Exploring Media Careers with UCL Alumni Case Studies

Read this insightful blog about career types in Media in preparation for next week's Media Sector Insight Event.

Are you looking to explore the possibilities of a career in Media but not really sure where to start? We know how useful it can be to see how UCL alumni have started out in the field, so we’ve gathered a number of case studies together to highlight the different paths open to you.

Journalism

Journalism is a popular sector, and covers a broad range of possibilities. Weronika Strzyżyńska works as a reporter for the Guardian, gathering stories on global development, gendered violence and reproductive rights, and has travelled extensively for the job, including visiting Iran, Poland and Rwanda. By contrast, Tommy Walters is largely based in one location for his work covering American politics for PBS NewsHour. Journalists’ work often stems from a passion for a particular topic, which lead Tom Grater to working as a reporter for Deadline Hollywood, and credits his enthusiasm for cinema for keeping him motivated in his work, while Richard Watson feels that his work as an investigative correspondent for BBC Newsnight is a calling. It’s a fallacy that journalism (and the whole Media sector in general) is the preserve of Humanities graduates, and Victoria Lee, Jess Klyne and Eleanor Bird have all turned to freelance writing, journalism and editing after completing their science degrees.

Television, Film and Radio

Freelance work is also common in broadcast media, with many professionals working as contractors for production companies, moving from project to project. Richard Carr is one example of this, working as a freelance director for television, specialising in multi-camera live TV events, particularly sport. Jonathan Stow is also a TV director, running his own company Intraspectrum Studios, making programmes, music videos, docs and commercials. Broadcast media isn’t just about directing and being in control of the creative decision – you also need people to coordinate all the schedules, money, and practicalities of creating content. Hannah Blackman works as a line producer for Lime Pictures production company, managing budgets, production managers and the general logistics of creating reality television. After the programmes are made they then need to be sold to channels and platforms all around the world: that’s what Rachel Job does as a Senior Vice President for All3media International with a focus on distribution of documentaries and factual content. If television is your particular goal, Alex Kahn, CEO of Together TV, gave UCL Careers some great practical advice for starting your career, and different routes to consider.

Marketing, Advertising & PR

Filmmaking skills don’t need to be solely used for entertainment. Samuel Pollard creates videos and other digital content to promote WWF International’s charitable work, enabling the charity to reach larger audiences: you could even describe his work as marketing. Marketing is a large (and growing) sector, which covers many areas including public relations, digital analytics, visual design, and communications. Verity Batson works as a marketing executive for private wealth law firm Boodle Hatfield, covering many of these areas, plus running promotional events, writing social media content and pitching for new clients. Alice Signell also works as a marketing executive, but her work at The Economist Group is focused on monitoring and reporting of sales and marketing, managing content creation (including SEO research, sourcing blog writers & planning webinars), working with specialist marketing agencies, and campaign planning. While Verity and Alice work within companies handling their marketing, Hannah Baker works as Head of Marketing for an agency, The Marketing Store, promoting their capabilities to brands and businesses who may employ them to manage their campaigns for them. Marketing agencies are certainly large employers in the sector, and Elliot Falconer (account manager at AMV BBDO) and Ben Walters (account director for FleishmanHillard HFishburn) both have described their respective roles and responsibilities. Marketing strategists, like Emma Wong (strategist at Freemavens) also work within these agencies, analysing consumer data to help clients understand their customer base better and to deliver insight and ideas into potential campaigns. Publicists, in contrast, tend to work in-house managing a companies’ communications. Emma Hardy is the press manager for the Young Vic theatre, conveying the message of the theatre’s writers and directors to the media and the wider public. Of course, marketing also includes social media and other digital output. Ben Kelly, deputy social media editor for The Independent, helps draw attention to the main news website by creating interesting and shareable current affairs content for Twitter and similar sites, and Sarah Thrift manages the official website, email newsletter and social media channels for Agatha Christie Ltd, covering blog content, reading lists, quizzes, online reading challenges and Insta/Facebook/Twitter posts.

Publishing

If the Publishing sector is more your focus, Allie Collins describes her role as Editor for Bloomsbury Business, project managing the editorial process for preparing a book for publication once it’s been commissioned and a manuscript has been submitted. Alessandra Anzani has a similar sounding title as Editorial Director for Academic Studies Press, but her role includes editorial (copy editing and preparing books for printing, managing acquisitions, fundraising and some marketing. Ellie Smith, a managing editor, oversees the production of high-quality culinary books at Phaidon Press. Once a book as been acquired by a publisher, a rights assistant, like Rali Chorbadzhiyska for Penguin Random House, will be in charge of selling the rights internationally and domestically. Similarly, Lara Diskus (International Publishing and Licensing Executive at Dorling Kindersley) sells the rights to DK books to publishers across the world, and after the deal is agreed she coordinates the production of the international edition, and oversees the entire journey of the publication.