Prime Video Invests Additional £2.2 Million in Uk Tv & Film Training

Prime Video has strengthened its investment in the UK creative industries with an additional £2.2M commitment focused on tackling critical skills gaps and launching one of the industry’s largest current free training programmes for struggling freelancers to help them develop portfolio careers in adjacent creative industries.

The expanded Prime Video Pathway initiative responds directly to the challenges facing the UK’s creative freelance community, with two ground-breaking programmes developed in partnership with the National Film and Television School (NFTS). The TV Freelancers Reskill and Upskill Programme is a comprehensive free virtual training initiative that will offer over 60 one-day online courses reaching up to 1,000 freelancers nationwide, while an intensive three-month in-person programme will provide dedicated support for 100 freelancers who have been out of work for more than four months across the UK.

“Amazon is proud to play its part with a comprehensive free training and development programme to support a freelance community we know is struggling,” says Siena Pakington, UK Country Manager, Prime Video. “We’re continuing to help upskill and reskill an industry facing unprecedented change while remaining trailblazers in apprenticeships that diversify our industry with proven opportunities for new entrants.”

The freelancer-focused programmes were developed following extensive research with the freelance community with more than 800 freelancers completing a skills survey. The suite of online short courses will cover emerging areas such as digital production, podcasting, social media, AI, Virtual Production and project management. Applications are now open via the NFTS website.

Jon Wardle, Director of the National Film and Television School (NFTS), says: “Freelancers across the creative industries are continuing to navigate significant challenges, and this expanded commitment from Prime Video will offer timely and much-needed support. By combining the free accessible online training delivered by the NFTS, with intensive in-person guidance, the freelance workforce will be able to expand their skills, regain momentum and lay the foundations for sustainable long-term careers.”

Since its establishment in 2022, Prime Video Pathway has surpassed its initial three-year £10M commitment to the UK creative sector, delivering training for 452 individuals (and counting) primarily from underrepresented groups. Importantly, 85% of trainees and apprentices trained via the programme in its first three years remain employed in the TV industry.

New Prime Video Pathway Initiatives for 2025

Beyond the flagship freelancer programmes, the additional £2.2M investment will support:

1. Senior Talent Development:

· Year-long step-up opportunities for six under-represented executive producers in unscripted content with leading production companies including Workerbee, Story Films, Studio Lambert, Optomen, Fremantle UK and Initial

· Sponsorship of the nationwide Wonder Women 2026 Mentoring Programme for 31 mid-career women and its Wonder Women Live event held in Manchester during International Women’s Week in March 2026.

1. Mid-Career Pipelines and Skills Gaps:

· A practical “Afro Hair – On Set” course in Scotland with the world-renowned Kevin Fortune Hair Styling Academy and the NFTS Scotland’s Sean Connery Talent Lab. Eight hair stylists attended the practical one-week course in September 2025.

· Support for BIFA’s Springboard for 30 second-time feature filmmakers (writers, directors and producers)

1. New Entrant Talent:

· Major funding for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland including support for Europe’s only 3-year vocational training course for Deaf actors and care leaving bursaries for students on other courses, plus support for outreach in schools and bursaries for final year students to enable them to take up work experience opportunities.

Continued Programmes:

· NFTS Production Coordinator apprentices in the North and London (8 apprentices)

· NFTS Prime Video Scripted Directors Workshop (6 emerging directors)

· The Grierson DocLab Archive Producers training programme (8 archive producers)

· Financial support for the London Screen Academy – the UK’s only free sixth form academy dedicated to screen industries

· Sheffield DocFest Film-Maker Challenge (6 unscripted directors)

· The TV Collective Breakthrough Leaders programme, which collectively aims to develop diverse talent across different sectors of the industry (50 senior black and global majority talent) (supports alongside other partners)

· The NFTS Unscripted Development Diploma year-long weekly night school to learn all the basics of development from brainstorm through deck and sizzle to pitch (16 emerging talent)

· NFTS Scotland’s Sean Connery Talent Lab (24 producers, directors, writers, hair and makeup artists) (supports alongside other partners).

How to Apply

Both freelancer programmes are now open for applications. Interested professionals can access application information at the National Film and Television School website. The programmes require a minimum of three professional credits for the short courses and minimum of three years in the industry for the three-month face to face courses, and are open to all freelancers regardless of genre, department, grade, and geography.

About Prime Video

Prime Video is a one-stop entertainment destination offering customers a vast collection of premium programming in one application available across thousands of devices. On Prime Video, customers can find their favorite movies, series, documentaries, and live sports – including Amazon MGM Studios-produced series and movies Road House, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Fallout, Reacher, The Boys, and The Idea of You; licensed fan favorites American Fiction and The Boys in the Boat; Prime member exclusive access to coverage of live sports including Thursday Night Football, WNBA, and NWSL, and acclaimed sports documentaries including Bye Bye Barry and Federer; and programming from partners such as Max, Crunchyroll and MGM+ via Prime Video Channels add-on subscriptions, as well as more than 500 free ad-supported (FAST) Channels. Prime members in the U.S. can share a variety of benefits, including Prime Video, by using Amazon Household. Prime Video is one benefit among many that provides savings, convenience, and entertainment as part of the Prime membership. All customers, regardless of whether they have a Prime membership or not, can rent or buy titles, including blockbusters such as Challengers and The Fall Guy, via the Prime Video Store, and can enjoy content such as Jury Duty and Bosch: Legacy free with ads on Freevee. Customers can also go behind the scenes of their favorite movies and series with exclusive X-Ray access. For more info visit www.amazon.com/primevideo.