When the Creative Sector Makes No Sense

Half the UK’s screen professionals are out of work. At the same time, the government lists creative roles on the Shortage Occupation List and actively recruits from overseas. How can both be true?

This contradiction says a lot about how policy and practice fail freelancers. We don’t have a shortage of talent. We have a shortage of opportunity, made worse by commissioning freezes, broadcaster consolidation, and the erosion of training pathways.

Add to that the rise of vertical video platforms that already look like the old broadcasters — closed commissioning, recycled suppliers, gatekeeping disguised as disruption — and the picture is clear. The industry is fractured at every level.

The full Altmedia TL;DR explores this paradox, the risks of repeating old models, and why formats like Stranded on Honeymoon Island and The Guest hint at shifts in tone across TV drama and reality.

TL;DR (Quick Headlines)

☕ Other Newsletters

• Jen Topping, in Her Business of TV, looks at how brands are expanding into TV. Giving weight to the phrase “be the show, not the ad break,” she highlights several case studies.
• Axel’s Friday Espresso dives into Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, the long-running CBS vs Sony battle, and a new deal with Canadian streamer Crave to run 100 library episodes. He also spotlights The Connection, soon to premiere on Sat.1 in Germany.

🎬 Formats & Shows

• In the UK the BBC debuted Stranded on Honeymoon Island — see the review below.
• BBC One also premiered The Guest — full reaction further down.
• Channel 5 announced NFL Big Game Night, with Hungry Bear Media and hosted by Dermot O’Leary. The NFL fan base keeps growing in the UK — though I wonder who will try to tariff it.
• Portrait Artist of the Year is heading to Australia. Will Ken Done appear as a judge or sitter? I’m looking at my own Ken Done print as I write — worth nothing, but I like it.
• Here’s a summary of the Fall 2025 TV season and a chronological list of shows (new + returning) pulled from the Variety Fall Preview PDF download

🌐 Streaming & Platforms

• September is a big month for K-dramas. Romantic reunions, con-artist chaos, and thriller suspense are all on the slate. Read the full rundown in The Economic Times.
• Thirty-eight million and counting have watched Hbomberguy’s near four-hour video Plagiarism and You(Tube). A forensic dissection of intellectual theft on the platform, it’s investigative journalism worthy of a Pulitzer. Read The Guardian’s take.

📰 Industry & Policy

• The UK creative sector is experiencing a paradox: 50% of screen professionals are out of work, while roles like set design and performance make-up sit on the Shortage Occupation List. See the full thought piece below.

👥 Freelance & Community

• Freelancers remain squeezed between oversupply in some roles and shortages in others. A system built without nuance continues to treat the out-of-work as unemployed rather than skilled professionals in limbo.

🎭 Microdrama & Vertical Video

• This week I launched Straight Up, my Substack dedicated to micro drama reviews.
• Part 2 of my Vertical Video Bible dropped, covering production. Part 3 will focus on funding and finance.

If you want to subscribe to altmedia and get it in your inboc everyfriday or look at the full newsletter follow this link here

ON Wednesday i will be sharing Part 3 of my vertical video series, the Micro Drama and Reality Vertical Video Bible. On Wednesdays drop will expose the vertical video business model and its not pretty for consumers, and thats an opportunity for creators.

Where is our Tzar?

Timeline: When Was It First Proposed?

• The idea of a dedicated advocate for freelancers stretches back to at least April 2024, when the NUJ (National Union of Journalists) recommended establishing a “Freelancers’ Commissioner” with statutory powers and cross-departmental oversight to improve pay, conditions, and protection from AI misuse  .
• The government then formally introduced the concept of a “Freelance Champion” for the creative industries in the Creative Industries Sector Plan published in June 2025, pledging its creation and appointment within the year  .

Where Is DCMS with Their Search?

• As of mid-2025, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) is actively scoping the role’s terms of reference. Industry groups such as Creative UK have published proposals, envisioning a role that leads structured inquiries, gathers evidence, and pushes for reforms on key issues like financial services, data, and pensions  .
• The House of Lords debated the role on 23 July 2025, questioning its independence and stressing that its non-statutory nature could limit its influence. There were calls for stronger legal backing to ensure it can truly advocate across government  .
• Furthermore, the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee urged DCMS to move swiftly, expectantly defining and recruiting the champion—ideally one who represents the full diversity of creative freelancers, including sectors like live comedy .

My Big News

Remember I was writing a book called Forever Freelance?

Well, you can read how that’s going here (not very well, if I’m honest). Four chapters in, I realised I can’t write a book — not in the way it needs to be written. My process is a nightmare of re-edits and self-notes, and dyslexia doesn’t make it easier.

So instead, I’m launching Forever Freelance as a newsletter. Practical, immediate, and shaped by what you actually read. Trial and error in public.

It’s not a biography. It’s about the reality of freelance life:

• being ghosted off jobs with no explanation
• the constant fight for stability
• the toll it takes on mental health
• and how to pivot when the work dries up.

We’ll also cover the things freelancers rarely get clear answers on — mortgages, resources, contacts, and survival strategies that actually work.

👉 You can read the opening edition here: [link]

I’d love to know what you think.

JG