The agreement commits the BBC to partner and work with local agencies in areas such as boosting local TV production and film-making, tackling the digital divide, digital skills and media literacy and collaborating on digital and connectivity projects.
Mark Thompson said the agreement is the first of what could be many partnerships with cities across the UK. He also pledged that the South West could be a world leader in natural history programming for decades to come. The forthcoming ‘Life’ series, which starts on BBC One next week, showed that the ‘creative brilliance of programme makers in the region goes from strength to strength’.
Initiatives include:
- A new drive in local schools and colleges to boost media and digital production skills and find the Sir David Attenboroughs of the future.
- A ‘school for DJs’ with the BBC to open up its studios and local presenters to act as mentors for local young people with a flair for presenting or producing programmes.
- A project specifically focused on harder to reach communities offering media and digital training to 18 to 25-year-olds keen to pursue a career in media.
- A new micro budget feature film initiative, ‘iFeatures’, to boost local film-making.
The partners intend that working together more closely and sharing expertise, resources and ambitions will bring cultural and economic benefits to the people of Bristol, the city and the South West.