On Tuesday night, The Earl of Wessex presented The Production Guild of Great Britain’s first ‘Earl of Wessex’ Award at the organisation’s Talent Showcase.
The PGGB is the UK’s leading membership organisation for those working in production, and sought to highlight some of the great work at the Savoy Hotel in London with the help of their patron.
The Earl of Wessex Award was created in 2022 to recognise those in the UK film and high-end TV industry who have created ‘a successful way of inspiring local talent or skills, widening access or being more inclusive’.
The Earl of Wessex at The Production Guild of Great Britain’s Talent Showcase last night. (PGGB)
Edward presented the inaugural award to film and TV industry charity, 6ft From the Spotlight, for its work in improving mental health and wellbeing in the UK film and television production workplace.
6ft From the Spotlight set out to define a new Wellbeing Facilitator (WBF) role for the UK film and TV industry, which has now been adopted by productions and has directly supported more than 1,000 crew so far. The charity was founded in 2017 by a group of crew and mental health specialists.
Presenting the award, The Earl of Wessex said: ‘Many congratulations to 6ft From The Spotlight for becoming the first winners of this Award. I really do hope that recognising them in this way not only highlights the pioneering work being done in the production industry to make workplaces more inclusive, but also inspires others to adopt similar practices.’
Edward presenting the Earl of Wessex Award to 6ft From The Spotlight. (PGGB)
Speaking about the winner of the first Earl of Wessex Award, Lyndsay Duthie, PGGB CEO said: ‘We applaud 6ft From the Spotlight for taking proactive steps to improve mental health and wellbeing in the film and high-end TV workplace. They have worked tirelessly to develop the Wellbeing Facilitator model which has benefited countless crew and can be easily adopted by others.
‘Congratulations to all of the Earl of Wessex Award nominees whose work has been showcased, and thank you to Disney Content Studios, the headline sponsor of tonight’s Talent Showcase which, through social investments and collaborations like these, continues to increase access to careers in entertainment for underrepresented groups.’
His Royal Highness was announced as The Production Guild of Great Britain’s Patron in March last year.
The three other finalists for the award were youth-led production company Fully Focused, media charity MAMA Youth Project and social change enablers Resource Productions. Edward presented certificates to the other finalists.
Edward and Resource Productions, one of the finalists for the Earl of Wessex Award. (PGGB)
Prince Edward and Fully Focused. (PGGB)
When Edward’s new Patronage was announced, HRH visited Twickenham Film Studios in west London. He took the opportunity to meet production crew at the studios to hear more about their experiences of working in the industry, as well as the support given to them by The Production Guild of Great Britain.
The Earl has always taken an interest in the arts industry; before becoming a full-time working Royal in 2002, he worked in both theatre and television. He even ran his own television production company, Ardent Productions, which made films including ‘Edward on Edward’ for a number of years.
