Back to All News
Netflix and National Youth Theatre Announce Second Year of IGNITE as New Research Reveals Creative Class Chasm
Social Impact
04 September 2024
United Kingdom
Link copied to clipboard
Netflix and the National Youth Theatre have launched year two of IGNITE Your Creativity, as new research reveals the shocking extent of the class chasm in the creative sector - and its impact on attitudes towards creative careers.
The data shows that the majority (89%) of working class parents, guardians and carers say they wouldn't want their child to pursue a creative career path. Parents favour traditional' careers in law, finance, medicine and technology for their children because they perceive them to offer good career progression (60%), good pay (58%) and a stable career path (56%).
Research shows that these traditional' professions are better at attracting more diverse talent, with only 8% of people working in film, TV and radio identifying as working class.
The problem is further highlighted by young people (16-25) already working in the creative industry. One in four (26%) of them said their parents, guardians or carers are unsupportive of their creative endeavours. Close to three quarters (73%) say their parents view their career as a waste of their education.
What is it you do again?
Over three quarters (78%) of young people felt explaining their creative profession to their parents was challenging. Four in five parents (81%) feel that the term creative means different things to different people. Over a third (41% ) of parents said the language around creative careers, such as film and TV, felt vague.
To help change this, Netflix and the National Youth Theatre have launched year two of IGNITE Your Creativity.
The programme equips young people from the West Midlands, North East and London who want to work in film and TV with the knowledge, skills and connections to build networks and confidence. It offers free, practical workshops that explore the wide-range of creative roles available, including information on starting salaries and progression to counter the narrative that creative careers are poorly paid and unstable. IGNITE also connects young people with set and backstage visits, work experience opportunities and industry experts. This year the programme will focus on the West Midlands, North East and London.
Adeel Akhtar, NYT Alumnus and new Patron said: It's a pleasure to become a National Youth Theatre Patron and be a part of the IGNITE programme and all the incredible work Netflix and NYT are doing to support more young people from all walks of life into the arts. This research speaks to my personal experience of the complexity of breaking into the creative industry, and I feel passionately about paving the way for the next generation of young people, and their parents, to maximise their creative potential.
Anna Mallett, Vice President, Production APAC, EMEA and the UK, Netflix said: The UK is a creative powerhouse, but well only keep our edge if our sector is open to young people from all backgrounds. This new research shines a light on the need to better support diverse talent. Were delighted to partner with the National Youth Theatre on the next iteration of the IGNITE programme to help young, aspiring creatives build the networks and skills needed to make their mark in the creative industries."
Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said: Our world-class creative industries generate a whopping £125 billion for our economy, offering people opportunity, rewarding jobs and the chance to develop cutting edge technical and digital skills. Through our national growth mission, and working with organisations such as Netflix and the National Youth Theatre, we will open up access to these sectors and make them more representative of the whole UK. Our aim will be for communities and businesses across the country to feel the benefits of inspiring more young people to pursue a creative career.
Paul Roseby, CEO and Artistic Director of the National Youth Theatre said: The stats speak for themselves, but many of the young people we aim to work with can't. We're grateful to our friends at Netflix and location partners for giving us a chance to empower young talent as we strive to redress the imbalance of access for young underserved and working class creatives.
About the research: Opinium Research polled 2,000 parents, guardians and carers in the United Kingdom using an online methodology. Results were weighted by age, gender, and region to nationally representative criteria. Fieldwork was conducted between 24th and 29th May 2024.
National Youth Theatre asked 500 young people from their creative community around the UK aged 18 - 30 about their views on how creative careers are perceived.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Back to All News
