Freelancers’
Fair
2015
om
e
ac te .c
pl bri rite
ur nt tb
yo Eve en
ok h .ev
Bo oug fair
r
th ers
nc
la
ee
fr
BECTU’s Writers Producers and
Directors branch invites you to the
10th
birthday
event!
Friday 29 May
09.00 – 18.00 hours
Doors open 09.00
Ravensbourne
6 Penrose Way
Greenwich Peninsula
London SE10 0EW
Next door to The O2, nearest tube
North Greenwich on the Jubilee Line,
15 minutes from Waterloo. For other routes
in visit: http://bit.ly/traveltoravensbourne
FREE
sandwich
lunch
If you work in TV or film, join us for seminars,
workshops, one-to-one advice on CVs and
tax, event exhibition and technical area.
Free to BECTU members; non-members
pay £13.25* DON’T MISS IT!
All programme info at www.bectu.org.uk/freelancers-fair
*fee includes vat & booking fee
@bectu
www.facebook.com/bectuofficial
The Freelancers’ Fair 2015
The Freelancers’ Fair is 10! Happy birthday to the event and thanks
to everyone who has contributed to the gathering’s success over
the years, whether as a planner, speaker, exhibitor or visitor.
Warm thanks too to our sponsors many of whom have backed the
event since its inception.
This year we return to Ravensbourne (next door to the O2). Can
we repeat the success of last year in terms of buzz and content?
We certainly hope so. We look forward to welcoming Danny Cohen,
the BBC’s director of television for a debate on the BBC’s future
with BECTU’s general secretary Gerry Morrissey. The session
on class in film and TV is certain to be insightful too with a panel
including acclaimed British creatives, filmmaker Ken Loach and
screenwriter Jimmy McGovern.
Event
sponsors
BECTU
acknowledges
the generous
support of our
2015 sponsors:
Blue Skies
Partnership
Creative Skillset
Hencilla Canworth
ProductionBase
Thompsons
Solicitors
Take a look at the programme; we hope we’ve succeeded in
providing something for everyone. Sincere thanks to all of this
year’s contributors; we are set for a very fulfilling day, central to
which is everyone’s commitment to film and TV. The industry is
far from perfect – better working conditions for a more inclusive
workforce have yet to be secured – however the industry is loved
and respected and the Freelancers’ Fair is about celebrating those
who play their part, or who aspire to.
Programme notes
1.Check the full line-up and latest info (www.bectu.org.uk/freelancersfair) before booking. Most sessions last 75 minutes. All sessions
allow for Q&A. Please do not book sessions which clash.
2.The event exhibition (exhibitors are listed opposite) and the technical
area run throughout the day. Please make time to visit both.
Colleagues are devoting their day to you.
3.If you book in time to secure a CV 1-to-1 with Beverley Hills we will
do our best to offer you an appointment which fits in with your
schedule. To confirm your appointment ask at registration on arrival.
4. V
isit Blue Skies Partnership and Media Parents to book an advice
1-to-1 (either on tax or your ‘back to work’ strategy respectively).
5.David Thomas Media joins us to deliver two workshops for small
groups. Each workshop lasts 2.5 hours and they will be
oversubscribed. One workshop per person.
6.We’ll be providing a free sandwich lunch for all visitors. Join us too
for networking drinks, a raffle (and cake!) to close the day.
Find out more
about BECTU
membership,
how to get involved
and the range of
union services
including public
liability insurance.
Join BECTU on
the day for a 25%
discount on a year’s
subscription.
What’s on offer?
Marketing Your Project:
The Programme Makers’ View
9.45 – 11.00
You have a great proposal but with thousands of projects searching for finance and an
audience, how can you make sure your project stands out? No matter how good your
concept, the marketing of your project is critical. Join our panel of experts to find out
from the programme makers’ perspective what makes for successful promotion.
Our panel will be Christopher Hird (Dartmouth Films), Sarah Mosses, (Together Films),
Lily Murray (Independent Producer/Director), Jonathan Pearson (director) and Sasha
C Damjanovski (writer/producer).
Close Up on Cameras
9.45 – 11.00
With our good friends at Visual Impact we’re planning a lively Q&A session featuring
award-winning DoP’s and directors and producers to explore the latest kit and to
illustrate how this has helped them to create great film and television content. Visitors
can follow up with a visit to the technical area which will be running all day.
What future now for the BBC?
With Danny Cohen and Gerry Morrissey
11.15 – 12.30
Meet with
our 2015
exhibitors
Every year industry
organisations join us to
offer advice and information
about their services. Visit the
exhibition throughout the day:
BECTU History Project
BECTU Training
Blue Skies Partnership
Creative Skillset
Cinema & Television
Benevolent Fund
DV Talent/The Talent
Manager
Focal International
Guild of British Camera
Technicians
Hencilla Canworth
Indie Training Fund
IPO
Limelight Awards
London Film School
The BBC is never far from the headlines and, post-election, the process of Charter
renewal will be well underway. What future for the licence fee? What future for ‘BBC
Studios ‘, the new BBC Productions? What informs the BBC’s treatment of freelancers
and how can both sides work together to improve the situation? Join Danny Cohen, the
BBC’s director of television and Gerry Morrissey, general secretary BECTU, to debate
these issues and more. Chris Curtis, editor of Broadcast, will chair the debate.
Media Parents
Middlesex University
ProductionBase
Pro Motion
Ravensbourne
ShortCourses@NFTS
Soulsound
Thompsons Solicitors
Turn over for more sessions 
Book through Eventbrite at freelancersfair.eventbrite.com
TV Collective
VET
Visual Impact
CV One-to-Ones
David Thomas Media Workshops
Thanks to careers advisor Beverley Hills some
visitors to the Fair will be able to take advice on this
most important of self-marketing tools. To secure a
spot, complete the booking form selecting the one-toone option and we’ll endeavour to offer you a slot (places
are limited) to fit in with your chosen schedule. Don’t
forget to bring two copies of your CV with you on the day.
Please note each workshop runs for 2.5 hours.
Back to Work Surgery
Media Parents is a jobsite and networking organisation
helping to develop and retain experienced talent in TV.
Visit their stand to book a slot in the Media Parents’ Back
to Work Surgery for one-to-one advice for people getting
back into TV. You don’t have to be a parent, you just need
3 or more years’ TV experience to work with Media
Parents. Don’t forget your CV and your back-to-work plan.
09.30 – 12.00 Freelance Toolkit
Helps freelancers to develop their business skills. Aimed
at those new to self-employment or more established, this
session will tackle financial control, getting paid on time,
good organisation and record-keeping. Maximum 16 people.
13.30 – 16.00 Make Networking Work for You
This workshop is for anyone who finds networking
difficult or who doubts its importance. Learn how to
leave the right impression without being a pain, and
why face-to-face networking is just as important as
anything you do online. Maximum 25 people.
Accountancy One-to-Ones
Visit Blue Skies Partnership in the exhibition to book
a tax advice appointment.
Low Budget, High Ethics
11.15 – 12.30
Filmmaker Stephen Follows chairs a panel of producers working at the micro/low budget
level. The session will examine four films from conception to distribution looking at how
they were funded, produced and marketed. We’ll consider the challenges for filmmakers
keen to deliver quality work without compromising on pay and conditions for cast and crew.
Our speakers will include Polly Perkins (Still Loved) and Amir Amirani (We Are Many).
Accountancy Question Time
With Steven Sykes
13.00 – 14.00
They say tax doesn’t have to be taxing! Well help is at hand. Boost your understanding by
joining Steven Sykes, MD of media accountancy specialists Blue Skies Partnership, to get top
accountancy tips for freelancers including advice on that perennial dilemma: sole trader v
limited company status. Steven’s colleagues at Blue Skies will also be available on the day
for 1-to-1 appointments. Book your slot on arrival.
Digital Storytelling
With the BBC Academy
13.45 – 15.00
New platforms and diverse approaches to content distribution are presenting new challenges
for storytelling in our digital era. But what are the differences between digital and linear
storytelling and what opportunities exist both for the new and established film-maker?
This session is brought to the Freelancers’ Fair by Patrick Lavelle of the BBC Academy.
The Class Ceiling:
Class bias on screen and behind the scenes
14.15 – 15.30
Is there a ‘class ceiling’ in the TV and film industry? Are all classes and backgrounds
equally represented in the ranks of film and programme makers? If not, why not? And
why does it matter? Join us to debate the issues with filmmaker Ken Loach, screenwriter
Jimmy McGovern and more. Introduction by Dan Wilks for Creative Skillset.
Pitch Perfect
Meet the Commissioners
15.45 – 17.00
Take advantage of this rare opportunity to gain inside knowledge directly from commissioners
and development producers working across a variety of genres. Find out how to navigate the
process, what informs the commissioning decisions that bring some of our favourite TV shows
to the screen, and get those all-important tips on how to deliver the perfect pitch. Our panel
will be Peter Davey (ITV), Rob Holloway (Discovery), Jane Merkin (BBC), Tom Porter (C4) and
Paul Wolfe (Maverick TV).
Diamond Visas:
Could Talent Plus Overseas Travel
Be Your Passport to Success?
16.00 – 17.00
With British creative talent such as Steve McQueen, Amma Asante and Eddie Redmayne
making it big across the pond, join us to look at how getting your international documentation
in order and making that trip could lead to that all-important breakthrough. Our panel will
include US immigration lawyer, Joe Adams, actor and writer Sherill Turner (via Skype) and
film & TV director, Alex Kalymnios. The session will feature a ‘foreword’ by Angela Marie
Hutchinson, president and founder of not-for-profit organisation, Breaking into Hollywood.
Book through Eventbrite at freelancersfair.eventbrite.com
PLI cover
up to £10m
per claim
Ever mindful of the
needs of the freelance
community BECTU now
provides public liability
insurance cover up to
£10m per claim to its
freelance members.
The cost of cover is just
£25 for the period 1 May
2015 – 30 April 2016.
Find out more about
the policy at the show
(where you can also
meet our broker Hencilla
Canworth to discuss
other insurances too) or
check our website here:
www.bectu.org.uk/pli
Help for new
entrants too
New entrants to the
industry who join BECTU
within a year of graduation
or completion of training
can take advantage of
new entrant membership
at just £5 per month
by DD, half our usual
introductory rate. New
entrant membership is
full membership and also
includes access to lowcost PLI cover
(see above).
New entrants will also
be interested in the
information posted on
our Creative Toolkit site
– www.creativetoolkit.
org.uk – which helps new
starters to understand
their employment rights
so that they are better
equipped to challenge
(better still avoid!) those
employers content to
break the law on the
national minimum wage.
The site also has a number
of Help Notes which are
free to download: www.
creativetoolkit.org.uk/
help-notes
v2. 26 May 2015