Woman, 24, was unemployed until TikTok changed her life

A young content creator has credited a new TikTok training programme for helping her breakthrough into the creative industry.

Francesca McNamee, a 24 year-old from Stockport, was speaking at the Liverpool launch of the TikTok Creative Academy at District in the Baltic Triangle yesterday. Francesca, who joined the project after it launched in Manchester recently, said she had long aspired to work in the creative industry but there were several obstacles in her way.

With the help of the academy, which is run by social welfare charity Catch22, she was assigned a mentor, given insider tips from industry professionals and could present content ideas to TikTok employees. Now, Francesca has worked as paid social trainee at WYK Digital, a marketing agency, and The Reporters’ Academy, a not for profit media production company.

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She said: “I’ve not had much opportunity to do stuff like this. I’ve come on ten fold in the past few months, and got more opportunities that I didn’t have access to previously. It’s incredible, it’s more than just a foot in the door.”

The academy is aimed at 18 to 24 year-olds who are not in full time employment or education. These groups tend to find it hardest to access opportunities in the creative sector.

Francesca was part of this group when she came across the programme. She said: “I was unemployed, looking for a job but hoping to break into the creative industry. I was really drawn to this course, it was absolutely what I was looking for and they really helped me learn new skills.”

Francesca has helped out with a filming, interviews and social media management at events such as conventions and sports matches. Her experience from the TikTok creative programme has made a “massive difference” to her career.

Francesca said: “It’s incredible to look at where I was when I started the programme and where I am now. It’s such a massive difference with all the things I’m involved in now, all the things I know. It’s not been that long, but the difference is stark.”

She argued it’s “incredibly important” that young people like her are given the skills and connection they need to succeed, and praised the “amazing” programme for doing that. The launch at District featured a series of talks, panels and workshops from a range of experts. These included Alice Razack, who is Artist Partnerships Manager at TikTok, and Aaron Fontenot, head of Culture Deck which promotes Liverpool’s urban media.

Kim Johnson, MP for Liverpool Riverside, also gave a talk at the event. Speaking to the ECHO, she said: “A lot of the kids in my constituency don’t have the social and cultural capital to open doors in this sector.”

She added: “The TikTok academy, working with Catch 22, has the opportunity to link up young people with industry professionals. Often working in the creative sector is not seen as a working class person’s natural pathway into the arts, but it should be. These opportunities should be available to all kids, regardless of socioeconomic backgrounds.”

The TikTok Creative Academy is a four week course, with sessions three days a week. To find out more about the programme, head to Catch 22’s website here.

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