Straight from the horse’s mouth is best when trying to keep up to date with what is needed for people who want to enter the media. I have been lucky enough to be in contact with several people who are working, or who have worked in the industry.
Jonathan Ramsey works as an in house editor at ‘Big Bang’ Post Production Company in Bristol. Jonathan began his media studies like me at Plymouth College of Art and Design followed by his BA at Plymouth university. He then worked for two years at Televisionary, another production company in Plymouth. His work as editor at Televisionary led to him winning an RTS award for his work with Seth Lakeman, making a music DVD.
I asked Jonathan about his work in the early stages of his career and what he has learnt about it so far. He thought that the greatest changes in the media industry since he started was tape-less workflows and solid state media. He added that there will always be technical developments in this industry which effects how TV programmes are made. Jonathan’s first boss was Jeremy Hibbard of Televisionary. The company has now moved to my home town of Ivybridge in Devon and I spoke to Jeremy about how he first began in the media and his thoughts on how it has changed. He thought we would loose the concept of linear scheduled programming and would be more likely to choose programmes form a menu or watch them online and that there would be more collaboration between programming and social media.
Across the world another professional is working in New Zealand. Clare Burgess is a Digital Effects Producer working for Weta Digital Limited. I was able to contact her after a recent chance meeting of our respective parents. Clare, now in her thirties was taught by my mum in primary school. She was a creative child and went on to work for Aardman in Bristol after graduating from Bournmouth University. She has since gone on to work in New Zealand at Weta. Claire thoughts that apps on smartphones that personalised media sources would flourish in the 21st century.
I have also been in touch with two seasoned professionals from the world of journalism, radio and television. Adrian Webster and Guy Pannell. Adrian, now retired, first started out in media selling advertising for trade magazines in London and progressed to become an Associate Publisher which meant dealing with every aspect of magazine production including hiring editors and journalists. He moved to Devon 25 years and became involved in setting up a magazine in Cornwall for a friend and was MD before they sold it. He then became involved in a radio station, Pirate FM and was offered a job as a journalist. After spell at Westcountry TV he then went back to radio as Head of News for Gemini FM in Exeter. Throughout his career Adrian has worked in sales, marketing, journalism and web editing. When asked whether freelancing is becoming more important that ever in the media industry, Adrian said that "more freelancers are being used as media owners look to cut costs of full time staff so they are becoming more important." I asked him what general or personal skills a freelancer should possess in addition to his/her technical ability. His reply was “tenacity and a willingness to do whatever is asked of them.”
Guy Pannell, who is also now retired, worked for most of his career which spanned over forty years, in general news. He took an interest in politics, writing political stories for newspapers and later producing a weekly politics programme for regional television. For the last 17 years of his career he has passed on his skills learned in television news to students on an MA course in Broadcast (later Multimedia) Journalism.
I asked him what advice he would give to a newly qualified media studies graduate who was looking for work. He said to “seek experience in the industry wherever you can and don’t be afraid to take any job that gives you a foot in the door. It is much easier to progress from inside the business than the outside.”
He also offered some advice on the importance of freelancing in today’s changing industry. He felt that freelancing “is crucial to filling gaps on the rota, and even more so now employers are looking to reduce staff numbers to cut costs.” I asked him about what general or personal skills a freelancer should possess in addition to their technical ability. “A freelancer should possess determination, persistence and the ability to sell themselves and their talents. They should show a willingness to work the extra hours and fill the unpopular shifts that others don’t want to. You should also be willing to be adaptable and fit into a team.”
As jobs are increasingly difficult to find I asked him if there were any areas where there is a lack of technical expertise. ”Many graduates have a great technical ability but let themselves down by a lack of good English, mathematics and general knowledge. A good journalist needs to know a little about everything.”
Politicians and academics often cite ‘Media Studies’ as the easy option for undergraduates. I asked Guy, how those who wish to work in the media industry combat this sort of stereotyping, and is there anything the universities can do to raise the profile of these degree courses?
“Media Studies doesn’t necessarily equip the student with the ability to work in the media, although the best courses do. People with Media Studies degrees are now reaching senior positions in the BBC and elsewhere. These examples need to be trumpeted to raise awareness of the advantages of a Media Studies course. I would advocate taking a Masters course in the field in which you wish to work, but these are becoming increasingly expensive and are not always a practical option.”
For now I will focus on completing my BA degree and try to enter the world of work to gain experience. Adrian and Guy made me think about the different and changing face of the media and what I need to do next to start my career.
