The latest series of huge global hit TV show, Industry, currently being filmed in Cardiff, is bringing more employment, career progression and upskilling opportunities to Wales’ TV sector.
Season 4 of Industry, which airs on the BBC in the UK, is again being produced by Welsh-based production company Bad Wolf, this time with support from the Welsh Government via Creative Wales as part of a four-year deal between the two parties.
As part of the terms of the deal, Bad Wolf, via Screen Alliance Wales, provides on-set training and work shadowing experiences for people entering the industry as well as up-skilling opportunities for people looking to progress their careers.
Industry follows the high-pressured lives of a group of young bankers at Pierpoint & Co, London. Starring Marisa Abela (who won the BAFTA TV Awards’ Best Actress Award for her series 3 performance earlier this week), Myha’la, and Kit Harington, Season 4 also features confirmed new cast members including Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton and Max Minghella, of The Social Network and The Handmaid’s Tale.
The series sees Cardiff once again stand in as London, showcasing both its versatility as a filming location as well as its ready supply of talented Wales-based production crew. The Welsh capital has also been transformed in recent years into an unnamed US city for Netflix feature film, Havoc, and Oxford for HBO / BBC / Bad Wolf’s His Dark Materials.
The four-year deal between Bad Wolf and Creative Wales is helping to drive further growth in Wales’ thriving TV industry and committing Bad Wolf to a minimum Welsh spend over the four-year period. It will also provide a minimum of 42 meaningful paid entry-level trainee and upskilling placements for Wales based crew on high-end productions.
Skills and Culture Minister, Jack Sargeant, visited the set this week and met cast, crew and four trainees working on the show. He said:
“As Learning in Work Week comes to a close, it’s been a pleasure to hear what valuable training opportunities Charlie, Jacob, Rosie and Robyn have experienced working on Industry 4. We are immensely proud of our Welsh film and TV sector and opportunities like these further develop our homegrown talent and cements Wales’ reputation as a first-class filming location with skilled crew able to service high-end productions.”
Jacob Cook is a Graphics Trainee on the set of Industry 4, said:
‘I studied graphic design in university, but I had no idea how to break into the Film and TV industry. In fact, I was working in a supermarket at the time. I went to a careers fair one day where I met someone from Screen Alliance Wales, and two weeks later this opportunity came up and I was lucky enough to get the job!
‘The role covers absolutely anything and everything that’s related to graphics or design, like lots of set-dressing and doing things behind the scenes. It’s such a fast-paced environment that’s allowed me to really develop my skill set.
‘The screen industry in Wales is putting us on the map. You don’t have to go to Hollywood to have a successful career when you can just come to Splott!’
Rosie Berry, is a Crowd Costume Trainee on the set of Industry 4, said:
‘Ten years ago, I did my degree in costume and construction and I have a masters in costume design. Now that my children are older, I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in Film and TV.
‘Working on Industry is incredible. I’m based in the studio and assist the fitters who dress the supporting actors, and we can work with anywhere up to 40 fittings each day – sometimes they need one look, other days it could be three or four.
‘It’s so important that these trainee placements are available – I was able to get my foot in the door via this scheme.
‘Now I feel ready to step up and apply for a junior position, as I know that – to make it to the top – it’s important to start from the beginning and learn as much as possible.’
