Production Sector On The Up In Northern Ireland

Sharon Boyd looks at the growing TV and film production sector in Northern Ireland:

Northern Ireland, being the smallest part of the UK, tends to go fairly unnoticed and it’s associated more with The Troubles than anything else. However, over the past few years the media industry has been developing rapidly in this fairly unknown place and suddenly an awareness of Northern Ireland as a filming location has transpired. So instead of talking about the political and religious tensions in the country, people are now fascinated by the likes of Game of Thrones and The City of Ember being filmed in this beautiful part of the world.

Student View: What Happens After You Graduate?

Sharon Boyd looks at the first steps to take when graduating from a Media degree:

What Happens After You Graduate?

So you’ve spent three years studying the likes of Walter Benjamin, Theodor Adorno and W. J. T. Mitchell alongside writing scripts, shooting on a Sony HDW750P or a Canon 7D, colour correcting in Final Cut Pro or Avid, and learning to analyse and think critically about the media world. Now what? For some of you it might be a case of having a night on the piss and sitting on your arse for the remainder of the summer, maybe applying to the odd job. For others, perhaps you would rather not waste your £27,000 costing 2:1 degree by living off dole money and continuing the typical student life of sleeping all-day and instead actually start making yourself as employable as possible by getting a foot in the door and beginning your career in the media industry.

Word of Mouth with CSC Media’s Scott Pickup

Word of Mouth with CSC Media's Scott Pickup

This week, we chat to CSC Media’s Creative On-Air Manager, Scott Pickup.

What made you want to pursue a career within this industry?
I’ve pretty much known what I wanted to do with my life since around 14 years old, which is handy! I have always loved watching films – going to the cinema and renting videos was always a regular thing growing up. My brother and I used to watch a film on the Friday night and then get up at 6am the next day to watch it again. It sounds crazy now but that passion for all things moving image is what drives me still today.

What would you say was your first big break into the industry?
I tried for an age to get funding for short films and so many different jobs in the media industry. The only stuff I could get was expenses only work on a few feature films, great experiences but in no way a career! One day, I’d just had enough of rejection and decided to make something myself. A script idea for a short came to me pretty much fully formed and I just paid for the production myself. When the next job came up I had something real to show and it helped me get the chance to be a Junior Creative at ITV. That broke me into this world and I’ve been slowly battling my way up through the industry ever since.

Student View: Make The Most Of Your University Network

Sharon Boyd looks at how to use your university connections to improve your employability whilst you study:

Make The Most Of Your University Network

The general impression of undergraduates isn’t always a favourable one. Frequently when thinking of student life we conjure up images of intoxicated individuals stealing traffic cones, and spending the majority of the sunlight hours sleeping off hangovers, and those regretful decisions of choosing to have garlic mayo on their kebab the night before. But alongside the parties, many of these students still manage to be academically successful by having a good balance between their social life and studies, which is key for any student wanting to do well but have fun at the same time.

Personalities & Working In The Media

Sharon Boyd asks whether you have to be an extrovert in order to have a successful career in the media sector:

Personalities & Working In The Media

The media industry is one in which working with people is inevitable, so if you’re not really a people person then you should consider this aspect of having an occupation in this particular industry. There are many different personality types, some people are extrovert, others are introvert, and still others are a blend of the two. When choosing a career path you should think about how your personality could impact you in the work that you want to do.

Student View: Do You Really Need a Media Degree?

Sharon Boyd takes a look at whether a Media degree is really necessary in order to start a career in TV and film production:

Do You Really Need a Media Degree?

You study a media based degree and therefore consider yourself to be a media practitioner, maybe you know how to cut a few clips together and add a couple of effects in Final Cut Pro? Maybe you can snap a few photographs on a ‘real’ camera rather than using Instagram? Or maybe you can sit down and instantly write what you believe to be an award winning script? I’m going to stop you there. This does not make you an editor, or a photographer, or a scriptwriter. Maybe you aren’t an amateur, but neither are you a professional, well not quite yet anyway.

Student View: How To Find The Media Course For You

Sharon Boyd takes a look at the huge range of different university courses available to those looking to start out in the media industries:

How To Find The Media Course For You

It is clear that there are a wide range of media based degrees that exist and every University course is going to differ in what they teach you and how they teach you. Some degrees tend to be heavily theory based, while others focus more on the practical aspects of the media, and still others blend both theory and practice together. When researching what degree to choose prospective students need to understand what they are actually applying to do, and often there is a bombardment of search results which can make it hard to know where to start.

Word of Mouth with The Big RD’s Ryan Dean

Word of Mouth with The Big RD's Ryan Dean

This week, we chat to The Big RD’s head, Ryan Dean, about switching careers to join the world of telly, running his own production company and balancing the creative side with the endless admin.

What made you want to pursue a career within this industry?
I always wanted to be a writer. I started my professional career as a journalist but got tired by the demand to constantly churn out news when sometimes there was none. I moved across into film production as it offered a great opportunity to continue being creative but without the daily grind of writing vapid news stories.

The Big RD was founded quite early on into your career, how did this come about?
I worked as part of the client facing team at my first production company. I was successful at winning contracts but felt sometimes that the production model that company was using was out of date. I felt there was an opportunity to setup a new type of company that could respond to the problems of the day in a more creative and cost effective manner. Within a year we had opened our studio in Shoreditch and a couple of years later we moved across to Covent Garden.

National Insurance Reforms: Are You Eligible For a Refund?

With less than a month to go before changes to National Insurance (NI) come into force, it seems that many people working in the entertainment industry have been asking the same two questions: am I affected and, if so, is there anything that I can or should do?

Before we address these questions, let’s get an overview of the legislation.

Dual status

Under the current system, those working in film, TV, theatre, radio and commercial production are treated as employed for NI purposes and self-employed for income tax purposes. This enables low-income earners to qualify for state benefits such as Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), which can offer vital income when between roles.

Turn On, Tune In Heads North

Thanks to everyone that joined us for our inaugural Turn On Tune In North event at MediaCityUK in Manchester last week! We had a great turnout at the prestigious OnThe7th members bar to hear from our top industry speakers.

Magaluf Weekender Co-creator, Tom O'Brien — Magaluf Weekender Co-creator, Tom O’Brien

First up, Tom O’Brien, the Co-Creator and Producer of TwoFour’s The Magaluf Weekender, gave us an insight into the world of structured reality programming; how and when the Producers should intervene to change the direction of a show, how far they should let the on-screen participants go when things get out of hand, and ultimately concluding that what happens organically is often better than anything that could be constructed by the programme makers.

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