Crew Room Academy unveils free training platform

An online training and mentoring scheme called Crew Room Academy (CRA) has launched, to try to tackle inequality within the industry.

CRA works with 13 to 21-year-olds, especially from backgrounds where they may not have previously considered a career in television, to help them build successful and long-term media careers.

It provides its users with interactive training videos, a database of employment opportunities, and online mentoring programmes.

CRA is able to make its content free-to-access after receiving sponsorship funding from brands including Amazon Prime Video.

James Ash, co-founder, Crew Room Academy, said: “Amazon Prime Video have been an invaluable supporter of CRA from its beginnings. The time and resources they’ve generously shared have enabled us to grow CRA, and its social objectives, at a faster rate than would have otherwise been possible”.

Broadcast Tech sat down with CRA co-founders James Ash and Errol Osman to find out more about their content plans for the site. Ash said: “We focus on training, mentorship, and recruitment opportunities, through specially made online videos. Typically, training initiatives such as ours charge for services – £750 for a CV writing service or £1,500 for a camera course, for example – but with us, students pay nothing.

“We were self-financed for the first year, and the content is now starting to be funded through our sponsors. Amazon Prime Video has got it off the ground, having the vision and passion to support us with our initial batch of content.”

Osman adds: “Helen Killeen, Trish Brady and the team at ITV Studios have also been an integral part of CRA’s journey so far. Their generous contributions, such as allowing us access to their studios for filming, have made a huge difference to the quality and production value of our training videos. They have championed CRA from its beginnings.”

Ash believes CRA will open up access to the industry for people who wouldn’t normally get that opportunity, and points to the authenticity of the content on CRA, stemming from the fact the team all currently work in the industry. “We’re still on the ground working – I’m a tech director and Errol is a studio manager.”

CRA went live at the beginning of this month, with the initial content having taken around a year to put together.

“Our initial content includes the YouTube series, ‘Coffee and Crew’ room, where you can find out other people’s experiences around diversity and inclusion in the industry and learn about different ways to get into the industry,” explains Osman. “We also have training videos where you can gain knowledge about different aspects of key job roles within production and post-production.”

The content includes interactive videos focused on learning the different skills and knowledge required for different jobs. Eight of these have been made so far, and CRA has plans to make 25 of them in total, including focussing on the skills of a lighting director and producer.

Meanwhile, the ‘crew room’ section of the website is a free mentoring platform and the ‘casting room’ lists job opportunities, job training and job placements. The training includes short interactive videos, tests and quizzes.

“We’ve already helped 20+ people get work placements in the industry, and have crewed up the team of runners for Britain’s Got Talent,” says Ash. “We’re now looking to employ outreach people and people to do regional promotion. We’re new, fresh and digital, and our content appeals to colleges, universities and anyone doing a media course.”

PICTURED: CRA filming content on the set of ITV Daytime’s Loose Women.