“It’s exhausting, but we love it!” Sharon Soor says about the film and TV industry, where she has recently landed a new job.
Soor, a first assistant production accountant, had previously worked in the music industry, for a car maintenance business and as a film extra. Then one weekend she attended an event run by Screenskills, a non-profit organisation, to show people in mid-career how accounting skills were sought after across media. “After that event, I sent out seven CVs, and got seven replies — eventually choosing to work on The Crown,” she says.
The industry is forecast to grow by up to 36 per cent by 2025, translating to almost 18,700 more production jobs. This growth has created a skills shortage in all “below the line” (ie support) roles. Vicki Goodall, head of production at an independent production company, confirms the skills shortage. “We have never been so busy, the work has never been so good, or so well paid,” she says. “The backlog from the pandemic, plus the rise in commissioning from streaming services, is driving the demand for high-end TV [also known as HETV — defined roughly as costing more than £1mn per episode to make].” Goodall sees a shortage for all skills: “We need lawyers, carpenters, accountants, choreographers, electricians — you name it, there are jobs for everyone.”