2. Inspiration in the industry
Grace Wells is a film maker and photographer with a strong presence on social media. She makes and
produces stylised advertisements on TikTok and Instagram, and has grown her accounts as much as to be
recognised and hired by Amazon Prime Video. Videos such as her ‘making commercials for random objects’
series have earned her 1.4 million followers and 33 million likes on TikTok, often going viral for these unusual
ads. Some of them include a single corn kernel, dirt and a fork- taking the suggestions from her comments
section. Wells then creates these realistic and aesthetically pleasing fake advertisements for the products,
including the planning, videography and editing all herself.
Wells was a full time commercial director but then transitioned into freelance
work, and social media was just something she did on the side. Recently, she quit
her full time job as she started getting approached by bigger brands and opted
for only freelance work with these companies in order to balance out her work
life. She was even approached by Amazon Prime Video and asked to run their
TikTok account for new film ‘I know what you did last summer’. Social Media
presence has massively helped her to be recognized and given her great
opportunities with some very influential companies. Though her career is quite
extraordinary, her hobbies of making adverts at home match up with mine, it just shows how influential it is
to have an online presence to get your work out there- especially with social media on the rise.
3. Inspiration in the industry
James Hancock is another inspiration of mine who is based on youtube and social media. He too applied for
the same apprenticeship as I did (BBC production scheme) and was a successful applicant. As I was applying
for this apprenticeship I was watching his videos on how exactly be went about the process etc. He does not
earn a living from doing YouTube and social media but has massively helped in explaining how potential
application processes and interviews work with this particular company, which could also feed into different
similar companies should I apply for those in the future too. Hancock comments that he didn’t always feel
confident in his answers, and most of the time he was quite the opposite, especially in his interviews. But it
goes to show that if you have the extracurricular and experience then you can still be in with a good chance-
as he was experienced in some broadcasting work himself before the apprenticeship and so was at an
advantage over other candidates.
Though he has a full time job in the production industry, he still
uploads his work and experiences online for others. A lot of his
videos are actually surrounded by this apprenticeship and so
was a massive help both for my first application and in any of my
future applications.
4. Inspiration in the industry
Fleur Whitlock is mainly known for being an art director, lecturer and production designer. Amongst this, she
has also directed and produced several video documentaries that are lesser known. She has been involved in
several successful series and films such as ‘End of the ******* world’ and ’10,000 BC’. As the job is
something that she has been doing for over 30 years, she now also takes the time to educate others- even
participating in masterclasses and being invited to lectures (such as at London Film School). Having worked
with BBC, Warner Bros and Netflix, Whitlock is a successful and influential person in her area of expertise.
She started with a BA in Fine Art from Exeter university and then gained two years art directing experience
with JobFit. From there she started getting hired by companies to do
Art directing and slowly worked her way up to bigger and more popular
companies.
She seems to work freelance, moving from different companies to work
on different films / series etc. It has worked out for her though, because
her experience and website show she has the right knowledge and ideas
to slot into many kinds of productions. Her website (along with her
IMDB profile) in particular documents this, as she writes about her
experiences in a blog section and shows examples of work in a portfolio
style. She still uploads blogs to this day, for example, detailing how she
worked during lockdown.
5. Higher education options- UCAS
Upon singing up to and exploring the UCAS website, I was able to navigate and find some higher education
options for after college including that of BA(Hons) and HNC/HND’s which were of interest to me. The
selections I have added to my favorites are those of which will give me the necessary training in physical
projects that I would need when going for a job I am most interested in. The jobs I have looked at so far
seem to prefer experience over qualifications. Should I attend university and opt for courses such as Media
Studies, I don’t think that I would gain as much experience in practical production and so may put me at a
disadvantage to other candidates.
HNC and HND qualifications look to
be a good option as I’m somewhat
reluctant to attend university over an
apprenticeship. These qualification
both give me the opportunity for a
vocational experience whilst gaining a
higher education in my chosen field.
They also last for the same amount of
time as a level 3 apprenticeship (on
average).
6. Higher education options- Apprenticeship
GOV.uk has showed several media related
apprenticeships in my area. One of them was for ‘Azatom
group Ltd’ as a junior content producer, at level 3.
Though this is the same level I am working at so far, it
would still be a good start in higher education options
and I could work my way up to HND/HNC level. The job
involves working for different clients and do high quality
editing and proposals to them. A lot of this is similar to
what I do in college now and so I would have some skills
in these areas already.
It looks like it will also advance my skills in capturing
video and images and working with camera- something
I’m not too confident with right now. The duration is 18
months and is slightly shorter than some of the other
options I have seen so far. Earning £129 a week also
means that I can earn whilst learning.
7. Azatom group ltd continued
Azatom has also asked for a set of skills that could put a
candidate at more of an advantage if they have some pre-existing
knowledge. A lot of them are basic job essentials such as good
work in teams and individually and good communication skills.
Some of the other ones such as ‘strict rules of confidentiality’
and ‘learn and teach new systems and equipment’ are more
tailored to this specific job. I believe I can already fulfil a lot of
these and so would be a good fit for the apprenticeship, however
maybe telephone skills could be something to work on and gain
in the role its self.
I can also fulfil their qualification desires and would say that I’m
quite IT confident.
They are paired with Middlesbrough college and so I would take
part in the study side of the apprenticeship here.
8. Employment options
Job focus 1- Reach PLC / Newcastle
Social video producer
A trend across some of the jobs I have looked at so far
seem to prefer experience over qualifications, although it
is ‘preferred’ that the candidate has some sort of higher
qualification. A lot of this experience can be gained by
apprenticeships or vocational higher education (e.g.
HNC/HND/BA). Aside from education, these experiences
may also be attained by more extensive volunteering or
online courses.
Furthermore on the experience, the job asks for
experience on live news reporting and social media, the
social media side is something I may be able to obtain on
this unit alongside a website to show my work and
become a potential form of portfolio. Live news reporting
however, would be more from university/apprenticeship.
9. Employment options
Job focus 2- Wooshii (Kickstart) / Newcastle
Junior Video Producer
This kickstart-style job offers on the job training and shadowing
of senior videographers to gain experience in a work
environment whilst carrying out ones own tasks by being given
briefs to interpret for clients needs etc.
The requirements for the role include basic job requirements
such as good communication, organization and willingness to
learn. In terms of more technical and creative requirements, the
job asks for experience in IT (particularly Microsoft office) and
basic understanding of video production. This job therefore
would be suitable for me to go straight into after college and
does not require higher qualifications, relying solely on
experience and growth in the role. Kickstart job types are
definitely something to look more in to when approaching next
steps after college.
