Andy was a pioneer of UK digital media. He led ground breaking digital teams at Victoria Real, Channel 4 and All3Media, then co-founded Little Dot Studios. Highly admired in the industry- and a mentor to many who followed his footsteps- Andy died from a brain tumour in 2020, aged 50.
A proud son of Rochdale, Andy cared deeply that all young people should have the opportunity to achieve their goals and reach their potential. He was driven to increase diversity in the media- adamant opportunities should be equitable no matter who you are, whatever your background or stage of your career. Continuing the work Andy started, The Andy Taylor Foundation was established to create, and support, high-impact initiatives that open door to untapped potential. Examples of our work are shown below.
This is an invite only event for employees of Fremantle, Banijay, YouTube, Little Dot Studios, Paramount, Sony and C21. Please form quiz teams of 6 people. Maximum 3 teams per company.
We are asking for a minimum donation of £10 per person to join a team (although you're welcome to give as much as you like- just type any amount into the CrowdFunder box). PLEASE NOTE- due to the generosity of Little Dot Studios anything you give is match funded. If you give £20, the charity receives £40! Give £40, we receive £80, and so on.... Your money makes a big difference. During the evening's fun on 23 April, you'll hear from one of the young people who attended one of our programmes described below- "Foot in the Door". We're so proud of everything our alumni go on to achieve and stay in close contact with them. With your help, we can create more opportunities for more talented youngsters. Maybe we'll even find your next star employee!
We look forward to quizzing, laughing, eating and drinking with you, plus hopefully inspiring you a little along the way. If you can't attend, but still want to support us, feel free to click through and donate anyway. We promise to put your money to good use!
The Andy Taylor Foundation team (www.andytaylorfoundation.org)
EXAMPLES OF OUR WORK
“FOOT IN THE DOOR” (2022). Even as an unknown start-up charity then, 99 young people applied. The programme gave our six participants:
- 8 weeks recruitment and careful onboarding
- 6 weeks personal development and media skills bootcamp
- then 6 weeks paid work with industry leading employers in the North West
- All received a living wage throughout and strong pastoral support before, during and after.
- Despite strong desire, plus many previous attempts, none of our cohort had secured work in media before FITD. After the programme, each participant was given a Macbook to help with future applications and a minimum 6 months mentoring with industry experts.
- All have since moved onto employment in the creative industries or are receiving ongoing professional development and employment opportunities.
FUTURE CULTURAL LEADERS (2023)- We partnered with Factory Academy in 2023, to support delivery of their 12-week programme for future cultural leaders from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The Andy Taylor Foundation led the entrepreneurial and communications week, providing speakers such as James O’Brien and Rob Love. We received fantastic feedback from the young people on our sessions, who loved the practical, real-life insights.
FIRST CREDIT ACADEMY- We supported Fremantle in 2024, shortlisting under-represented young people to receive an incredible first credit opportunity on the live filming of Britain's Got Talent in Manchester.