Everyone is an Apprentice: From Internship to Leadership in the Screen Industries, with Arit Eminue
How do you move beyond just getting people a foot in the door in the Screen Industry to helping them build meaningful, lasting careers? And how does a different attitude to lifelong learning help leadership to navigate changes in the industry?
In this episode, Arit Eminue, a talent and inclusion specialist and former founder of Diva Apprenticeships, joins Keith Arrowsmith and Tacita Small to talk about her journey from supporting over 2,000 individuals from underrepresented backgrounds into media roles, to now focusing on talent retention, development, and progression at leadership level.
Arit tells us about her experience at Diva Apprenticeships, including why she worked so hard to change perceptions around apprenticeships, and why she believes skills trump qualifications in recruitment. She also talks about why she chose to challenge the apprenticeship minimum wage, and how that can impact the talent pool available to recruiters.
Arit also shares insights from her current work, including why we shouldn’t be afraid of using AI, why learning agility matters more than traditional education, and how transparency and human connection remain crucial even as technology transforms how we work.
The WorkWise for Screen podcast is supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery Funding.
This episode covers:
Breaking down biases around apprenticeships vs traditional education paths
Why skills and attitudes matter more than qualifications in recruitment
Fair pay for apprentices and why it matters for diversity
The role of AI in recruitment and seeing it as a tool, not a threat.
Learning agility as a lifelong skill for everyone to prepare teams for technological change and the future of work.
Chapter Markers
(00:00) Introduction with Keith and Tacita
(01:46) Diva Apprenticeships: Breaking Barriers
(03:29) Challenges and Successes in Apprenticeships
(05:18) Apprenticeships vs. Internships
(09:10) The Role of AI in Recruitment
(15:02) Fair Wages and Valuing Apprentices
(18:17) Continuous Learning and Industry Evolution
(20:55) Conclusions with Keith and Tacita
WorkWise for Screen: https://www.workwiseforscreen.org.uk/
Keith Arrowsmith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keitharrowsmith/
Tacita Small: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tacitasmall/
BFI: https://www.bfi.org.uk/
National Lottery: https://www.national-lottery.co.uk/
Arit Eminue: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariteminue/
National Film and Television School (NFTS): https://nfts.co.uk
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BONUS: Ready Player One - recruiting and onboarding in the games industry
How do you hire the right person for your team? And once you've found them, how do you set them up for success from day one?
This is a Bonus episode recorded live at the Develop:Brighton event in July 2025. In this episode, Leon Killin, Strategic People Consultant at BalancePatch, discusses the practicalities of hiring in today's games industry landscape.
Leon explains why successful hiring isn't just about matching skills on paper, it's also about finding what's missing from your current team and cultivating diversity of thought and perspective. From tackling unconscious bias to reimagining interview processes, he shares practical strategies for creating more inclusive hiring practices that benefit everyone.
Leon emphasizes that successful hiring doesn’t end with recruitment, but that equal care should be put into onboarding. He says that integration into a team shouldn't be a one-day event, but an ongoing journey of building belonging and legacy within your organisation.
The WorkWise for Screen podcast is supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery Funding.
Why hiring isn't just about replicating what you already have
Building diverse interview panels that create better outcomes
Making reasonable adjustments to get the best out of candidates
The role of AI in recruitment - friend or foe?
Why onboarding is a long process, not a day-one event
Chapter Markers
(00:00) Introduction with Keith and Tacita
(01:45) Finding the Right Talent in the Games Industry
(03:32) Addressing Bias in Recruitment
(06:12) Creating an Inclusive Interview Process
(07:06) Leveraging AI in Recruitment
(08:47) The Importance of Onboarding
(11:51) Conclusions with Keith and Tacita
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Wages That Work: How Fair Pay Is an Investment in Gender Equity in the Screen Industry
What does fair pay truly mean in the screen industry? And how does aligning pay standards with living wage benchmarks contribute to a more inclusive and diverse workplace?
In this episode Lianna Etkind from the Living Wage Foundation and Melanie Iredale from Reclaim The Frame join Keith Arrowsmith and Tacita Small to discuss the importance of fair pay as a foundation for an inclusive and sustainable industry. They break down how the Statutory Living Wage differs from the Real Living Wage, what this can mean for freelancers and ancillary workers, and the consequences to the wider industry of paying low or no wages.
They explore challenges related to low pay, transparency in wages, and the disparity faced by marginalised communities, especially women and non-binary workers.
Lianna and Melanie share practical steps for employers to implement fair pay practices and stress that positive steps can be taken by signing up to the Real Living Wage, even if it is a phased process over time.
The WorkWise for Screen podcast is supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery Funding.
This episode covers:
What the Real Living Wage means and how it is calculated.
How the rules around pay can be different for freelancers.
The disparity faced by marginalised communities, especially women and non-binary workers.
How challenges related to low pay can affect the makeup of the industry.
How signing up to the real living wage in contracts, even if it is a phased process, is a positive step.
Chapter Markers
(00:00) Introduction with Keith and Tacita
(02:41) Lianna and Melanie’s background and work
(05:19) The definition of Fair Pay
(06:05) How Fair Pay overlaps with gender equity
(10:03) The difference between Real Pay, Fair Pay and the National Minimum Wage
(11:10) How this affects Freelancers
(13:17) Misconceptions and challenges around fair pay
(17:23) Positive trends
(19:33) Conclusions with Keith and Tacita
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Why on-set safety and speaking up is our collective responsibility, with Samantha Wainstein
What really makes a set safe?
In this episode, we speak with Samantha Wainstein, Chair of the Mark Milsome Foundation, about the pressing realities of health and safety in UK film and TV. Following the tragic, preventable death of camera operator Mark Milsome in 2017, the Foundation has worked to challenge industry norms and advocate for safer working conditions.
Samantha shares why safe sets are calm sets, what simple things every employer can do to protect their crew, and how cultural change is just as critical as compliance. From visible signposting and risk assessments to tackling overwork and fear of speaking up - this is a powerful conversation about responsibility, culture and care on set.
The WorkWise for Screen podcast is supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery Funding.
This episode covers:
What a safe set really looks like in practice
The legal (and moral) duty of care for employers
Why "everyone is responsible", but leadership must lead by example
The importance of proper planning, rest, and respecting turnaround times
Speaking up: how to build a culture of openness and collective responsibility
How tools like the Safety Passport are changing the landscape
Chapter Markers
(00:00) Introduction and Understanding On-Set Safety Challenges
(03:01) Samantha’s work at the Mark Milsome Foundation
(04:23) Principles of a Safe Set
(06:49) Employer Responsibilities and Legal Obligations
(10.54) Ensuring People Feel Able to Speak Up
(13:23) Tiredness and Work Safety
(16:06) Future of Health and Safety in the Industry
(20:51) Keith and Tacita’s Conclusions
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Planting seeds: The invisible ROI of good working practices with Jonny Gifford
In this episode, Principal Research Fellow Jonny Gifford from the Institute of Employment Studies joins Keith and Tacita to explore the long-term value of embedding fair, inclusive and sustainable working practices in the screen industry.
They discuss why “good work” looks different for everyone, the role of people management in smaller companies, and how leaders can move beyond short-term fixes to create workplaces where people genuinely thrive. From rethinking recruitment to managing workloads, Jonny shares practical, research-led insights into how small shifts can lead to lasting impact - even if the benefits aren't immediately visible.
The WorkWise for Screen podcast is supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery Funding.
This episode covers:
What “good work” really means and why it’s not one-size-fits-all
The long-term business benefits of fair and sustainable working practices
Why equality in recruitment and managing workloads matters more than ever
The role of managers in shaping day-to-day work culture
Practical ways to move beyond the “little black book” approach to hiring
Chapter Markers
00:00 Introduction to the Workplace for Screen Podcast
04:28 Defining Good Work
06:33 Core areas of Good Work
11:15 Challenges in small organisations
15:29 Measuring success beyond profit
16:43 Encouraging honest dialogue
19:10 Broadening talent pools
22:17 Conclusion and final thoughts
LINKS
WorkWise for Screen: https://www.workwiseforscreen.org.uk/en
Keith Arrowsmith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keitharrowsmith/
Tacita Small: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tacitasmall/
BFI: https://www.bfi.org.uk/
National Lottery: https://www.national-lottery.co.uk/
Jonny Gifford: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jonnygifford
Institute for Employment Studies: https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/
In the UK we have fantastic talent working across our industry from film to production, animation, VFX, gaming, distribution and exhibition. But as you know it's not an easy business to be in. We all grapple with complex questions around production and our working practices. On the WorkWise for Screen Podcast we’ll get the lowdown on all your legal and people management concerns from industry experts. The programme is an initiative to improve good working practices in the screen industries with the support of the BFI awarding National Lottery Funding. https://www.workwiseforscreen.org.
Netherlands