Production Futures On Tour 2025 Attracts More Than 1,000 Young People

More than 1,000 young people from across the UK gathered at Production Park in West Yorkshire Nov. 27, where Production Futures On Tour once again showcased the wide and evolving range of careers available across the stage, screen and live events sectors.

From production managers and lighting designers to creative technologists and virtual production specialists, the event demonstrated the full range of jobs that shape today’s industry, including new hybrid roles that are emerging alongside long-established production crafts, driven by developments in AI, real-time engines, virtual production and new content formats, which are all transforming the ways in which major productions, live events and digital experiences are delivered.

Organizers cite research from Creative PEC, which “shows that 65% of hard-to-fill roles across the creative industries are linked to skills shortages, while 78% of creative employers experiencing these issues suggest they affect high-skill occupations. Three quarters (76%) point to a lack of specialist and technical skills needed for the role, and advanced or specialist digital skills are a particular concern for creative employers who were twice as likely to point to skills deficiencies in these areas.”

These shortages bear opportunity for young people to step into areas such as broadcast engineering, virtual production, lighting programming, set construction, content creation and technical operations.

According to figures by the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the cultural, creative and sports industries support four million jobs, representing 11.7% of the UK workforce, with the creative industries alone accounting for 2.4 million roles across film, TV, music, theatre, design, software and more.

Production Futures has been staging events at Production Park since 2016. Production Park is home to world-class production and rehearsal facilities for stage and screen, and has been welcoming headline acts for over 20 years, including Pink, Lady Gaga, Metallica, Coldplay, and The 1975. In 2024, Production Park hosted the production of the Emmy Award-winning Netflix drama Adolescence, and in 2025 ITV Studios recorded the climactic episodes of The Voice UK in front of a live audience on the campus.

Lee Brooks, CEO, Production Park, told Pollstar, “When we built the first studio on what is now Production Park, it became clear that demand for highly skilled technicians and makers was outstripping the available talent. The industry was evolving at pace, but training wasn’t keeping up. That’s when we recognized the value of creating a higher education institution on campus, a space for education and industry to work side by side, giving people the chance to learn on real stages, with real kit, alongside real professionals.”

To that end, Production Park doesn’t just host the annual Production Futures On Tour, but also runs its own Academy of Live Technology, teaching and training the future of the industry, with degrees, short courses and bespoke programs designed for the rapidly changing live entertainment world.

Said Brooks, “When we founded Production Park, we could already see pressure building on skilled talent. Our focus was on creating a place where leading talent and companies could rehearse, build, innovate and collaborate, and from that came a natural responsibility to support the next generation. So yes, we were responding to a shortage while planning ahead, but the real strength of Production Park is the ecosystem itself, where commercial businesses and emerging talent develop side by side in line with industry needs.”

Production Futures, based in Stockport, UK, was launched “to help young people understand the huge range of roles and pathways into this brilliant industry,” according to CEO Hannah Eakins, who told Pollstar, “if you don’t already have family or friends in it, even knowing where to start can be a challenge. Our events and digital platforms now connect thousands of emerging professionals with training, work and networking opportunities across live events, touring, theatre, TV, broadcast, AV and film. We held the first event at Production Park in 2016; with more than 1,000 attendees this year, the appetite is only growing.”

Production Futures On Tour 2025 brought together production companies, entertainment technology manufacturers, studios, training providers and creative employers.

Young attendees took part in hands-on demonstrations, workshops, mentoring and careers advice across lighting, sound, staging, SFX, virtual production, live events, broadcast and other emerging disciplines.

Lee Brooks said “the pandemic accelerated a challenge that was already emerging. When lockdowns hit, many experienced professionals moved into other sectors because they weren’t sure if live events would bounce back. When the industry roared back to life, demand for crew, engineers and technical specialists was bigger than ever, but the talent pool had shrunk. That made the work of the Academy of Live Technology at Production Park even more critical. Our role now isn’t just to support new talent, but to upskill existing professionals and help future-proof an industry that’s growing at pace.”

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