Newham College students take over BT Sport with short film premiere

Credit: Shaun Smith Photography

BT Sport has premiered a thought-provoking short film created by students from Newham Sixth Form College, as BT Sport Takeover returned on 28 November on BT Sport 1. The film is the result of a BT Sport community initiative which provides local students, with no prior TV experience, access to an eight-week course to learn the fundamentals of sports TV – enabling them to create their own show which is then aired on BT Sport.

The course teaches the students how to film and produce a television programme. The BT Sport Takeover show, presented by broadcaster Henrie Kwushue and the Takeover creators, focuses on the BT Sport United commitment, which looks to champion positive social change in three areas, community, inclusivity and sustainability, while making TV production more accessible to young people from the diverse community local to BT Sport and providing a platform to showcase their work:

• Inclusivity – An examination of the challenges women face in the world of sport, and what solutions are being put in place to ensure a more inclusive environment
• Sustainability – How a school in Chiswick tackled a serious local air pollution problem through the installation of a living green wall
• Community – An investigation into the communities of esports and physical sports and how accessible they are to those with disabilities

Jamie Hindhaugh, BT Sport chief operating officer, said: “BT Sport is honoured to showcase the remarkable work of these exceptional young people. The outcomes produced from their time with our team is remarkable. A huge thanks goes to this year’s Takeover creators for their hard work and passion throughout the process.

“This is the third year of BT Sport Takeover; it will remain an essential part of our commitment to promote growth in diversity in the broadcast industry and to give opportunities to the East London community.”

Kimberly Swainson, student, added: “I heard a lot about the BT Sport Takeover opportunity from previous year groups and I’m so glad I got to experience it for myself. The course really equipped me with more knowledge in filmmaking, building my confidence through shadowing the amazing staff there and watching a project grow from start to finish. I am so grateful to BT Sport and NewVIc for this chance, it truly has broadened my thoughts to all the career options within the industry.”

Maria Kelesidi, media teacher, Newham Sixth Form College, said: “We are truly in awe of what our students have been able to produce from their time with the BT Sport team, not least because it has really widened their perspectives on how London is represented in the sporting sector through exploring the crucial issues of inclusivity, sustainability and representation as a community. We continue to give our biggest thanks to the BT Sport team for allowing us to make this all possible, seeing the final result of the shows really does make the Academy proud and just highlights the abilities of the students when they are so generously supported by influential bodies such as BT Sport.”