Turning My Bugs Into Features by Saniya Chalkley

The 13^th of November 2025, I am on a train to London feeling disoriented, angry with people and sick to my stomach.

That morning I received a really shitty feedback on ebay, and ebay wouldn’t allow me write anything back to defend myself. I was told off at Tesco car park for wanting to take a picture of someone’s dog. I felt too pissed off and couldn’t pack my bag properly. The usual road to the train station suddenly got closed, we had to take a longer alternative route and I nearly missed the train.

It seemed like everything was against me, like there were too many signs telling me ‘don’t go to Talent Campus; you will meet all those strangers, they will instantly figure out that you don’t belong there, you will f*ck it up and come back home mid-week like a dog with its tail between its legs’.

I shared the house where I stayed for TC with three other strangers, that fact added to my anxiety. And on top of everything I had a Talent Campus assignment to fulfil (assignment redacted by team TC).

During the first day of the Talent Campus I found myself in a room full of strangers. I read some of the participants’ profiles on the App and was genuinely wondering what they were actually doing there, they’ve already achieved so much.

Chris Jones said that by the end of the Talent Campus we will all be very close and continue our relationship. I thought – nah, not possible, we’re only here for eight days. Adrenaline, hormones, emotions ­­– it was all there from day one. Again, I thought, ok, I know what you are doing here, manipulating our emotions, I don’t buy it.

It was the second day when I noticed the shift in my mindset.

We played a game, which I am not going to disclose; the game very quickly exposes who we are. You see, I had simple reasons of why I wanted to participate in the Talent Campus, to learn how to pitch confidently to the industry professionals, prove to a bunch of people that they were wrong about me, and as a representative from Kazakhstan, deliver the message to Sacha Baron Cohen personally (F*ck you, Borat!).

Only the first one had a practical meaning and after the Talent Campus I am not afraid of anyone in the industry (in fact, I am not afraid of anyone). But the other two didn’t carry much value. It is during the Talent Campus that I realised why I truly wanted to work in the industry – to share wholesome stories with people, make them better as human beings, or at least make them feel better even for a little while.

These are all the reasons why I love watching TV.

And how can one create wholesome stories if they are not wholesome themselves? Writing is a very lonely occupation, it is very easy to get absorbed into your own ambitions and shortcomings. I beat myself up quite a lot, compare myself to others, come up with different excuses not to do something that could actually help achieve my goals. Talent Campus made me look around and realise that the world is actually much bigger. Film industry is impossible without the team effort. I don’t have credits (yet!), I have never been on a film set, I don’t know the big names. I have to confess, I don’t know who Charlie Brooker is. And when he turned up and gave us an interview, whilst my fellow campers were starstruck (I was more starstruck by John Yorke) all I could think about was ‘I wish someone could turn on the subtitles’. I feel like I don’t deserve my spot so close to Charlie Brooker on our group photo (perks of being short). I felt really small during our conversation with the producer Guy Mannerings and my fellow campers Gary and Anika (great great people, please follow their journey). The three of them were discussing the movies, the songs, the editing techniques and other stuff that the real movie lover would know. I thought, f*ck, why am I even trying? I obviously don’t belong. But you know what? That bug of mine can become a feature. How? Maybe by delivering a piece that only I can deliver, uninfluenced, mine.

And then Eleanor Greene delivered a masterclass. Petite, with great hair and style, and powerful. She shared her knowledge generously with no gatekeeping. When Eleanor showed us the list of the most commissioned writers in the UK, I immediately thought that becoming one of them should be my main goal. But as I kept listening to this charismatic woman, I thought, here it is, her! I should be her! The last piece of puzzle fell into place. I do not have to seek for an external validation or wait for someone to greenlight me (Greene-light, haha, couldn’t help the pun), I can greenlight myself! With today’s technology and resources at your hands, you can start producing your own work. And the best bit is that I can champion the story I feel passionate about, and that story does not have to be mine. After all, I am surrounded by so many talented people!

My mentor Bob Schultz shares the same opinion. Bob knows how to entice a producer with a punchy and juicy pitch. He can make you a producer whisperer in minutes. We only spent two days as a mentor-student, but I am taking away the knowledge he generously shared with us for life.

And then the whole Talent Campus culminated in the networking event in Soho. We met with industry professionals. It was scary to start with. But very soon I relaxed and just had fun. Turns out, industry professionals are human beings who love a good laugh, genuinely curious about you and your life experiences and don’t mind having a chat over a cup of coffee. Mind you, there were a couple of people who weren’t interested in the event at all, but I followed Chris’s advice and didn’t take it personally. 

On the last day of the Campus we re-examined our whole journey during the last eight days. Eight days were packed with events and emotions, I haven’t felt that anxious, disturbed, moved, thoughtful, in awe, burning (with enthusiasm and sometimes literally burning), curious and brave for a very long time. I haven’t felt that alive as I did during these eight days ever. Chris was right, those people who were total strangers at the beginning were now my wolf pack, they are my friends. Each of them have their own stories. And I had a privilege to hear them out and give them hugs. 

At the end of the last day of TC I walked around the block where I was staying at least five times with Keane’s “Everybody’s Changing” in my ears. I learnt so much and so many things happened that I simply couldn’t stop. And when I finally did, I stared at the wall. I know I haven’t actually mentioned what the events or challenges were, but you have to trust me. Talent Campus might change your life.