TV Fast Train wants your Six of the Best

Do you know someone in the TV industry who you think is one of the best at what they do?

Maybe it’s a self-starting self-shooter who never fails to get the best shots even though they’re carting all the kit about themselves. Or a factual pitcher with the unerring ability to turn the vaguest of ideas into a killer 60-second spiel. Or the new runner who somehow manages to keep everyone on your new comedy series smiling, even when laughter is the last thing on people’s minds.

They’re the people who go the extra mile to make television we can all be proud of – and their colleague’s lives a lot easier. But in a vast, ever evolving industry where freelancers move from job to job and production teams quickly form and disband, such individuals rarely get the recognition they deserve.

That’s why this year’s TV Fast Train is hosting the Six of the Best awards which will honour six talented individuals in six different industry categories:

1. Series producers

2. Self-shooters

3. New entrants to comedy production (any level)

4. Casting assistant producers and producers

5. Factual pitchers

6. Production managers

We’re already talking to people across the industry for their nominations. If you’re a TV professional, we’d like to ask you too. You might like to nominate an individual talent or a go-to list of professionals who you think deserve acknowledgement for their skills and you would like to see celebrated.

The winners will be invited to this year’s TV Fast Train on 16 May to share their award-winning expertise at the biggest free training day in the industry’s calendar. Their insights will be also be collected online at the BBC Academy’s College of Production website, and featured in the pages of Broadcast magazine.

Participants may nominate as many people as they like in each of the categories, and do not have to nominate in all categories. To take part, email stephanie.metcalfe@bbc.co.uk for an application form. The closing date for all nominations is Friday 4 May. Please check with the person/people you are nominating to ensure that they are happy to be nominated.

Fast Train has established itself as a hugely popular free training event in the media calendar where freelances get the unique opportunity to sample a wide range of training and masterclasses with industry leaders.

Tickets for this year’s TV Fast Train are being made available on three separate occasions: 10am Wednesday 25 April, 9pm Wednesday 2 May and 11am Saturday 5 May. The link to the Eventbrite site will be made available from the Academy site.

A host of top industry names have already been confirmed for this year’s event, including Danny Cohen, BBC1 controller; Zai Bennett, BBC3 controller; Google’s Peter Barron; Andrew Jackson, deputy head of features, Channel 4; Ruth Wrigley, All3Media; and Colette Foster from Endemol’s Remarkable Television.

TV Fast Train will again be produced in partnership with Creative Skillset and in association with a range of industry partners including The Indie Training Fund, DV Talent, VET, shortcourses@nfts, ThinkBigger!, The TV Collective, Pact, WFTV, Sheffield Doc/Fest and BECTU.