BBC Creator Lab 2023

This opportunity has now closed

Are you a social or digital creator with an interest in developing a career in television? Our brand-new talent initiative to discover the most exciting creators from across the UK is open for applications now.

Working in collaboration with TikTok, we’re offering up to 100 social or digital creators a two-day in-person development programme to boost your social and TV career. 

We will give you the opportunity to meet commissioners and producers from our top network shows and consider you for a potential guest slot or segment.*

Additionally, you will work to a brief for a piece of BBC social content, receive development training and a masterclass from TikTok.

What we want

We’re interested in exciting talent who bring brilliant new ideas and creativity and will appeal to Gen Z, Alpha and millennial audiences.

We are looking for people who can demonstrate a track record of, or genuine interest in, creating social or digital content around one or more of our key subject areas.

These subject areas compliment a variety of opportunities we have on BBC programmes.

Whether you’re a subject matter expert with social channels dedicated to one or more of these themes, or a more general enthusiast with a passion for one of these topics, we want to hear from you.

Our areas of interest are:

Football and sport

Football enthusiasts, presenters and sports lovers to explore the beautiful game and front must-see videos for the BBC’s digital football coverage.

UK nature

If you love the UK’s nature, we’re after experts and enthusiasts for BBC Springwatch.

Cooking and mixology

Cooking creators, food enthusiasts and mixologists for BBC Morning Live and Saturday Kitchen.

Entertainment

Aspiring presenters, entertainers and quick-witted people who love interviewing and being in front of the camera, to create digital/social content around the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Children’s content

We have opportunities for film and guest presentation slots on the BBC Children’s shows Blue Peter, Saturday Mash Up Live! and other presentation opportunities.

*Acceptance onto the Creator Lab scheme does not guarantee appearing on the BBC.

What you’ll receive

In collaboration with TikTok, our two-day in-person creative sessions will be held across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

These sessions will give you the chance to showcase your skills while working to a BBC social content brief, before presenting your idea to a BBC TV commissioner from factual, entertainment, sport, daytime or Children’s. You will discuss and present ideas to them about how you would approach a guest appearance on their programmes.

You will also make a piece of social content related to your subject area’s theme. We may choose to publish this on one of our social channels or platforms.

During the two-day sessions you’ll also be given the chance to collaborate with other social creators, network with on-screen talent, producers and TV commissioners, receive a masterclass from TikTok, and further training and upskilling sessions.

The two-day sessions will take place between January and April 2024. Exact dates will be shared with successful applicants.

Who can apply

The application process is open to social and digital creators that meet the following criteria:

• Have a social presence across any of TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook or Snapchat.
• Can demonstrate on-screen experience ie often feature on social video content.
• Aged 18 years-old or over.
• Based in the UK, with the right to work.
• Have a) over 50k following on a social media platform and/or b) developed, created, and published at least two videos that have reached over 350k views.
• Made a positive creative or innovative impact across social platforms.
• Please note this scheme is not open to permanent BBC staff members.

We’ll select applicants to attend our programme based on the following criteria:

• Fit to the subject area/s
• Creativity: originality, ideation and quality of videos or ideas
• On-screen delivery: are you engaging, accessible, etc

We actively encourage applicants from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds, and deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent creators, as well as people from lower income backgrounds.

How to apply

The closing date for applications was Sunday 29 October 2023.

Read our Privacy Notice (pdf).

Terms and conditions

• Proof of age, identity, residency, and eligibility may be requested. The BBC’s decision as to the eligibility of individual entrants will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• The BBC reserves the right to the make final decision on publishing any commissioned content.
• The BBC reserves the right to disqualify any entry which breaches any of these terms and conditions.
• The BBC reserves the right to disqualify entries that are inconsistent with the BBC Editorial Policy Guidelines or which may bring the BBC into disrepute.
• The BBC reserves the right to cancel or alter the scheme at any stage. In this event, a notice will be posted on this website.
• The BBC reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions at any stage, including changing or substituting the selection process and the development opportunities. In this event, a notice will be posted on this website.
• By applying for the scheme, entrants warrant that they have legal capacity to enter the scheme and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
• The BBC’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
• If you are offered paid work opportunities as a part of the scheme or after the scheme ends:

1. A separate contract shall be issued on the BBC’s standard terms and conditions.
2. The BBC shall pay standard fees for the work.
3. If an independent producer offers you work then it shall be the producer’s responsibility to engage and pay you.

• These terms and conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales.