Published on 09 March 2016
The University of Sunderland maintained its winning streak at the Royal Television Society awards.
Natacha Richardson and Ellie King were student winners in the Comedy and Entertainment category with their show The Family Food Fight, while Magali Pettier won the Non Broadcast Factual award for her documentary Addicted to Sheep.
The University’s students and graduates have been recognised at the RTS awards in 10 of the last 12 years, with many more receiving nominations, including documentary I Am Normal looking at the struggles of a North East woman who was born with a facial disfigurement.
Sue Perryman, Senior Lecturer in Media Production at the University of Sunderland, said: "The winning work came from a module called Format Factory, which is fairly new but we are seeing great success stories already.
"Along with our RTS winners Ellie and Natacha, two other original format ideas from our current final year students are also generating lots of interest from industry commissioners, which is exactly what I’d expect given that these young content creators are aligning their format ideas to current commissioning briefs, and pitching their ideas to a panel of industry professionals.
"The module also offers a field trip to MIPTV in Cannes, where students are given an opportunity to meet with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry and discover the latest trends in the world’s biggest digital content marketplace."
The Family Food Fight is a cooking show that pitches members of the same family against one another in a battle to find the best chef.
Ellie King, Editor and Co-Creator, said: "We took a lot of inspiration from shows such as Come Dine with Me and Master Chef. When it came to editing we had so much footage, so cutting it down was very challenging. [The film] was shown to a Channel 4 company called Orion and they were really interested in it."
Natacha Richardson, Director and Producer, added: "The fact that it appeals to other people, and people that actually are in television is absolutely amazing. Winning the RTS and having that attention from industry people gave us so much confidence."
Addicted to Sheep is a documentary by Sunderland graduate and French film-maker Magali Pettier who focused on the challenging work of sheep-farming in the Pennines. The film has gone on to receive international recognition and was featured on BBC One’s Countryfile.
Magali said: "I was brought up on a dairy farm in Brittany and always wanted to raise the profile of farmers. I wanted to help them gain the respect I felt they deserved.
"The University of Sunderland course has helped me to become very attentive to detail and to always look for the perfect image. It also taught me that it is not just about the visual but about the story and the people you choose to tell that story. It has put me in a good position to cover a range of topics over the years."
Nominated documentary I Am Normal is a heartfelt look at the life of Michelle Willis, a nurse working in the North East who was born with a facial disfigurement. The documentary exposes the abuse she has received, and shines a light on her resilience and love for life.
The documentary, which has featured on ITV, also exposes Michelle’s latest setback; being stripped of her driving licence by the DVLA because of her sight, which has left Michelle unable to continue house visits to certain patients, and left her feeling isolated and afraid.
Inbeom Jeong, BA Digital Film Production and Editor of I Am Normal, said: "Editing a story like Michelle’s, I found it really challenging. Our lecturer often advised us to try and find the story within her life, and try and focus on that, which was ultimately the DVLA issue where her independence was taken away."
Glen Harris, Director and Producer, added: "I have never been nominated for something like [RTS] before so it was a very unique experience. I enjoyed going down to the event and getting to see everyone else’s work there as well. It was just a privilege to be nominated."
Being recognised at the RTS awards can be a springboard to future success in the television industry. In 2011 University of Sunderland graduate Samantha France won the Undergraduate Fiction award for the film Not Enough Time – looking at the impact the Afghanistan conflict had on one family’s life.
Currently an Assistant Producer at Mentorn Media, Samantha has previously worked at Endemol and Lime Pictures, and been involved with shows for Channel 4, Chanel 5, and MTV.
Speaking in 2011 after receiving the award she said: "Just being nominated for a national award was an honour, so winning it was a momentous achievement for us and the rest of the team.
"This goes to show that hard work really does pay off. We just hope that winning the award will bring much deserved recognition to the university and the fantastic faculty that teaches there, this award is as much for them as it is for us."