成人论坛

Julie Shaw, Kalpna Patel-Knight, Sarah Asante and Beejal-Maya Patel (L-R above) have begun a two-year opportunity on the 成人论坛’s Commissioner Development Programme.

The programme equips talented senior people from groups under-represented in TV to compete for future commissioning roles - at the 成人论坛 and across the industry, by offering experience of the commissioning cycle, training, coaching and networking opportunities.

It is part of the 成人论坛’s drive to increase diversity at all levels and ensure a wider range of voices and experiences are heard when decisions are made about the programmes shown on the 成人论坛.

Sarah Asante, Beejal-Maya Patel, Kalpna Patel-Knight and Julie Shaw who make up the cohort are described by the 成人论坛‘s Content Director Charlotte Moore as "candidates with experience, passion, unique and exciting perspectives – exactly what the television industry needs from the next generation of commissioners."

This is the second time the 成人论坛 has run the programme. Fatima Salaria, now the 成人论坛’s Commissioning Editor for Religion and Ethics and part of the first programme, met with the new cohort to talk about what they can expect and shares her experiences and thoughts on the programme below.

Looking back at my time on the I’m grateful for the opportunities it gave me. On the programme, I was encouraged to participate in championing important ideas and stories that speak to everyone in today’s UK – I’ve seen them go through the commissioning cycle and come to life on the 成人论坛.

It’s been fantastic to meet Sarah, Beejal-Maya, Kalpna and Julie. I’m glad they are taking part in this training at such an important time in the industry. 

The 成人论坛 is working hard to increase diverse portrayal, on air and behind the scenes. Commissioners and programme makers are asking 'How can we tell this story differently?' 'How can we make this relevant to a wider audience?' and 'Is our casting right?' The result is shows which are as brilliant, creative and diverse as 成人论坛 audiences expect, like those that made up the , and .

The programme was created to support experienced TV professionals like me, from groups that are under-represented in broadcasting.  The aim is to make sure different perspectives are heard in the commissioning process, and that people from a range of backgrounds have the experience to compete for the top jobs in the future.  

The 成人论坛 is more diverse now than it’s ever been, with an increasing variety of programmes to serve all of its audiences.  We all know there is more that can be done to become more diverse and the programme is one way to do this. Continuing it across the industry and in partnership with the Creative Skills Network is such an important thing to do, because it’s making a real difference. 

On a personal level, it’s helped me to make an important leap at a key point in my career. I’ve learned how to think and act as a leader and decision maker. This, along with honing new editorial and commissioning skills and the boost to my professional confidence from exposure to those at the very top of the 成人论坛, has been transformative. My proudest moment was my involvement in , a truly ground-breaking programme for 成人论坛 Two.

My advice to Sarah, Beejal-Maya, Kalpna and Julie is to have confidence in their ability and point of view.  I hope they make the same leap I did and wish them every success.

More about this cohort of the 成人论坛’s Commissioner Development Programme:

Sarah Asante joins 成人论坛 Comedy Commissioning and has a background as a Digital Content Editor at the 成人论坛, developing content from talent including Humza Arshad and comedy pilots and shorts. The programme Sarah would love to have commissioned is Orange Is The New Black, because of its many “laugh-out-loud funny moments and the most amazingly diverse cast… I love everything about it”. Sarah would like to see more 成人论坛 programmes that “really, really make fun of the 成人论坛, like W1A” as well as more cheeky animation. Sarah looks forward to the training she will get on the programme and the prospect of seeing “people that look and sound like me across the table when producers come to pitch.”

Beejal-Maya Patel joins 成人论坛 Documentaries Commissioning and has produced a range of factual programmes for all of the major channels, including the BAFTA-winning Educating Essex. One commission Beejal-Maya admires is 成人论坛 Two’s Exodus (which looked at the issue of migrants travelling to the UK) because “it’s a programme that went beyond the headlines on a subject that’s really timely and matters in this country today.”  She would love to see more programmes on TV that do this, bringing unheard voices from across the UK to the screen. 

Beejal-Maya applied for the 成人论坛 Commissioner Development programme to help her ambitions to move into commissioning with the support of the training it provides.

Kalpna Patel-Knight joins 成人论坛 Entertainment Commissioning and was formerly Head of Entertainment at Possessed working on a range of shows including 5 Gold Rings with Philip Schofield. She would love to have commissioned 成人论坛 One’s Strictly Come Dancing, and to have spotted the potential of ballroom to become appointment viewing for the family, not to mention a worldwide success, “who would have thought that Ballroom Dancing would be shown every Saturday night in people’s living rooms? It was such a big risk - and what a risk worth taking.”

Julie Shaw joins 成人论坛 Daytime and worked on news features for Channel 4, the 成人论坛 and ITV, before joining ITV flagship Tonight with Trevor McDonald. The commission Julie would love to have made is Channel 4’s SAS Who Dares Wins because “it’s the sort of programme that’s normally put down as being a male-skewed programme - but I think there’s probably a lot of women out there that love it as well”. Julie knew as a child that she wanted to tell stories that shape the world and believes there is a huge amount of untapped creative talent in the UK and says “it would be brilliant to just capture more of that on camera.”

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