On Wednesday afternoon, as I left the Sunderland Live office, I noticed a voicemail waiting on my phone. I immediately thought it was related to the job interview I'd had the week prior but it turned out to be something even better and consequently I made one of the most spontaneous decisions I've ever done!Months ago I applied for The Network, was placed on the reserves list and thought nothing more of it as the deadline for my opportunity to get a place came and went. However, Wednesday's voicemail brought very exciting news. I was offered a last minute place due to someone dropping out if I could get up to Edinburgh!Just a couple hours after rushing home, checking trains, calling back Rhiannon from The Network and having a driving lesson, I was on my way to Edinburgh. It all happened so quick I didn't have time to process it all, I literally threw some clothes in my case and sat staring out the window (the view on the way to Edinburgh on the train is so lovely) wondering what the next four days would bring me.
I arrived just as the quiz was finishing, mingled with some of the 'networkers' (as we would soon be referred to) then headed back to the flat to get some sleep before the busy days that lay ahead.
Thursday began with masterclasses, we were split into three groups and I heard from Angela Jain (Director of Digital Channels and Acquisitions for ITV) who previously worked at E4 and comissioned the likes of Misfits and Inbetweeners. She was great to listen to and had a lot of anecdotes she shared with us.
We came back together as a group to head down the corridor to a small lecture theater and heard from John Bishop and Pointless, both of which were really interesting. John Bishop is so down to earth, he even apologised as he walked in while he finished typing out a text to his son!
It was great to hear about how the concept for Pointless came about and the switch from BBC2 to BBC1. I can also confirm that Richard Osman is incredibly tall and it was odd to see him sat on a stool rather than behind a desk with a laptop in front of him.
After lunch we split into three groups again and I heard from Graham Stuart (co-founder, alongside Graham Norton, and Director of So Television). As someone who regularly watches The Graham Norton Show, it was great to hear from Graham and he was keen to answer any questions so we could make the most of the masterclass with him. He finished the hour with the clip we've all seen of Will and Jaden Smith which is just brilliant television!
I then joined 12 other networkers for the 'Creative Skills' workshop, led by Joe, Carly and Danny from Thames. We spent the introductory session chatting about formats, generating ideas and finding out more about them and their route into the TV industry.
It was then time for the MacTaggart Memorial Lecture and who better to deliver it than Kevin Spacey! Yes, I'd just been in the same room as Vince Gilligan then into the McEwan Hall with Kevin Spacey. Incredible. He delivered his speech so well and it felt so personal, despite the hundreds that were in the room. I think perhaps my favorite part was when he said "let them binge" with regards to people watching a whole season of a TV show in one day and his message he went back to; "It's the creatives, stupid".
A full day of Creative Skills ensued on Friday, we were split into groups and after a few games and exercises to get us thinking, we were given our brief: to either
- "create a game or reality TV show for BBC3 where the prize is completely new or never seen on TV before"
- "create a game or reality TV show for BBC3 with a unique and interesting cast of people who have never been seen before"
We headed back to the EICC for the Channel of The Year Awards (hosted by Dara O'Briain) and since our bus got us there a little early, we made the most of the freebies from YouTube. Free popcorn and ice cream, mmm!
When the awards ended (after only 45 minutes, pretty quick for any awards ceremony) we wandered back round to our accommodation, ate pizza and got ready for our final night party at The George Hotel (read: very posh) I didn't take any photos at the party, instead I took the time to mingle with my fellow networkers, attempt to network a little (which backfired slightly when I thought someone on the dancefloor was a producer; it turned out he was really drunk and decided to do some form of salsa dancing with me...much to the amusement of the others who stood and watched!
Saturday morning saw an early morning for Cyclical (we really should have kept the name Green Giraffe considering 3/4 of us were originally in that group) as we hopped in a taxi at 7:30am to go make the final touches to our pitch before we had to present our idea, live, on stage in front of the BBC3 commissioner!
Before our pitch we saw Jamie and Matt take on The Million Pound Drop, which was very entertaining and unfortunately they didn't win the (fake) money. Better luck next time, lads! Our team may not have won the pitch, but we were given feedback saying it was slick and well explained which was a huge compliment coming from a real life industry commissioner!
We got a chance to see the footage the Production Skills and Drama Skills had created in their short Casualty clip and the News Skills team delivered the news live seamlessly. It's safe to say we all did really well. given the short amount of time we had to create and prepare in our workshops and we can all be proud of the work we did!
After collecting luggage and walking down all the stairs (yep, I was on the top floor!) we headed off to All Bar One for farewell drinks and a chance to reflect on the experience. Not only did I meet some amazing industry professionals, but my fellow networkers were equally as inspiring and I really hope we can stay in touch!
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