Rollem nurtures new & under-represented writers

At Rollem, we’re always interested in seeking out new writers. We have a track record of identifying promising new talent and helping to develop their work, securing the first original broadcast commissions for newcomers Eva O’Connor & Hildegard Ryan (BBC3's Overshadowed), and Michael Patrick & Oisín Kearney (BBC3/BBC1’s My Left Nut). Here are a few ways we’ve been seeking out new writers over the past few years…

New Writing North Award (2022–2024)

In 2021, Channel 4 and New Writing North announced a three-year programme of support for new and emerging television writers in the North of England. The Talent Development Partnership aims to identify and support new writers from the North through innovative programming and networks, with a particular focus on supporting writers from backgrounds that are currently underrepresented in the television industry.

Running from 2022-2024, the programme offers awards, placements with independent production companies, script development, writers’ roadshows and workshops, and the formation of the Northern Talent Network. Channel 4 and New Writing North have worked in partnership since 2014, offering aspiring television writers nine-month funded placements at independent production companies through the Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards, part of the Northern Writers’ Awards. The Northern Writers’ Awards are New Writing North’s flagship writer development programme. New writer Natalie Beech won a placement at Rollem in 2022 and her idea is now in formal development with Rollem.

Harriet Ghost has recently been announced as the 2023 winner and will work with us for nine months, developing an original script.

The awards have already launched the television careers of several writers, including Sharma Walfall, who has gone on to work on productions including Noughts and Crosses and A Town Called Malice, and Jayshree Patel, now a core writer on the Hollyoaks team, as well as writers Taiba Amla, Adam Bennet-Lea and Joshua Haim. Now, an extension of the Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards will mean that from 2022 onwards, three writers per year will be offered a placement with an independent production company alongside mentoring and a bursary of £3000.

Under-represented Writers Initiative (2020)

Kay was always incredibly passionate about championing new writing talent. This initiative – in partnership with and funded by the BBC – was designed to nurture and support under-represented voices in both their creative and professional development, with a specific focus on writers who identify as female from two key underrepresented groups: Northern England voices and BAME voices.

The scheme focused on four selected writers – Rebekah Harrison, Helen Black, Racha Sobatree and Celia Morgan – all of whom were mentored by Kay and Rollem’s Head of Development Sian Palfrey to develop their writing for broadcast, whilst also boosting their profile by putting them on the radar of commissioners and industry professionals. The chosen writers were taken on a twelve-month development period where they worked with our development team to create their own original programme ideas, pitch them to BBC commissioners and take the selected idea to script. Two of the four projects (Helen Black and Rebekah Harrison) went on to be commissioned for official development by the BBC and are now awaiting greenlight, so watch this space!

During the year, we offered each writer bespoke support depending on their level of experience and areas of interest. This includes master classes in storylining, idea development and structure, as well as all the editorial support needed for the writers to create pitches and series treatments for their ideas, with one idea ultimately being selected to take to the spec script stage. The writers also received a grant of £8,000 for their participation in the scheme, with their work going on to be introduced to BBC commissioners to have a ‘first look’ at all the ideas developed during the course of the initiative.

Keep an eye out for upcoming writers schemes and initiatives  – we’ll be posting any opportunities right here on the Rollem blog!