The next Fellowship will run from September to December 2024. Applications are now closed - if you applied, thank you so much! We will be in touch in mid-late July.

Applications for the 2024 Fellowship closed on June 3rd. As we are a mostly volunteer run team, it will take us a few weeks to process all the applications.

We will be in touch in mid-late July to let you know whether you are being invited for an interview, or whether your application was unsuccessful this year.

The Multitrack Fellowship exists to create entry level opportunities for people from particular groups that are underrepresented within the audio industry.

To be a Multitrack Fellow, you must meet one or more of the following criteria around socioeconomic background, race or ethnicity, and disability.

Socioeconomic background

The Fellowship is open to people who are from a low socioeconomic background.

Here’s how we define that:

• If you qualified for free school meals.

• If, when you were age 14, your highest earning parent or guardian was not self-employed or in senior management, and was employed in one of the following categories:

  • Technical and craft occupations such as: motor mechanic, fitter, inspector, plumber, printer, tool maker, electrician, gardener, train driver

  • Semi-routine manual and service occupations such as: postal worker, machine operative, security guard, caretaker, farm worker, catering assistant, receptionist, sales assistant

  • Routine manual and service occupations such as: HGV driver, van driver, cleaner, porter, packer, sewing machinist, messenger, labourer, waiter/waitress, bar staff

  • If, when you were age 14, your parent or guardian was long term unemployed

Note: these are broad categories that may not exactly fit your family situation – e.g. if you’re a carer or if a family divorce changed your financial position. Please use your judgment when self-identifying.

Race or ethnicity

The Fellowship is open to people who are:

• Asian/British Asian

• Black/African/Caribbean/Black British

• Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups

• From another minority ethnic group

Disability

The Fellowship is open to people who are disabled, neurodivergent or have a long term health condition (defined as a condition lasting or expected to last 12 months or more).

You can self-identify this and you won’t need to show a diagnosis

The 2024 Fellowship will be 12 weeks long. This is an increase from previous years, when the programme lasted 8 weeks. We’re excited to have extended it this year, in an effort to make this the most valuable opportunity possible - a longer Fellowship means more experience, more training, more networking and a longer period of employment.

Yes, fellows are paid at the Living Wage or London Living Wage, depending on location (pro rated for any fellows who choose to do the fellowship part time). Fellows are paid directly by the companies they work for during the work placement.

Yes.

Broadly, we define entry level producers as having no, or mostly voluntary experience in the audio industry - for example volunteering for a college or community radio station, creating your own recordings or podcast just for fun, or having done a couple of days shadowing or work experience.

We consider all applications on merit, but tend to favour applicants without extensive paid experience working in the media industries, such as journalism, film or tv.

That means that if you're already earning a significant proportion of your income from working in audio, or you’ve previously worked in audio and are looking to return after a career break, this scheme probably isn't for you.

One of our aims for the future is to develop a scheme to support industry returners and those with experience wishing to grow their careers. So if that describes you, please keep following our socials for updates - we know it can be tough and we hope to build something for you soon.

Fellows have the choice to either be full or part-time. We flex the structure of the scheme to accommodate the needs of the fellows who are chosen. However, you will need to be available for the placement element and training sessions for a consistent number of days (to be agreed) during the period of fellowship.

Being an audio producer involves work like:

• Coming up with ideas for podcasts and radio programmes

• Doing research to inform content and identify contributor

• Doing the organisational and administrative aspects of audio production, including transcribing audio, organising files, creating schedules, booking guests, arranging travel, etc.

• Interviewing people

• Recording audio in studios or on location

• Using editing software to edit podcasts and radio programmes together

• Doing sound design

A producer’s role can include all or some of these things. While some producers also host or present programmes, we want to make sure you know that this fellowship is aimed at the production side of podcasting and radio. So if you’re primarily aiming to become a presenter, this fellowship may not be right for you.

This year we’re also offering some placements with a focus on a particular specialism. Read the next FAQ for more information.

This year, for the first time, we are able to offer some placements with a focus on a particular specialism. We will create these placements based on demand from applicants, and you can indicate in your application whether you’re interested in specialising, or would prefer a general placement (this would be focused on helping you develop in an all-round producer role).

The specialisms are:

• Editorial

• Technical production

• Production management

Below is some information on each of these, to give you an understanding of what the titles mean.

We’re also building out a page in our resources section, with video explainers for different roles. Check it out to learn more!

Editorial

Editorial teams and producer roles can vary depending on the platform or programme type, but generally they are people who make radio or audio content. Sometimes this means they are the person helping to run a live radio programme in a studio. Sometimes they are scripting and pre-recording content. In general an editorial producer's daily tasks may include:

• Making live radio shows in a studio

• Looking after presenters and interviewees

• Researching and creating show ideas

• Booking guests and contributors

• Writing scripts

• Recording and editing audio

• Figuring the best way to tell a story, including what information to include

Technical production

This includes working in recording studios and/or live radio studios, running and maintaining equipment and systems for recording and/or broadcasting.

Technical production also includes sound design and mix engineering. Sound designers and mix engineers usually come in toward the end of a project and work with producers to make a piece sound as good as possible. Sound designers add (and create) sound effects and music to help create atmosphere and tell the story in an interesting way. Mix engineers and sound designers also use digital processing to give the finishing touches to audio- by cleaning up background noise, making sure music and vocal levels are consistent and well mixed, and generally preparing the audio for broadcast.

Production management

This is an essential part of the production process, which runs in parallel to the creative roles of e.g. producer, sound designer, etc.

Production managers create and manage budgets, build teams for projects, contract presenters, create and manage production timelines… They make sure each production goes off without a hitch.

It’s the production manager’s job to ensure everyone working on the project has what they need execute their best work. They are highly organised, have brilliant attention to detail, and are great with people.

As we’ve said, this is an entry level scheme aimed at people who are not currently earning a substantial proportion of their income from working in audio. However, we look for people who can demonstrate their passion for audio through things they have made or worked on.

Here are a few examples of the types of thing you might have done, which would make you a great fit for this fellowship:

• Produced a podcast of your own

• Helped someone else produce a podcast

• Worked on an oral history project

• Volunteered at a radio station

• Hosted your own podcast or radio show

• Recorded interviews with friends or family

• Made experimental soundscapes just for fun

• Done an introductory course or workshop in podcasting

If you want to apply for a production management placement, we’d love to hear about how your past experience would help you excel in this role - but we’ll also want to get a clear sense of your love for audio. Why do you want to apply your brilliant organisation skills in the audio world, specifically?

Multitrack has three main elements, which you can read about below:

• Work placements

• Training and networking

• Commissioned work

Work placements

Each Fellow will completes a three month work placement, split across two different production companies. The first six weeks will be spent at one production company, and Fellows move to a different company for the next six weeks. Although Fellows mostly work at separate production companies, they come together regularly as a group for training and networking.

We work with our host companies to make sure Multitrack Fellows are exposed to as many different aspects of the production process as possible, and that the Fellowship offers really valuable opportunities to learn new skills. This may include sometimes shadowing producers or other staff members in their day to day work, as well as completing tasks and projects which will be assigned by managers and colleagues.

It’s important to remember that because this is an entry level Fellowship, it’s likely the role will include a range of appropriate tasks for someone starting out in the industry – things like research, booking travel, transcribing audio, admin tasks, etc.

Training and networking

Once a week, there is a training session which all Fellows attend together. The training sessions are provided by the production companies who are hosting fellows, as well as special guests such as independent producers and people from other production companies.

These sessions provide a chance to learn new skills, spend time with the other Fellows, and network with a wide range of people from across the audio industry.

Commissioned work

We aim to provide opportunities for Fellows to produce professional audio work; for real commissions with broadcasters or publishers.

The number of commissions we are able to provide directly through Multitrack varies year on year, but in previous years there have been multiple commissions available across BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4.

All Fellows on the scheme are invited to pitch an idea. If your idea is chosen, you are supported and mentored through the process of making it. You are paid for this work (as a separate fee to your work placement payment) and get a producer credit. The production of these works happens after the work placement has ended.

We have provided guidance for answering each of the main application questions, which you can read here. We recommend referencing this as you’re working on your answers.

We also run online information sessions and provide opportunities to speak to Multitrack alumni.

It has always been our ambition for Multitrack to operate in as many parts of the UK as possible. However, we can only offer places in locations where we have host companies signed up.

In 2024, we will be offering placements in multiple regions of the UK.

We also aim to offer the option of remote placements for candidates who cannot be matched with a company in one of the available cities (or who prefer remote working for accessibility reasons).

When you apply, you can let us know which cites you’d be able to attend an in-person Fellowship, and whether you’re interested in a remote placement.

Yes – you must be eligible to work in the UK in order to apply. Unfortunately we are not able to offer visa sponsorship.

We will be offering a minimum of 10 placements in 2024, although final numbers are still being confirmed.

The number of placements we’re able to offer depends on the number of host companies who sign up to be part of the fellowship. In 2019 we had six host companies, in 2021 we had nine, and in 2022 we had 17. Sometimes companies offer two placements, which allows us to create even more fellowships.

At each production company, Fellows have a line manager from the company who helps assign them work, provides professional support, monitors their progress and acts as a contact for any work related queries. Each Fellow is also assigned another colleague within the company, who is not their manager, but who they can go to with any questions, issues or other queries they’d prefer to ask a peer rather than a manager.

We also have a Fellow Coordinator who is part of the Multitrack team. They provide outside support and advice as needed during the fellowship. Fellows have a weekly check in with this person, and can also ask to speak to them as needed outside of this regular check in.