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Pinewood Studios Opens Doors to Thousands of Aspirational Filmmakers

Pinewood Studios offered over 1,500 young people a behind the scenes glimpse into the careers available in the Film and TV industry, on Saturday 16 November, to kickstart the national Discover! Creative Careers Week programme.

Training providers, employers and award-winning talent were on hand at the world-famous studios to explain the careers and jobs available and showcase that there is a role for everyone in the creative industries, regardless of background, experience or qualifications.

The day saw demonstrations and talks from leading industry players, with over 30 organisations exhibiting and businesses on-site at Pinewood opening their doors. This included tours of Pinewood’s underwater stage and post-production facilities, an outside broadcast truck, demonstrations from the Iver Make-Up Academy and Creative Media Skills, as well as a mock film set from Sony helping to showcase a number of different career options.

There was also a programme of panel discussions and Q&A’s with industry professionals, including producers of The Favourite and the Oscar-winning The King’s Speech.

Many event attendees took to Twitter to share their experiences of the day, including Gemma Wallace who said “I had a great time at Pinewood Studios today meeting and learning about so many companies. Was a great insight into improving on my profession and striving towards my goals!”

The creative industries are one of the country’s fastest growing business sectors, growing at twice the national rate, and now accounts for more than 6% of all jobs in the UK according to new government data.

Andrew Smith, Corporate Affairs Director, Pinewood Studios Group, said: “The UK film industry is thriving and we need more people to come and play a part in its success. We firmly believe there is a role for everyone, regardless of their background, experience or qualifications in film and television; we hope that by opening up our studio doors to young people we are giving them a better understanding of the range of roles that are available. Ultimately, our Open Doors event is a step to finding an exciting career.”

The event took place as part of Discover! Creative Careers Week, running from 18 – 22 November. Discover! is part of the Creative Careers Programme, which is a government-backed initiative to inform and inspire young people about the wide range of jobs in the creative industries. The week will see tens of thousands of young people aged 11+ go into more than 500 businesses and organisations across the country.