Charlotte Armitage is a businesswoman from Leeds. She has become one of the top ten female entrepreneurs in Europe, according to the famous Business Insider news website. At a fairly young age, she managed to skilfully manage two successful projects, namely the Yorkshire Academy of Film & Television Acting and the YAFTA Talent Agency in Leeds. Learn more at leedska.
Charlotte Armitage skilfully manages her time fulfilling the roles as a TV presenter, actress, agent and businesswoman. In addition, she raises her daughter on her own and provides professional consultations in media and business psychology. However, she managed to overcome a difficult path to her success, from misunderstandings at school and closing down a business to the respectable status of one of Yorkshire’s most successful businesswomen.
Charlotte stubbornly continues to show her strength and boldly moves forward. In this article, we will tell you how she manages to combine everything and stay on the wave of success.
Discrimination of the family and fascination with psychology
Charlotte was born in the family of a Yorkshire Christian and a Muslim woman from Trinidad. Her older brother had seizures as a child, which resulted in severe brain injuries. He was mentally retarded. It turned out to be very stressful for the family because people treated their family badly.
Charlotte recalls that she was very offended by such an attitude to her and the sick brother. At that time, society didn’t understand and didn’t accept people like her older brother. Thus, Charlotte Armitage’s passion for disability advocacy comes from her own bitter experience.
In addition, since her childhood, Charlotte has been fascinated by the human mind as well as why and how we become who we are. Oddly enough, she was interested in the dark side of the human mind. She liked to watch scientific programmes and read books about serial killers and psychopaths. That was how one of the main interests in Charlotte Armitage’s life was born. Her triumphant 20-year career in psychology and mental health backs up this fact. However, she is also successful in other spheres, such as cinema, TV and business.
Charlotte Armitage was one of the first to speak openly about the problem of other people’s perception of disability. She is sure that with the help of mass media, it is possible to influence people’s minds, positively changing the situation.
Of course, there is still a lot of work in equalisation when it comes to disability. However, cinema and TV can play a key role in this process. Special attention should be paid to the younger generation, as normalising such cases at a young age will reduce future prejudices.
The first failed business and acting courses
Charlotte Armitage’s first big business didn’t get off to a good start. In 2011, she created a chain of hair salons on the advice of her former partner. However, she understood that it wasn’t her passion. Two years later, the young and gullible girl went bankrupt as soon as the business got out of control. In addition, she was expecting a child and all of that put a lot of pressure on her. Then she thought that her life was over. At that difficult time, Charlotte was supported by her father, who firmly believed in her strength, untapped potential and zest for life. He was right.
To cope with the stress of a declining business, she turned to acting. She went to London and took up acting courses. Charlotte quickly realised that she had paid a lot of money for the lessons, but had learned almost nothing. Having ended her study, Charlotte got roles in the series Happy Valley, Emmerdale and Coronation Street.
Later, Charlotte realised that there was no real acting school in Northern England. Being seven months pregnant, enterprising Charlotte Armitage decided to set up the Yorkshire Academy of Film & Television Acting (YAFTA).
Apparently, one of the most important features of Charlotte Armitage’s personality is not to give up after a defeat, but on the contrary, confidently return to an active life with a new ambitious project.
The YAFTA Project
Back in Leeds, Charlotte focused on YAFTA creation.
After all, there was no authoritative institution for acting training in West Yorkshire, so Charlotte created a dream educational organisation. The YAFTA project was launched and quickly gained an excellent reputation among clients and connoisseurs of the cinema and TV industry.
YAFTA Academy and YAFTA Talent Agency are based in Leeds offering classes for children, teenagers and adults. The company also runs classes across Yorkshire for those who have a passion and desire to work in the acting industry. The courses are inclusive and designed for diverse groups, including those with physical disabilities.
For a long time, Charlotte worked hard to change the existing situation. She dreamed that children from the north of England would have the same opportunities to succeed in the acting industry as actors from other parts of the United Kingdom.
Additionally, being a woman of mixed race, Charlotte plans to ensure that people with disabilities and ethnic minorities are represented fairly on screen. She plays an active role in improving diversity in the cinema and TV industry.
YAFTA works with children who have physical disabilities and with troubled students within the criminal justice system. These students are taught acting skills and receive assistance with finding serious roles.
In addition, YAFTA has a You Can grant programme, which gives the opportunity to receive a scholarship worth almost £8,000 for one of its exclusive degree programmes.
Two graduates of the YAFTA school, James Moore and Liam Bairstow, became TV stars who took part in popular UK TV series. Liam Bairstow is the first actor with Down syndrome to play a role in Coronation Street. James Moore had cerebral palsy and became the first actor to win an NTA (National Television Award) nomination for his role as Ryan Stokes in Emmerdale.
YAFTA has received Spotlight accreditation for its unique diploma programme in film acting. The Academy has built a stellar reputation among industry professionals, including casting directors, producers and directors.
Charlotte Armitage has been awarded a Royal Society of Arts Fellowship for her work in promoting inclusivity, creative diversity and social mobility in the media. YAFTA Talent Agency recently won Best Agency for New Talent at the New Voice Awards 2023.
Charlotte’s successful career in psychology
Charlotte Armitage is a Registered Psychotherapist within the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and an Accredited Business Psychologist with Principal Practitioner status in the Association of Business Psychologists.
In addition to her 20-year career in psychology and mental health as well as the film and television industry, Charlotte has worked in a variety of other spheres. She conducted psychological consultations for such important organisations as Lockheed Martin, HSBC, Barclays, Deloitte, Squire Patton Boggs, UBS, Allen & Avery, Ernst & Young and others.
As a forensic psychotherapist, Charlotte has worked with legal teams and families who have been victims of rape, sexual abuse, child abduction and murder.
In particular, she continues active work as a business psychologist and psychotherapist in the corporate sector. In 2021, TechRound recognised Charlotte Armitage’s psychiatric clinic as one of the best mental health companies in the UK.
Charlotte Armitage’s phenomenal versatility is truly astounding and inspiring. Most importantly, it teaches us to never stop when something doesn’t work out, but stubbornly go forward because the most interesting things are always ahead.