BAFTA/Thomas Alexander Today, BAFTA confirms plans to bolster its support for the children’s media industry and its year-round learning programmes for the next generation under a new brand, Young BAFTA.
Young BAFTA captures under one banner BAFTA’s hugely popular outreach programmes for children and young people; its support of the children’s media industry; and will see new categories for children’s content introduced to BAFTA’s high-profile Film, Games and Television Awards in 2025. This work will be steered by a new cross-industry Young BAFTA Advisory Group.
The Young BAFTA Advisory Group will be led by BAFTA board member and industry trailblazer Andrew Miller MBE. A hugely respected disability champion and industry leader across the arts and broadcasting worlds, Miller started out in children’s television, with legendary Teletubbies producer Anne Wood, presenting Channel 4’s groundbreaking series Boom! and BBC Schools Programmes. As a National Council member of Arts Council England, governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company, former trustee of Welsh National Opera and digital arts agency The Space, founding chair of the BFI Disability Screen Advisory Forum, and the UK Government’s first disability champion for arts & culture, he will bring extensive governance and advocacy experience to the Group.
The Advisory Group will build on the work of BAFTA’s former children’s committee, with an enhanced and expanded remit, including:
- Elevate children’s content and creatives and give more prominence to the presentation of awards to the sector as part of BAFTA’s high-profile Film, Games and Television Awards ceremonies from 2025, as well as implementing a rolling programme of special award presentations throughout the year.
- Steer BAFTA’s year-round programmes for children and young people to inspire the next generation of creatives - an integral part of BAFTA’s charitable mission.
- Encourage increased industry engagement by helping shape BAFTA’s year-round networking, events and support for creatives and practitioners working in the children’s media industry.
The move to present children’s awards in the annual Film, Games and Television BAFTAs is an evolution of the former Children and Young People awards ceremony which has seen a consistent drop in entries and engagement in recent years. The ceremony last took place in November 2022 after a two-year pause.
Sara Putt, BAFTA chair, said: “We are evolving the way we celebrate children’s film and television to ensure our support of the children’s media sector is impactful, relevant and sustainable. The new Young BAFTA Advisory Group, to be led by BAFTA board-member and industry expert Andrew Miller, will align BAFTA’s long-standing support of children’s media sector with our charitable mission to bring their excellent work to wider public attention and nurture the next generation of talent. We are grateful for the generosity of time and expertise of BAFTA’s former children’s committee, for their tireless work to-date and their support of this next chapter.”
Andrew Miller MBE, BAFTA trustee and chair of the Young BAFTA Advisory Group, said: “The children’s media industry has so often been at the forefront of progressive, innovative and inspirational storytelling. Many on and off-screen creatives and practitioners working across the sector owe their careers to children’s media, including me. I am looking forward to working closely with the new Young BAFTA Advisory Group over the coming months to give recognition to the children’s media sector across BAFTA’s globally respected Film, Games and Television Awards and elevate BAFTA’s brilliant learning initiatives to inspire the future of the industry.”
Faraz Osman, founder and MD of Gold Wala, and former chair of the BAFTA children’s committee: “Along with the Young BAFTA advisory group, I will be supporting BAFTA over the coming months in shaping plans to raise the profile of children’s content and programme makers in BAFTA’s Awards.”
Nurturing and inspiring young people’s creativity is integral to BAFTA’s mission. With hugely popular new talent competitions, Young Game Designers and Young Presenters; national school roadshows; family events at BAFTA’s 195 Piccadilly HQ and venues around the country; online content and mentorship; and through national partnerships with Into Film, Place2Be and the Science Museum, BAFTA reaches thousands of children and young people across the UK, encouraging and building their confidence to express themselves and discover creative skills and careers.
Later this year, BAFTA 195 Piccadilly opens its doors for a Young BAFTA Showcase on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 November welcoming young people, teachers and families. Attendees will be introduced to BAFTA’s flagship programmes for young people including its Young Games Designers and Young Presenters initiatives, and there will be drop-in workshops and talks from BAFTA nominees and winners, culminating in a joint event with national arts charity Into Film as part of their Festival, which inspires young people to watch and make films.
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About BAFTA
BAFTA – the British Academy of Film and Television Arts - is a world-leading independent arts charity that brings the very best work in film, games and television to public attention and supports the growth of creative talent in the UK and internationally. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of learning events and initiatives – which includes workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes in the UK, USA and Asia – BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration. For more, visit www.bafta.org. BAFTA is a registered charity (no. 216726).
