The READY Initiative, an apprenticeship for young people who have experienced homelessness and are suited to a creative career, has been launched. The initiative is a partnership among RAPP UK, youth homelessness charity Centrepoint and education specialist Creative Pioneers to find and develop these individuals. The 15-month salaried apprenticeship includes working on live briefs, the ongoing support of a bespoke mentor network, an agency starting salary and the same benefits as other full-time employees. After providing them with a brief to test their creative potential, candidates are shortlisted by RAPP UK to take forward to spend time in the agency. The candidates will spend three weeks working across different parts of the creative department and present back what they have learnt at the end. One will be taken forward to the apprenticeship and the remaining candidates will receive career coaching and support. The successful apprentice will be enrolled in the Creative Pioneers Junior Content Producer course. This involves spending a day each week learning about art direction, copywriting, video production, social media, blogging, and content creation skills…..
U.K. director Barney Cokeliss has joined Toronto production company Someplace Nice for Canadian representation. He continues to be handled by THEM in the U.S. and by Dark Energy in the U.K. His credits include Macmillan Cancer Support’s “Falling,” ongoing fare for the National Health Service, a large campaign for CIC Bank, NHTSA’s “No Good Excuse” and MiWay’s “Live Your Way.” Cokeliss’ stereoscopic short The Foundling, commissioned by Philips, tells the tale of an exceptional boy’s life in the circus. It received gold at the British Arrows advertising awards. His film Night Dancing premiered at TIFF and is currently completing a festival run in which it has won over 10 international awards and was chosen for Lincoln Center’s “Dance on Camera” dance film festival. His other short film work has been selected by festivals including Sundance and Venice…..
