1.2: When We Visited Birbeck University..

We also visited Birbeck University as part of our local scene. When we went to Birbeck University, we met a lot of people who were very experienced in the media industry. There were many guest speakers who had been involved with the media.
One of the guest speakers was a journalist named Katherine Whitebourne. She told us a bit about the industry and how difficult it is to get into it. She says in order to be successful and prosper in the industry, you need to have contacts and experience. Also within yourself, you need to be strong and have lots of strong skills. She basically gave us a lot of advice and information about what the media industry is like and the different aspects of it.
Other guest speakers were
- Sam Carrington from GMTV
- Philip Thomas from the BBC
- Kumar Kamalagharan from Fruit-pie records
All of these visitors taught me so many useful things about the media industry and things that will help me when I myself want to become apart of the industry.

Kumar Kamalaghran - Fruitpie music productions LTD.

-Attained 0 and A levels (English, Maths, Politics)

Music Industry
-Live industry
-Recording industry
-Publishing
-Promotion

Get into live music
-Get experience
-Get qualified
-'New beat' - work experience etc.
-Dedication and determination are crucial

Fruitpie Music
Started a booking agency to book gigs

Tour Manager:
-Budget for a tour
-Employ crew
-Organise Transport
-Liaise with management
-Make sure promo happens
-Get the band to and from everywhere
-Deal with financial matters


Takes dedication, diligant

-Deals with fans, makes a lot of decisions

Good bits:
Meets celebrities
Being in charge
Glam lifestyle

Bad bits:
Works very hard (18 hrs a day)
Deal with complicated situations
Very high pressure and can be unhealthy

He worked with many celebs: Beverley Knight, Damage, Razorlight and Tom Jones

____________________

James Ward - Ravensbourne College of Design

Study for a diploma -

-Understanding of creative subject areas
-Higher education

Pathway - 3 days a week
Self directed study

Graphic design:
Animation/Photography/Tv, film and video/Sound design

Module units structure:
-Different assessments
-Lecture and seminar based
-Work experience placements
-Professional links
-Independent and reflective learning
-Dissertation

Progress:
-Portfolio development
-Research
-Develop ideas
-Outcomes
-Sketchbook
-Presentation skills

Links - (Stella McCartney)

Started to studying fashion and textiles and got his own studio and was a freelancer

BBC: Questions:
-Did you start off in any other job, if so what was it?
-How did you get into the industry?
-Do you hold work experience for under 18's? Do you always need work experience to do the job you apply for?
-Do you hold work apprenticeships for people under 18? How do you apply for it?

BBC.co.uk/jobs - work experience page

BBC - Phil Thomas

Recruitment manager: BBC Sport, BBC News, BBC Music and Audio
7 years of work

Wants in recruitment - (Experience is key)

-Right person
-Diverse Workfree
-People who can make the BBC - the worlds most creative organisation!
-Passion and enthusiasm
-Great communicator
-Creativity
-Team player
-Good organizing skills
-Online application - (DONT SEND A CV AS IT WILL NOT BE LOOKED AT)
-Research the job
-Sell yourself - this is key
-Match experience to criteria
-Fill in form correctly
-Spell check
-Meet deadline
Shortlisting
Assessments
Interviews - competency based: things needed: communication skills
Offer
Remember - first impressions is key
+ Entry level opportunities:
Broadcast Assistant
Runners
Team Assistants
Researchers
Trainee studio managers
Journalism trainee scheme
Production trainee scheme

GMTV: Sam Carrington

When he left University he wrote a few scripts and someone found his work and he got his opportunity.

Production Companies: His opinion:

Good bits:
Cool
Varied work
Interesting People

Bad bits:
Short contracts
Chasing pavements
Low Pay
Working with strangers

BBC: His opinion

Good bits:
Cool
Prestige
Creativity
Meet Celebrities

Bad bits:
Hours
Short contracts
Money
Nature of work

GMTV: His opinion:

Good bits:
Money/Salary
Hours
Holidays
Creative sell
Work relationships

Bad bits:
"Boring"
Repetitive
Not cool-targets etc.

Tips: Network
-Research companies/individual templates
-Be persistent but not a pain
-Be prepared for rejection
-When in work, work hard then see top of the list.