Making it in Media | Ant & Dec x Kings Trust 

The culmination of Ant & Dec’s Making it in Media from Kings Trust and delivered by The Reporters’ Academy – saw a final showcase event, where industry professionals, VIP guests, friends and family were able to attend and see the work produced during the two-week course. The final showcase was produced and delivered by the group of 20 young people.

Background 
A group of young people went Behind the Scenes of MediaCity as “Making it in Media” Returns for Fifth Year.

The King’s Trust commissioned The Reporters’ Academy to deliver its flagship “Making it in Media” programme, marking the fifth consecutive year the course has been delivered at MediaCity.

Formerly known as The Prince’s Trust, The King’s Trust is celebrating 50 years of supporting young people this year, making this edition of the project particularly significant.

Sponsored by T.V personalities Ant & Dec, the two-week immersive project was delivered in March 2026. 20 young people took part in an intensive media training experience in the state-of-the-art T.V studios in MediaCity.

Designed and delivered by The Reporters’ Academy, the course provides hands-on training and direct industry exposure to help young people break into the competitive creative media sector.

Participants were able to go behind the scenes of the creative industries at MediaCity, meet inspiring professionals and role models who work across television and media production. Throughout the programme, they took part in masterclasses, practical training sessions and daily production challenges, creating original media content each day.

The young participants also heard from an impressive line-up of guest speakers. They also had the opportunity to explore the future of television production through hands-on sessions with dock10’s Virtual Reality and innovation teams, giving them insight into emerging technologies shaping the industry.

We, The Reporters’ Academy, not-for-profit youth media production company based at MediaCity for 14 years, were delighted to deliver the programme for the fifth consecutive year, continuing its mission to open doors for young people aspiring to careers in the creative industries. Our mission is to change the lives of young people, using the skills found in the creative industries.

Following the course, participants receive ongoing support from The King’s Trust to help them secure employment in the creative sector. They also graduate into The Reporters’ Academy crew, giving them access to further real-world production experience and industry opportunities.

Instagram: @TheReportersAcademy