Calling all Mentors! Could you support a new entrant to the film industry?

What is mentoring?

We believe it’s about building a trusted and positive relationship with a young person over time to achieve positive outcomes.

“It’s about motivating and empowering the other person to identify their own issues and goals and helping them to find ways of resolving or reaching them – not by doing it for them or expecting them to ‘do it the way I did it’, but by understanding and respecting different ways of working.”

University of Cambridge

And there are so many benefits to becoming a Mentor!

• It offers an opportunity to develop your leadership and communication skills
• Enables you to have a lasting impact on a young person’s life
• It encourages you to be creative
• It expands your network
• Gives you a fresh perspective and the opportunity to learn from someone different to you
• And to gain personal and job satisfaction from helping others achieve their goals.

What is Film London Connect?

Film London Connect is our new volunteer led Mentoring programme designed specifically for Equal Access Network* (EAN) members. The mentoring programme’s focus is on new and early film industry entrants, aged 18-24 and we aim to prioritise support for those from traditionally underrepresented groups.

Film London Connect is a 6 month programme for 30 eligible mentees, and our ambition is that it will improve workforce retention and offer real world career progression support in what we know can be a tough working environment.

Sessions will be 1 hour long and scheduled on a monthly basis by the mentees. We of course appreciate the long hours and flexibility required to work in the film industry so your mentee will schedule the meetings at a mutually convenient time.

Over the 6 months of the programme, as a mentor you will be offered training and will be supported by Film London’s Mentoring Manager to get the most out of the experience. We also have a variety of resources to help you and your mentee structure your time together, focusing on the day-to-day and aspirational guidance and support that we find new and early entrants most need.

We particularly welcome applications from prospective mentors based in London but are open to those applying from across the UK with the likelihood that mentoring sessions will take place online.

All levels of experience are welcomed and from all aspects of the industry! We will aim to match you with a mentee with similar interests, sector and aspirational role goals.

* The Equal Access Network is supported by the Mayor of London. Through it, we work to ensure the capital’s screen industries represent the diversity of the city itself. Our core aim is to promote equality, inclusion and diversity: We want the EAN to be the link in an industry network for those that don’t have it.

Applications have now closed.