How to Break into the Film and TV Industry

This workshop is a detailed guide through the different ways you can break into the film and TV industry. It's for people (like me) who left school or university thinking I'd like to get into the film and TV industry but have no idea where to start, what roles there actually are and which skills are favoured when trying to get those roles. This is a practical breakdown of the key structures, departments and jobs in the industry, what those roles mean on a day to day basis, and which entry level roles are most useful for each. Also includes practical tips on how to find these entry levels roles, and leverage them effectively for career growth. Including examples of how I broke into the industry with no connections, and how I've scaled my career through internships, assistant roles, sales, development, production, executive producing and now buying/acquiring through my own platform, all within seven years.

When: Wednesday April 30th at 7:00pm
Where: Online Zoom Video Call
Cost: Free for MFJF PRO Members!

Content

1. My Career Path

- From internships in production companies and distribution companies, (including how I got those internships), to my first role as an assistant in sales, tangible examples of how I moved that role more into development and acquisitions - to my first job in development and the route from that into executive producing - and now the thought process behind launching a streaming platform. 

- Tips on how to pivot into different areas of the industry 

- Can include career paths of friends in my network now working in high level roles in the industry (agents, buyers, sales execs, directors, screenwriters, producers with their own production companies)

2. Industry Breakdown

- studios, networks, streamers, indie production, agencies, film financing 

- creatives vs agents vs buyers and how to choose which route is more suitable for you based on your interests and instincts 

- Key entry points: production, development, writing, talent, post, etc.

3. Breakdown of what being an 'assistant' in each of the different industry sectors mean, as entry level opportunities 

- what being an 'acquisitions assistant' will mean day to day, vs a 'sales/distribution assistant', vs a 'development assistant' vs a 'producers/production assistant' - all require very different skillsets despite being part of the film & TV industry 

4. How to get into an assistant position in the first place / How people really get hired

- tips for how to meet and reach out to current industry professionals. The best events, courses, runner placements and places to be to meet the right people

- Transferable skills from degrees. e.g. humanities students make great sales/acquisitions execs because of their training in handling both quantitative and qualitative data, anyone who studied maths/economics has a route into working for film financing / lending company

- Film school vs. self-taught vs. on-set experience

5. Building your network

- The power of networking, how to make yourself someone who is then referred to other opportunities

- how to fully utilise LinkedIn, IMDbPro, Instagram, and in-person events to get in front of the right people

6. Navigating Challenges and Industry Realities (including some of my own experiences)

- Rejection, long hours, freelancing, low pay at the start. How to maximise any unpaid work experience (so you're not doing it forever!)

- Diversity, gatekeeping, and breaking in without connections, 

- challenges I've faced and how I've overcome them (as someone trying to figure out how to navigate the industry totally green. e.g internships gone wrong, people trying to take advantage of tasks within free work while not actually offering any value)

7. Questions and Answers

- Please have some questions ready, I will do my best to answer them all.

- Remember there is no such thing as a bad question!

Course Leaders

Imogen Cooper

Imogen is an Executive Producer, previously development exec and creative exec, having overseen over 30+ shows across the US, Canada and the UK. She has an extensive network of writers, agents, producers and broadcasters internationally. She is now CEO of Yoreflix, a streaming platform specialising in historical and period drama, launching in 2025.

Imogen is a former MFJF Member having gained mulitple internships and script reading roles.

Tickets

This workshop is for MFJF Pro Members. To join and participate create your account on MFJF and then upgrade to become a PRO Member.

Eligibility

Any MFJF Pro Member can attend regardless of prior film industry experience or knowledge.

No experience is required, if you are simply curious about a career in film or are a recent film graduate we welcome you to join us.

Please look at our Career Stages Pathways to understand where your experience lies in the grand scheme of things, it will help you navigate and plan your next steps.

These workshops are for Stage 1 and 2 members.