Panellists

Victoria Hogg – Co-Founder, Duck Duck Goose Improv

James Baskerville – Junior Specialist, Christie’s

Jo Knox – Learning Assistant, Royal Academy of Arts

Jenny Cooper – Freelance Arts Facilitator

Daniel Slater – Head of International Collection Exhibitions, Tate

Dr Marquard Smith – Programme Leader, MA Museums & Galleries in Education, Department of Culture, Communication & Media, UCL Institute of Education

Bryan Cooney – Director of: Exhibitor/Marketing/Brand/Sponsorship/Guests, MCM London Comic Con 

—

The Working in the Arts Forum was held on the 14th November as part of the Museums and Cultural Heritage week. Seven speakers from various different roles in the Arts came to give students an overview of how they started out in their field of work, how their work has progressed and general helpful tips of how to get in to the industry.

The panellists discussed that it is advantageous to always make the most of all opportunities that you find come your way. The first job that you may find may be a volunteering role (an example) at a small local gallery once a week. Be flexible and open to the possibility of working a part time or internship job with a job that you find less interesting to pay the bills. This opportunity may lead in time to a full time position in an industry or employer that you are keen to work for. The panel also discussed that volunteering may prove problematic for students who financially are unable to volunteer full time to gain experience. Part time volunteering was suggested. It was also discussed that the first role found may not necessarily be a role that is a first choice, however it may get students in to the industry, gaining experience and meeting people who may in the future higher for roles that maybe of interest.

All of the panellists agreed that networking was a great way to expand opportunities, be it online or networking face to face. Opportunities may present themselves at the time or through a connection that students have made by building relationships. Using tools such as social media. Twitter was discussed as good way of keeping up to date with events within companies.

It was discussed that it is easy to become deflated, especially at the beginning as students may receive no responses to opportunities that they have applied for. Keeping up persistence and knowing that they may not be successful immediately in the beginning. Discussions were also given to knowing how crucial it is to know the sector. There is no excuse for not knowing this in 2017. The internet is a huge resource.

The panel discussed the need to be proactive. If students are not sure about how to apply, finding out by contacting the place of interest. When applying think about using any transferable skills that may have been accumulated already, such as any work or volunteering, even if you think it is not relevant to the job that you are applying for. Skills will have been built throughout university such as, leading on projects, teamwork and communication skills.

The panellists then discussed that some people are lucky, they know what they want to do. Many people are not sure. Learning is the key, learn what you like. If you are not sure what you like, try a variety of different options. Some of the panellists discussed that they did not know what they wanted to do after leaving university. It was discussed and advised that it is really advisable to think about what you are good at, what are your best skills? One panellist discussed that he had no plan when he left university and that he spent his first year of work doing everything for experience, working in galleries, internship, working manual labour.

Closing thoughts were be strategic, try to plan, pursue what you love.  Finding out what you love and figuring out how to get money from it. Every job you do is a pathway, everything will help, be adaptable to situations. Thinking outside the box, thinking and talking about art and creative ideas even when you are not at work.

Executive Producer Helen Collerton from Parable (http://parableworks.com) shares her top tips for working in the production industry. Helen is a UCL alumni and studied BA English Literature. 

1. It’s all about having the right attitude.
   Last year I took a poll from around 30 freelancers I work with regularly. I asked them what they had studied at university, and the answers that came back ranged from History to Anthropology, Psychology to Media, English Literature to French, Politics to Economics to Geography and on and on. Rather than devaluing your choice of study, instead this shows what I believe to be the most important truth to success in production: it’s all about your attitude, enthusiasm, and dedication. What these 30 people have in common, is that they are each a joy to work with, both in terms of skill and personality. Production is an intense job at times, and people will value passion, and a fresh and positive frame of mind.
2. Pigeon hole yourself.
   Within the film/production industry, there are many specialisms, each requiring a unique set of skills and experience. While it is of course vital to ‘shop around’ to work out what you like making, one of the best pieces of advice I was ever given, was to be aware that you only need two or three of a certain type of ‘thing’ on your CV, before you will only be getting calls to do exactly that. There is some sense to thhis – the industry changes so rapidly, that you do need to be regularly making food programmes/natural history documentaries/sports broadcasting/commercials etc. to ensure you are moving at pace with your specialism in terms of technical kit, processes, and talent.
3. Know what everybody else does.
   You are going to become better at what you do, and easy to work with, if you put some effort and research into understanding the roles of the people working around you. Whether you are working as a runner, a researcher, or an executive producer, if you understand the details of each part of the puzzle, and the various pressures, stresses, and focus points of your colleagues, you will become a more valuable member of the team. You will also find that you learn more, and that you learn faster.
4. The word ‘hierarchy’ should not apply.
   This is a big one. There are hundreds of different roles in film and production, and while some are more complex, or require more experience than others, the words ‘hierarchy’ or ‘senior/junior’ should not apply. This is for two reasons: firstly, everybody started as a runner, a driver, a tea-maker, a dogs body or an assistant. Everybody has been where you are, and the only thing separating you from the people with more responsibility than you, is years of experience. A well-run and welcoming production team should make you feel that this is true, because it is. Secondly, a brilliant ‘anything’ is invaluable. No cog on the wheel or link in the chain is less important than any other – every project relies on people at every stage of the process doing a brilliant job. You’re just as important as everybody else.
5. Be kind to yourself.
   Sometimes I think that when people talk about the film/production industry, they make it sound like a very hard place. The reality is that if you surround yourself with lovely people, it is a genuinely amazing place to be. In order to keep yourself sane and safe, remember that you are only as good as you are strong, healthy, and happy. Part of the job is looking after yourself – I’m a firm believer in not working with people who don’t treat you well, and in relaxing and having fun whenever possible.

Helen also is a writer and has a piece on her blog called  ‘Making Space for Writing’. You can read it here: https://readmesoftly.com/2017/12/17/making-space-for-writing/

The ‘arts’ sector includes job opportunities in a wide range of areas including:
– Architecture
-Museums, galleries and libraries
-Fashion
-Music, performing and visual arts
-Film, TV and Radio

Employment in the arts industry – according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) – is growing at more than four times than the overall UK workforce. This includes those in both the creative and support roles (such as administration, finance and IT) and the UK is currently employing nearly two million people in this sector.

What do I need to work in the arts?
– Either a practise talent or skill or have the passion and interest for the area you wish to work in.
– You may have to be prepared to work freelance, as self-employed or on short-term contracts

Further information can be found on the Prospects website

What sort of ‘creative’ roles are there available?
Actor, Designer, Animator, Curators, artist, architect, art director, choreographer, photographer, film/theatre director, cinematographer, audio describer, composer, writer, creative director, editor, costume designer, digital imager, painter, prop maker, drapes master, foley artist, set builder, illustrator, model maker, lighting/sound designer, graphic designer, marketing, radio presenter, scenic artist, stand-up comic, storyboard artist…

…to name but a few but for a further list please do visit http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles/p1

Do I need to have a ‘creative’ degree to work in the arts?
No. The arts sector may be creative, but they still need all the roles and departments that you might find in even the corporate world such as IT, finance, HR and legal.

So if you are studying computer science but have a personal interest in film– perhaps you can combine your degree with your passions and decide on a career in the arts by becoming a visual effects editor? Or, why not use your transferable skills for something like these:

Broadcast engineering, stage manager, fundraiser, agent, programmer, effects technical director, render wrangler, location manager, casting director, event manager, library assistant, producer, radio traffic manager, researcher and many many more…
___________________________________________________________________

You can find out more about working in the arts from the panel discussion on

Tuesday 14 November: Working in the Arts Forum (as part of the Museums and Cultural Heritage Themed Week)

Bookings through My UCL Careers

Danielle Thom – Curator of Making at the Museum of London

It was never my original plan to be a curator. As an undergraduate at Oxford University, I’d spent much of my history degree faffing around with journalism internships and trying to make it in magazines. As it turned out, I was a terrible journalist, and thus spent my first year post-graduation trying to stay afloat in the Sea of What Do I Do Now. I signed up for an MPhil, trying to recapture the bits of university that had appealed to me – research, 18^th century history, material culture – and was persuaded to switch to History of Art for the visual training it would offer. Lacking savings, a scholarship, or family funds, I spent the rest of the year working in a cold-calling office, saving up the commission I earned to pay my way through an MPhil.

My master’s degree, at the University of Birmingham, was invaluable for several reasons. It allowed me the opportunity to confirm, once and for all, where my interests lay. It gave me the chance to do in-depth research, at a level beyond that expected of undergraduates. And, crucially, there was an element of work experience embedded in the programme, which allowed me to work on a small exhibition in a voluntary capacity, co-curating a display of prints at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts. At the end of the year, that experience turned out to be vital in getting me my next job, as a junior Curator with the National Army Museum, in Chelsea. I had wanted to stay on and do a PhD, but – again – funds were lacking. I figured that working in a museum was the best thing to do, and this job allowed me to live at home with my parents, save up money, and gain additional, important, experience in the field.

And that’s how I ended up at UCL, in part because my PhD supervisor there, Tom Gretton, was recommended to me by my MPhil tutor; and in part because I still needed to live at home to make ends meet. I worked part-time retail for the first year, squeezing in shifts around time in the library and archives. This isn’t intended to be a tale of woe – I’ve been extremely lucky – but it’s important to realise that the entry route into museum careers isn’t always plain sailing for those who lack economic and other forms of privilege. Finally, however, I managed to secure AHRC funding, which covered me for the remaining two years of the programme, and freed up my time so that I could take on additional volunteering, one afternoon per week.

Six months after finishing my doctoral thesis, in 18^th century British print culture, I managed to secure a job on the Assistant Curator Development Programme at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was a bit of a culture shock, fresh from a PhD, full of self-importance and used to autonomous research – to suddenly be responsible for fairly mundane, even menial tasks, such as counting dead beetles (for pest control purposes) and shunting objects around on trollies – but it was as essential a part of my education as the PhD had been. I was assigned to the Sculpture department, which wasn’t then my area of expertise, but I figured that it was an opportunity to develop a new body of knowledge, and took advantage of the resources available to me. I’ve been working on a book manuscript, about an 18^th century British sculptor, and was able to do a month-long curatorial fellowship at Yale University while researching that. I co-curated a pavilion at the Venice Biennale, as well as curating several smaller displays, and travelled all over Europe and the US as a courier for artworks. I also applied to, and was accepted for, the New Generation Thinker scheme, which is run jointly between the AHRC and BBC Radio 3, giving me the opportunity to make radio documentaries and appearances. I took advantage of every opportunity presented to me, although not all of those were easy projects, and sought things out rather than waiting for them to come looking for me. I’ve learned that in the museum world you can’t be shy about singing your own praises, as odd and obnoxious as it may feel to do so, because it’s rare that someone else will do it for you.

The assorted experiences which I’d gathered while working at the V&A enabled me to get my current job, as Curator of Making at the Museum of London. I’ve been in post for the last six months, and here I’m responsible for the historic decorative arts collections (such as jewellery, ceramics and sculpture), and also for developing collections and displays that reflect contemporary making in London today. I’m involved in the exciting redevelopment of the Museum of London, which is building an entire new museum at West Smithfield. I’m also still (!) working on my book manuscript, and occasionally make an appearance on the radio, continuing my 18^th century researches while forming new networks in a less familiar field.

By Sally Brown, UCL Careers

If you are looking for a career in a place that is likely to be alive longer than you, then Sothebys – the global art business that has been banging its hammer down on collections since 1744, might be one for you to consider. Alongside over 70 categories of art on sale, Sotheby’s are now also branching out into ‘luxury’ items as well, such as fine wine and cars. They are very keen to ensure they are a 21^st century business, so are always looking for fresh talent with new ideas.

Specialisms (e.g. Modern & Post-War British art, Chinese art, European Ceramics) count for only a 3^rd of Sotheby’s business. So they are keen to welcome graduates who have more of a business head as well as a genuine interest in art. Sotheby’s is an auction house after all, so you need to have good commercial acumen in order to be able to win clients from competitors. If your interests lie purely in the academics of art, then perhaps an art gallery or a museum pathway might be more appropriate.

Top tips:

• Get some work experience – any work experience. They want to see evidence of transferable skills so it’s fine to have just been the tea-making, photocopying dogsbody called ‘hey you’, as long as you can explain what you learnt from the experience and how you dealt with different situations.
• Show your enthusiasm for the art world – even if just in a business sense.
• Show your interest in a particular area or department. Be clear about why it interests you.
• Go to an auction! Try to go to the afternoon ones as they are less busy and open to the public; some evening auctions are ticketed only. Don’t worry about keeping completely still with your hands in your pockets– the auctioneer will know that you are not bidding!
• Visit an exhibition and see the items on sale.
• Try the lobster club sandwich in the restaurant for the bargain price of £26.50- we’ve been told it is rather good!

What’s on offer?   

Internships: This three month experience is open to 2^nd years and above. You will be placed in a particular department, so be sure to research your areas of interest before applying – as it asks you on the application form to rank your preferences. They have less placements in the summer – as business is quieter – so competition is fiercer! They receive 800-1500 applications over the year with 80 places available.

• Graduate training programme: Trainees will complete 12 months of rotations across a variety of departments as well as regular lectures, workshops and museum visits with senior executives whilst working on projects with fellow trainees. On completion, selected trainees will be offered permanent positions. Usually around 450 applications are made with about seven places available.
• Floating programme: a group of 12 graduates will work as in-house ‘temps’ and placed in a variety of departments, of varying lengths of time, over one year. For example, if a department has an auction coming up and need an extra pair of hands, you might be asked to spend a few days with them. You will be encouraged to apply for permanent roles as positions become available. You are only eligible to stay in this programme for up to 12 months.

The Cultural Heritage Forum was held on the 15^th November, as part of the Museums and Cultural Heritage Week. Although the five speakers were working in various heritage related fields and at different stages of their career, there were clear commonalities to their career journeys and consequently their recommendations to future graduates. Many of the panellists reflected on how they found themselves in their current career not through planning each step along the journey, but by proactively following their interests. Their collective story went something like this:

They noticed what areas of their studies (e.g. medieval over ancient archaeology) and/or aspects of their earlier work experiences (e.g. educating others) they enjoyed most and sought out opportunities to increase their knowledge in these areas. They remarked that working in smaller institutions can sometimes provide more meaningful and broader experiences than working in the larger more prestigious institutions. Although aspects of such entry-level work may have been less exciting or somewhat repetitive at times, they found these experiences offered more than simply knowledge or skills to be used as collateral for the next job. These early experiences opened up opportunities which they would not have known about otherwise. They attended events through these jobs, joined special interest networks, met people in the sector, were inspired by what they saw and heard, and built up a network of connections which later proved invaluable.

This was not a passive approach by any means, each of the speakers emphasised the importance of a proactive approach to take advantage of all opportunities. One of the panellists even managed to persuade their employer to pay for further study. It was also highlighted how one could use one’s masters dissertation, placements, or similar to make connections. There appeared to be consensus that one must seek out opportunities to build one’s range of skills and knowledge, contacting potential employers and explaining what one can offer them. Employment opportunities in this field are less likely to be advertised and approaching employers directly not only demonstrates one’s interest and commitment to the sector, but also saves them time and money when it comes to the recruitment process.

It was remarked how graduates may sometimes underestimate the value of their transferable skills (soft skills gained from academia, extra-curricular activities, or part-time work), or their unique experiences (e.g. language skills, or specialist knowledge regarding London). For many panellists it was how they expressed the unique combination of their experiences which made them stand out from the crowd and were particularly valuable to a specific project. This was not something which could have been anticipated and planned for, but was attained through following their interests, building connections, and being open to and proactively seeking opportunities.

It was acknowledged that setting out on a career in the heritage sector can require a lot of commitment, but a positive closing remark was made regarding those at graduate level. If one imagines a triangle where the pinnacle is being in a very specialist / niche role, as a graduate one is at the base of the triangle and has wider array of options to obtain experience (and indeed explore and test out potential careers).

—

You can listen to Working in the Arts panel discussion from Wednesday 16th November here – https://soundcloud.com/ucl-careers/working-in-the-arts-ucl-careers-themed-week-wednesday-16th-november

Next week UCL Careers hosts Museums & Cultural Heritage Week, a series of panel events featuring panellists working in museums, cultural heritage and the arts. Each forum will feature expert speakers who will provide insight on the sector by sharing their own career journeys, their perspectives on what is currently driving the sector and what keeps them excited about this field. This series will offer the perfect opportunity for you to gain insight on the range of careers available and how you can launch your own career in this competitive but exciting sector. So if you’re interested in working in this industry sign-up to attend any of the panels to learn more.

The series begins with the Museums Forum taking place Monday 14 November which will include speakers from the Grant Museum, the Museum of London and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). Read more about the featured panellists here.

On Tuesday 15 November the Cultural Heritage Forum takes place following the Museums & Heritage Volunteering Fair. This forum features six panellists:

Joe Flatman, Head of Listing Programmes, Historic England. Joe heads up the teams that lead on the delivery of the national statutory casework process. This includes listing historic buildings, scheduling archaeological sites and protecting wrecks, among other responsibilities. His teams also provide central support and liaison with the Department of Culture, Media & Sport DCMS, and promote the increase in designation activity through guidance, training, outreach and art policy development.

Gai Jorayev has worked with professional and research-led heritage projects over the last decade. He is responsible for the development and supervision of projects on behalf of the Centre for Applied Archaeology (Institute of Archaeology, UCL). He has extensive experience of working collaboratively on large-scale projects in different parts of the world and his current research is closely linked with initiatives of international organisations such as UNESCO, ICOMOS and UNWTO. He is involved in the ongoing UNESCO-led serial World Heritage nomination of the Silk Roads.

Freya Stannard entered into her first job in the cultural heritage sector in 2011. She worked as Assistant Secretary to the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art at the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Completing the Cultural Heritage Studies MA at UCL in 2012, she gained work experience with the Portable Antiquities Scheme administered by the British Museum. She spent two years working at Tate in two roles which focused on acquisitions and spoliation research. She then started in her current role in November 2015 as Manager of the Acceptance in Lieu and Cultural Gifts Schemes at Arts Council England.

Liz Vinson, Director at the Heritage Collective. Liz advises architects, developers, home owners and local authorities on the historic environment. Her experience includes but is not limited to numerous heritage assessments for listed buildings, sites in conservation areas and registered parks and gardens. She is experienced at EIA, especially with regard to wind farms, and including public inquiry work.

Sara Serafi currently works as an Assistant Heritage Consultant at Atkins’ London office. Her training and work experience as an Architect both in Saudi Arabia and the UK has allowed her to experience working on a wide range of worldwide projects that offer varying perspectives and approaches. She holds an MSc in Sustainable Heritage from University College London. She is particularly interested in the intangible dimension of heritage that relates to community inclusion and engagement.

Plus, a recent UCL graduate currently working at the Museum of London Archaeology will also participate. Having graduated with a BA in Egyptology, in 2014 Ashley completed an MA in Museums and Galleries in Education at the Institute of Education which complements almost a decade of experience working in education and heritage. Before joining MOLA he spent a number of years both working and volunteering with the National Trust at various sites across the south of England in various education and volunteer-leading roles, as well as working for Orleans House Gallery and the Mary Rose Trust and Imperial War Museum.

Finally, the series ends Wednesday 16 November with the Working in the Arts forum. This event will feature expert panellists representing diverse roles in arts management and administration at some of London’s major organisations, as well as freelance producers. Panellists for this event include:

Marion Crick, Head of Collections Management at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Prior to this she was Collections Information and Systems Manager, also at the V&A.

Emma Double, Assistant Press Officer at Tate. Emma is also an arts writer and blogger with numerous online publications, including with One Stop Arts London, Mouth London Magazine, One & Other Magazine and her personal blog.

Kate Rolfe, Head of Events at the National Gallery, provides strategic oversight of all events held at the National Gallery. Kate was previously Head of Visitor Events at the Natural History Museum.

Anne Wareing, Senior Development Manager at Battersea Arts Centre. After starting her career in arts fundraising in the States, Anne relocated to London in 2010. She has been with Battersea Arts Centre for four years and focuses on individual giving while also managing the organisation’s overall fundraising strategy. She is also obsessed with DataVis as a tool for impact reporting and evaluation.

Nadezhda Zhelyazkova is a freelance theatre producer. She incorporated her own production company last year with the aim of creating theatre that examines the pressing issues of our society. The company recently finished the run of its inaugural production Wasted, a play about consent.

This is your opportunity to meet specialists working in this sector and learn more about how you can launch your own career in this industry. Register to attend this and the other events online via your ‘My UCL Careers’ account.

UCL Careers Museums & Cultural Heritage Week is part of the #UCLInspireMe series.

Further details on the events in this series:

• Museums Forum, 14 November @ 17:30
• Museums & Heritage Volunteering Fair, 15 November @ 17:00
• Cultural Heritage Forum, Tuesday 15 November @ 18:30
• Working in the Arts, Wednesday 16 November @ 17:30

So you think you might be interested in working in museums, cultural heritage or the arts but aren’t quite sure where to start? You’re probably not alone. Whilst there are broadly four types of museums and galleries in the UK – national, regional and local, university and independent  – these represent a vast array of collections, artefacts, objects, specimens and homes. From well-known and established collections to the history of anaesthesia it could seem a daunting task to know where to start.

In addition, unlike other sectors, there is no clear pathway for starting out your career, such as through a graduate scheme for example. Volunteering remains an important way to develop your interests and skills, though opportunities for paid work do exist. The good news is the sector requires people with diverse skills to thrive including education, programme, science, history, business, marketing, finance, and digital to name a few. And while funding cuts have meant that museums have to rethink the ways in which they operate, this also means that there can be lots of opportunity for those with creative ideas and an interest in innovating.

However, the sector remains competitive. Jobs in museums, galleries and libraries made up just 5% of jobs in the creative industries in the UK last year, a 6% increase since 2011 (Creative Industries: Focus on Employment June 2016). So being proactive, gaining valuable experience and making contacts is crucial.

London is an exceptional city in which to launch your career in this industry. With over 278 of the 2,500 museums in the UK located in London alone (Museums Association; Londonist) this city hosts a diversity of cultural places to work right on your doorstep. To help you explore the many options and opportunities for work in this sector, UCL Careers has organised a programme of panel events for Museums & Cultural Heritage Week beginning Monday 14 November: Museums Forum, Cultural Heritage Forum and Working in the Arts. A Museums & Heritage Volunteering Fair will also take place during the week.

Each panel event will feature expert speakers who will provide insight on the sector by sharing their own career journeys, their perspectives on what is currently driving the sector and what keeps them excited about this field. They will also offer valuable advice for those looking to get a foot in the door.

Kicking off the series is the Museums Forum featuring speakers from the Grant Museum, the Museum of London and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). Panellists for this event include:

Jack Ashby, Manager of the Grant Museum and former head of Learning and Access for all UCL Museums and Collections for a period over 2009 and 2010. Jack has interests in scientific communications and evolutionary biology.

Jackie Kiely, Curator in the Department of Archaeology Collections at the Museum of London. Jackie has published widely on Roman artefacts.

Danielle Thom, Assistant Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Danielle specialises in 18^th century art and co-curated the exhibition A World of Fragile Parts a special project exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale running until 27 November.

The panel will also feature a current student who held a summer internship at the British Museum.

Register to attend this and the other events online via your ‘My UCL Careers’ account.

UCL Careers Museums & Cultural Heritage Week is part of the #UCLInspireMe series.

Other events in this series:

• Museums & Heritage Volunteering Fair, 15 November @ 17:00
• Cultural Heritage Forum, Tuesday 15 November @ 18:30
• Working in the Arts, Wednesday 16 November @ 17:30

Source: Walt Disney – Donald Duck – Modern Inventions (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSohVE6Zmjc)

As part of UCL Careers’ Media Week back in December, we held a panel discussion on careers in TV, film, and radio. See below for a summary of top tips from our panellists. The next Media Week run by UCL Careers will take place in the autumn term of 2016.

With panellists representing all three sectors (see here for bios), we heard some great advice about how to get into and progress in this popular and competitive industry. Some key highlights from the session are below and we would like to thank Kate, Eduardo, Matt, Anya and Alex for giving up their time to share their insights!

Advice
> This industry is all about ideas. Note down your ideas, develop them, base them on things that really interest you. Don’t be afraid to share them – even if someone takes it, have a new one ready to go! Make documentaries about interesting people that you’ve met.
>  It’s also all about storytelling and people still love storytelling – even though the mediums may be changing, the premise is still the same. Social media is an easy way to reach audiences – make videos on your phone and share them with your friends.
>  Network network network! Make it your business to know everyone and for them to know you.  Attend lots of events and make the most of them. Keep trying to maximise the changes of getting your first start in this industry.
>  If networking events aren’t your thing, make direct contact with someone and invite them for a coffee to have a one-to-one conversation. Ask them to recommend two people you should contact, and then act on that.
>  Play to your strengths – work out what you love and you’re good at.
>  Persistence is key! ‘Every day you persist is a day someone else quits’ – you have to keep trying (but be polite in doing so!)
>  Be prepared to go in at the bottom, work as a runner and make tea – just be good at it! Show lots of enthusiasm and talk to people (but also be aware if someone doesn’t want to be talked to!). If you ‘do your time’ in the lower roles, you will progress within the industry.
>  When you get to the researcher level, you will reach a “crossroads” and will need to determine whether you’d like to down the production route or the editorial side. It can be hard to move once you’ve decided so think hard about which you think is best suited to you.
>  If you want to work in TV you need to be able to collaborate, compromise and take criticism.
>  Find your local radio personality – each station will have different types, so what works for you? (Thanks to Kate Lamble for demonstrating her Radio 4 voice!)
>  Most importantly: Be humble, focused and strong-willed. Get on with people, go for what you want and stay true to yourself.

Opportunities
>  The Roundhouse in Camden has lots of great initiatives, such as production courses, mentoring schemes, projects and master-classes.
>  The BBC has various short work experience schemes across different areas, such as television, radio, journalism and business. You are strongly encouraged to apply for these.
>  Creative Access has internship opportunities to help those in under-represented backgrounds get into a variety of roles.

Resources / Useful Websites
>  Careers Tagged – a fountain of knowledge about various sectors, including film, TV and radio
>  BECTU – trade union for the entertainment industry
>  Prospects – a useful website for finding out more about different roles and sectors, see here for roles in broadcasting
>  AIB – Association for International Broadcasting
>  So You Want to Work in Television? – advice on all matters relating to television production, presenting and pitching.
>  British Council, Film – a detailed list of membership organisations
>  RSGB – Radio Society of Great Britain

By Rhiannon Williams

Careers in the Creative Industries Webinar: Wednesday 03^rd June, 1-2pm

Ever considered working in film, gaming, editing, motion graphics, design, scriptwriting or presenting? Or setting up your own company?

When? Wednesday, 03^rd June, 1-2pm

How? Register using this link:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3860209767852398594

Join our webinar to listen and contribute to a Q&A session with Ash Denton, Creative Director of Explosive Alan Productions.

More about Ash…

Since graduating from the New York Film Academy, where he produced 16 shorts and worked on well over 100 others, Ash has worked in technology and gaming media for some of the biggest brands in the field, including CNET, Gamespot and Xbox.

At Gamespot, Ash was pivotal in the creation of Start/Select, a light-hearted videogames news digest show. It rapidly became the site’s flagship sub-brand, hitting the number one spot in the iTunes gaming podcast charts.

During this time, Ash kept his toes in filmmaking waters, writing and directing mind-bending short The Hollow Men which was bought by Shorts International and went on to be screened worldwide.

In 2010 he was recruited by Xbox, and picked up a Games Media Award in 2011 for the mailbag-show-with-a-difference SentUAMessage. In 2012, he co-founded Explosive Alan Productions with former Inside Xbox members Dan Maher and Gareth Wild.

Organised by the Careers in the Creative Industries team for students from across the University of London, this webinar will give you the chance to learn about careers in film, gaming, editing, motion graphics, design, scriptwriting and presenting and will give you insight into the world of work in the creative industries.