Young people from Wales get first break into TV

Eight young people from Wales have beaten off fierce competition to win a coveted place on this year’s Television and Young People initiative (TVYP) and will be now be going to the Edinburgh Television Festival in August, supported by Sgrîn Cymru Wales.
The successful ten were chosen from thousands who applied for TVYP, which gives 150 young people aged 18-21 the chance of five free days at the Festival, with access to celebrities and the major players in British television.
Lee Shirreffs (from Swansea), Kerrie Lynne Doyle (from Port Talbot), Richard Jenkins (from Cardiff), Michael Evans (from Holyhead), Rhys Cook (from Dyserth), Scott Stanford (from Bridgend), Steffan Phillips (from Cardigan) and Matthew McCabe (from Newport) were selected after answering a variety of questions including describing their ideal job in television and what new TV programme they would want to make.
They will join other young people from around the country in Edinburgh from 25-29 August, and on the TVYP opening night, will have an audience with Vernon Kay and Jayne Middlemiss. In a celebrity double bill, the presenters will give an exclusive insight into their careers and answer questions from the 150 TVYP delegates who are all aspiring entrants to the television industry.
Their busy schedule, which runs alongside the main TV Festival, will feature workshops with the writers of 'Hollyoaks', creative skills from Endemol (company who created Big Brother) and news journalism from Sky News. They will attend masterclasses from senior industry figures, including Jana Bennett, Director of Television at the BBC and Jon Sopel, BBC reporter. TVYP delegates will also attend the long awaited 'Strictly Come Dancing' launch event, hosted by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly. It’s certain to be one of the must-see sessions of the Festival, with major television executives testing out their ballroom dancing skills.
Berwyn Rowlands, Chief Executive of Sgrîn said:“The Festival is the ideal place for anybody considering a career in the Media. I am pleased that Welsh talent will have an opportunity to shine this August as they meet some of the most influential people in television from both behind and in front of the camera."
For more information visit www.tvyp.co.uk
(SP)