people opportunity, rewarding jobs and the chance to develop cutting edge technical and digital skills. Through our national growth mission, and working with organisations such as Netflix and the National Youth Theatre, we will open up access to these sectors and make them more representative of the whole UK. Our aim will be for communities and businesses across the country to feel the benefits of inspiring more young people to pursue a creative career.”
Paul Roseby, CEO and Artistic Director of the National Youth Theatre said: “The stats speak for themselves, but many of the young people we aim to work with can’t. We’re grateful to our friends at Netflix and location partners for giving us a chance to empower young talent as we strive to redress the imbalance of access for young underserved and working class creatives.”
IGNITE offers free, practical workshops that explore the wide-range of creative roles available, including information on starting salaries and progression to counter the narrative that creative careers are poorly paid and unstable. IGNITE also connects young people with set and backstage visits, work experience opportunities and industry experts.
Over the next year the programme will focus on the West Midlands, North East and London, following successful workshops in South Wales, West Yorkshire and the North East. Resources will also be made available online and for parents, carers and Guardians of young people taking part in the initiative.
