Prime Video’s investment in the UK is creating opportunities for homegrown film and TV talent

When it comes to film and television, the UK has an impressive and long-standing creative track record. This is why many of Prime Video’s productions call it home.

From global hits like Citadel (which partly filmed in Maidenhead), to The Rig in Edinburgh and Good Omens in Bathgate, Edinburgh, How to Date Billy Walsh in York to My Policeman in Brighton, Catherine Called Birdy at Stokesay Castle in Shropshire, to Mammals in Cornwall, Prime Video continues to greenlight creative film and TV projects across the UK.

The BFI recently found skills gaps throughout the film and TV workforce. We recognise this gap and one way Prime Video is helping to generate opportunities is by investing £10m over the next three years to broaden access to the sector and provide more opportunities for those from diverse backgrounds through ‘Prime Video Pathway’; with more than half of places allocated for those based outside of London.

As well as creating Prime Video’s own in-house programme, we will transfer up to 25% of the apprenticeship levy pot to external organisations and have pledged £2m to create an apprenticeship levy transfer fund dedicated to helping support small businesses across the creative industries take on their own apprentices.

Keep reading to learn about some of the talented individuals and businesses in the sector that we’re supporting.

Daisy is an apprentice at the Berkshire Film Office which is funded by Amazon as part of the apprenticeship levy. In her role, Daisy provides support and facilitates on-set film productions. She describes her most memorable day at work as seeing George Clooney in action filming The Boys in the Boat.

Daisy believes funding, training and networking opportunities are key to helping more people find their dream roles in the UK’s creative industries. “Awareness within education and schools is crucial to keep up with the ever-growing industry. We need investment that will get young people interested in and aware of the many avenues in film and TV sector.”

While looking for new opportunities in 2020, Oscar pursued a branding project at his local festival, which is what first piqued his interest in marketing. It was this experience that inspired him to start his career as an apprentice with IMDb where he could learn more about marketing while gaining on-the-job experience.

“I love that I can wake up every day and work in a creative way, often brainstorming new ideas with teams which can lead to success for a company. I find it exciting because you never know if your next idea might be the key to going viral and being successful.”

Working within the Prime Video & Studios team, Rebecca believes the UK has always been an incredible hotbed for creatives and that we are at the forefront of many creative industries such as fashion, music, and digital media. She is passionate about ensuring there is enough funding available so that diverse voices from different communities can enter the creative industries.

“It’s important to do something that gives you a sense a purpose and enjoyment, life is too short otherwise! Prime Video has made significant investment in UK creative industries through its Pathway training initiative that provides funding to students who want to learn the skills required for a career in the film and TV industry.”

With a great career in production behind him, Hamish set up his own post-production company in 2003. Since then, his business has seen steady year-on-year growth and he’s an advocate for investing in the creative industry in Scotland.

“The creative industries as a whole is supported reasonably well in the UK now, however more support would be hugely welcomed by Scottish indies like ourselves. With investment from companies like Amazon, recognition is growing. Building creative hubs, committing to multi-series projects and providing employment all help our region. It also stimulates growth around the filming locations. Thanks to Amazon being one of our first streaming clients, we now supply bespoke editing and post-production solutions to all the large streamers too!”

Suzanne started her career at Channel 4 and built a career in advertising and films before moving into high-end TV. Now with her own production company, she works on a slate of projects including Prime Video’s The Rig.

“The last few years have seen an increase in funding for incoming productions to Scotland and also funding for training so we can bring on the next generation of technicians and creative talent. I love what I do and I love the industry, so it’s great to see Amazon greenlighting more projects in the UK. It automatically supports the creative industries with jobs and with more productions come the opportunity for traineeships and opportunities for crew to step up to new positions.”

Brooke is a former Prime Video apprentice who is now a Marketing Executive in the Prime Video team. She recognises the challenges with finding entry-level roles in the creative industries, especially without prior experience or a university degree. In the future, she believes there will be more opportunities to involve new talent at different stages of their careers.

“My most memorable day at work would be the day we had the Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power screening. The atmosphere around the office was so fun and excitable.”

Amazon’s apprenticeship fund is covering the cost of the training of 200 apprentices and includes initiatives such as becoming the lead partner on a Screen Skills and Department for Education flexible apprenticeship pilot where Prime Video are funding 20 apprentices to support both our Original productions such as The Devil’s Hour and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power as well as funding apprentices on non-Amazon productions including Channel 4’s Derry Girls. Prime Video also work with the UK Screen Alliance to support dedicated Post-Production and VFX schemes.

Read more: Amazon is one of the leading contributors across the breadth of the UK creative industries.