Connected Campus+, an industry-focused initiative from The Northern School of Art and North East Screen, championing young creatives to take their first steps into the film and television industries, launched for a second year on Wednesday 14 October 2026 at The Northern Film & TV Studios.
This year’s programme is offered exclusively to students at The Northern School of Art, following a successful pilot last year. The programme will offer students studying degrees across the school a chance to take part in a series of workshops and opportunities to bridge the gap between education and the film and TV industries.
Education Partnerships Manager for North East Screen Catriona McAvoy explained:
“Connected Campus+ is an opportunity to have masterclass sessions with industry experts from the film and television industry in pre-production, production and post-production. We are also looking at employability skills and transferable skills that will take students into careers right across the creative industries.”
BA (Hons) Film, TV and Theatre Production student Millie Crompton described the launch as “interesting and enlightening” and said:
“I think what stood out the most was just the variety of things you get to learn. It’s so varied between the storyboarding and the production meetings. It’s all incredibly hands-on as well. I think that’s one of the best bits. That’s the reason I came to the school specifically, for hands-on experience.”
Operations Director at North East Screen Gail Woodruff said:
“The beauty of Connected Campus+ is that it takes everything that the students are learning within their various different courses, and it lets them look at what those skills look like when they transfer into a career in the film and TV industries.”
The sessions offer students the chance to make important connections with professionals Film student Saffron Livsey commented:
“I think what stands out to me most about the programme is the opportunity to work with other creatives and industry professionals, which you wouldn’t get without an opportunity like this. It’s truly amazing, honestly!”
Speaking about this year’s sessions, Gail said:
“The most important thing is that this can be really hands-on and workshop-led for the students, which is great. There is no death by PowerPoint!
“There’s lots of exciting stuff coming up. It’s all led by industry professionals who are not only coming to share their knowledge and do workshops with the students, but they are also people who are potentially going to work on high-end TV dramas and blockbuster feature films, and who might potentially be looking for trainees. So, it’s the ideal opportunity for students to get in front of those people, learn from them, but also demonstrate what they can do.”
Gayle Woodruffe delivers Connected Campus+ details to students
Going into detail about what the students can expect, Education Partnerships Manager for North East Screen Catriona said:
“As part of the programme, students will get to work with a production manager, doing some really fun activities to understand the lingo on set and set etiquette. We are also going to look at storyboarding and storytelling with industry experts, so learning how to build a character, develop a character, follow a story arc and lay out a screenplay.
“Later in the year, we are going to have a brilliant camera workshop where the students will work with heads of department from camera, sound and directing, and with real actors on set, recreating a real-life scene from a TV show.”
Employability Manager for The Northern School of Art Jess Tones said:
“It was fantastic to see students at the Connected Campus+ launch from so many different programmes across the School.
“The programme is just another example of how the School focuses on the future careers and creative aspirations of our students by connecting them with industry professionals and practical sessions.”
Commenting on the partnership, Catriona said:
“Connected Campus+ is an opportunity for students to make connections with North East Screen.”
“There is so much talent at this school, and so many of the students have skills that fit right into the shortages that we currently have in the industry. So, working with The Northern School of Art is going to be brilliant for us at North East Screen and the region.”
Student Saffron Livesy said that, “it’s important that the school offer opportunities like this to students” she said that the courses cover a lot of the skills that you gain through industry experience, “stuff that you wouldn’t even think about in the industry, that you might brush over and wouldn’t have even thought about if the resources weren’t available to us it’s also something that no one’s going to get anywhere else in any other location or school so it’s really cool that the university wants to do that for us.”
Reflecting on her time at the school studying film she said, “I’m really enjoying the school year so far. Level 6 is really challenging, and it presents so many opportunities and challenges, which are a great opportunity to learn. I’m really, really enjoying it, and I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.”
Millie agreed that experiences and the practical approach of the degree was an important factor in deciding to come to university, “I came here from Newcastle. I had a gap year and I hadn’t planned on doing a uni course, but seeing such an invested uni and hands-on course, where you get to actually use the kit, gain actual industry knowledge, work with industry professionals, and attend networking events that you are immediately notified about, you get experiences like Connected Campus+.
“It makes the world you are trying to get into incredibly accessible, which is a fantastic place to start.”
Find out more about our Stage & Screen related degree’s here!