This is the first in a series of conversations with media professionals who have qualified in the last decade or so – asking about their achievement and how they got into the industry.
Media Mentor aims to help media people progress their career through sound and unique advice. These podcasts are a way to share some of our expertise.
Here are some of the job highlights from the past seven days on my Twitter feed. If you want help applying for any of these positions then let me know. We are offering a ‘no win no fee’ consultation for prospective job applicants – if you get the job you pay a fee if you don’t you pay nothing.
BT SPORT want an editor for forthcoming sports channels: http://www.grapevinejobs.com/mediajobs/41055,Producer_Editor_Preditor_BT_Sport_BT_Sport.html
ASSISTANT PRODUCER wanted at SOMETHIN’ ELSE to work on RADIO 3′s JAZZ programme: http://www.mediauk.com/radio/jobs/16083/assistant-producer-jazz-on-3?utm_source=muk&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyalert
BROADCAST ASSISTANT wanted at BBC RADIO SOLENT: http://www.grapevinejobs.com/mediajobs/41048,Broadcast_Assistant_BBC_Radio_Solent_Dorset_BBC.html
HEAT RADIO wants a presenter: http://www.mediauk.com/radio/jobs/16049/presenter?utm_source=muk&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyalert
International football commentators wanted at talkSPORT: http://www.mediauk.com/radio/jobs/16066/international-football-commentators?utm_source=muk&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyalert
Some interesting jobs posted in the last week:
TOP JOB: SKY NEWS Political Reporter: http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/job/4653769/political-correspondent/?LinkSource=PremiumListing
BBC intern/work experience opportunities through the Sports Reporter KICK OFF scheme: http://careerssearch.bbc.co.uk/jobs/job/Kick-Off-Sports-Reporters-Jersey/4130
Reporter / Producer post in Washington DC with REUTERS: http://jobs.thomsonreuters.com/mobile/job/Washington-Level-1-Journalist-%28ReporterProducer%29-Job-DC-20001/2639965/
Celebrity AP wanted at ITV’s Shiver: https://itv.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=130001U6
BROADCAST JOURNALIST in Madrid: http://www.journalism.co.uk/media-jobs/broadcast-journalist-madrid-/s75/a553192/
AFA PRESS want International Journalists – must speak English: http://www.journalism.co.uk/media-jobs/international-journalist/s75/a552610/
“Hold on to your hats” sings Justin Currie at the start of this first taster of his third solo album, Lower Reaches. But don’t worry if – like me – you’re a fan of Currie’s acoustic driven stories of love and loss, Little Stars is not a huge departure musically, so not too much hat holding needed.
Currie is offering this free download as a preview to his third solo album, which is being released on his own label in August. Always someone interested in affairs of the heart, the Scottish songwriter has produced many a love song with a magical mix of lyrical poetry and soulful vocal. Cleverly, many of his ‘love’ songs are sprinkled with more than a dusting of bitter recriminations. Little Stars again has you wondering whether he is reflecting on a couple meant to be or if this is someone resigning themselves to the partner they are stuck with.
However you want to take the massage (and as with all good poetry, the meaning that YOU take from it is the only one that’s important, there is no wrong or right), Little Stars is a carefully crafted song. Musically it opens with a gentle programmed drum beat and simple piano before Currie’s distinctive voice cuts in. Vocally, in the last few years Justin Currie has been on top form, and here the falsetto chorus is particularly impressive, pushing Currie’s range to the edge. The song is one of a few tracks he has previewed at recent live shows but it is maybe not the strongest.This is not released as a single as such, so not aimed at radio play and his less accessible than some of the material he produced on his last solo outing. However, it does whet the appetite for the new album though, and his forthcoming tour, when he will be performing his solo material and many songs from his Del Amitri catalogue – across the UK.
When I used to dream of being a radio presenter, doing shows in my bedroom and recording them for my friends to listen to, I never expected to end up doing that job for real. I consider myself very lucky to have spent time doing a job that was essentially a hobby. But if you are looking to break into the industry in 2013, it is very different to how I managed it in the early nineties.
Back then I was doing a media course at what is now Thames Valley University, getting my English and Communications A Levels alongside it. Access to university was not as easy as it is now and I think the City and Guilds qualification would not have been enough to get me ‘in’ to a radio station had it not been for the wonderful Val Handley, who was running the newsroom at the newly launched STAR FM in Slough.
Myself and another student (Philip Chryssikos) volunteered to help out in the newsroom and on shows – and basically didn’t go away for six to eight months before both being given jobs – presenting the evening show and reporting for the news team. By showing some enthusiasm and having a bit of talent, our careers were launched. Philip and I have gone on to have great success in the industry in big radio stations and newsrooms – and a large part of that is down to Val’s offer to us.
In 2013 such opportunities are rare. Most people recommend embarking on a university degree course, even if you want to be a presenter. But even once that course is completed and you have your qualification, entry into the industry is difficult. Media is very much about who you know alongside what you know. Never has that been more important. With most people going to university, a degree no longer marks you apart. You need to shine in a hugely competitive market.
That’s why I have developed Media Mentor; to help people who are just starting in the industry make some contacts but also help them understand the market place and the types of skills that fit certain jobs. It is also a hugely valuable sounding board. Being able to speak to someone who is independent can make a big difference. I have people coming to me who are just starting to people who have 20 years experience. A neutral ear is always useful.
We are churning out thousands of media graduates each summer, yet there just aren’t enough jobs out there. To stand out from the crowd you need to do things differently – and unlike twenty years ago, there are very few stations offering you the chance to come in and learn. I ran a sports show with a team of 10 helpers – many have gone on to be front line broadcast journalists. Those opportunities just don’t exist now. The argument is whether the talent comes through in the same way; that old chestnut about learning on the job or learning from a book. In radio, there is nothing better than doing it to learn. That way you soon find out whether you have it or you don’t.
Mentoring is a great way to find that out and develop your skills at the same time. It is why SKY, the BBC and other media outlets have started offering staff a mentor programme. We are glad we thought of it first. When I was first in the media I would have welcomed the chance to speak to someone with experience about how my career could progress. Every around you tends to have an agenda and it is very hard to find that neutral ear.
I started by doing hospital radio at Wexham Park in Slough and although I learnt very little in terms of professional skills – I managed to maximize the opportunity by making some good contacts. It was a wonderful hobby – but without some luck it would never have led me to becoming a respected broadcaster. Community radio now offers a better chance to gain some experience but you have to be lucky and find talented people to work with and learn from.
I would always recommend gaining as much experience as you can, in as many places as you can. The 2013 radio station and newsroom has changed dramatically – and you need to have an understanding of all different platforms. You must be able to write, present, report, edit, video etc. Multi-skilled, multi-platform journalists are the future as budgets become squeezed even more.
Spencer Media’s mentoring programme helps you gain a greater understanding of these demands – and given the access you get to work opportunities and people that have been there and done it – it is great value. Get in touch to find out more.
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The experience of going to a gig in the last ten to twenty years has changed dramatically. The venues are the same – but while twenty years ago I used to return from the Town and Country Club in London smelling of cigarette smoke and rushing to get my clothes in the wash, now the atmosphere inside such buildings is clean and largely fresher (apart from the obligatory spilt beer).
I never minded the smoke, as I knew no different, so never complained about it to a large degree. I just presumed that going out meant returning home stinking of cigarettes. At nearly 6’2 I also never had to moan about people standing in front of me. I was the one annoying others by blocking their view! When I was younger I also seemed to notice less the jabbering couples or groups that can so disturb a gig by talking during all the way through it. But while these talkers are a scourge on the modern day gig – there are worse offenders.
Technology has delivered upon us people worse than the rude jabberers, worse than the drunken yob and worse than the 6’4 bloke with a Mohican that stands in front of you. Technology has delivered us the biggest blight on 2013 gigs – the phone movie maker. These people consider it perfectly acceptable to raise their arms high above their heads with a bright light, videoing the gig on the latest Apple-Samsung mini phone-tablet.
I understand people wanting pictures from a show, I even get the idea of having a short video as a keepsake BUT what is the fixation with videoing the whole event? Some justify this wannabe-Christopher Nolan filming by saying that others will benefit by seeing their videos online. But, I have trawled You Tube for clips of my favourite singers and bands and have yet to find a single watchable video recorded by the shaky hands of an ‘adoring’ fan.
The excuse of sharing the video online is purely a cover – making people feel that they are important, perhaps even providing a service. Neither is true. They end up spoiling the view for people around them and thus their enjoyment – but stranger than that, their evening is spent looking at a screen, spoiling the experience for themselves. You pay 30 to 80 pounds to get in and then spend most of the night squinting through a 2 inch screen – not really hearing the music, not taking in the atmosphere. I can’t imagine Premier League cameramen feel they’ve actually ‘watched’ the match after working on the game!
Of course if you end next to someone who films the show with their phone AND spends the evening talking with their friends, you have the two greatest sins all in one. But don’t get me started on people talking!
2013 sees two very different Bowie’s looking to make headlines in the world of music. We have already heard about veteran David’s shock return to the music world. But another Bowie might not be on your radar just yet. Bowie Jane is no-holes-barred pop star in the making from Down Under. But Bowie Jane is not a typical Aussie starlet. She hasn’t appeared in Neighbours or Home and Away, she has in fact been performing to very different, much smaller audiences.
Moments before I ring the Australian singer in the early hours UK time in December, she has been in court, nervously wondering whether she would make this phone call. However Bowie wasn’t in the dock, instead she was living one half of her extraordinary double life. By day the 27 year old practices as a criminal lawyer, before transforming into a sexy, sassy and energetic pop star at night. It’s like a female version of Clarke Kent, just without the fear of Kryptonite.
“It’s very hard getting the balance, especially ahead of coming to the UK (in the spring). I’ve always performed, although when I studied it took a back seat, but the last few years it has gained some momentum. I kept song-writing all the time and now there is starting to be this cross over. Here (in Australia) I am not known as a performer under the same name, so it’s OK. But last year I was doing a trial and I was the junior barrister. The senior barrister was in charge and I sat in meetings knowing that I had to perform at the Australian Open nearby. I am there going ‘yep yep that will be fine’ – and then I would run down the road, change and appear on stage just hoping it wasn’t on TV!”
The conversation sparks images of a woman stripping from lawyers garbs into the pop-siren outfits that adorn her website in a phone box. The scene playing in my turns me into Alan Partridge momentarily and the interview could take a bad turn as I ask about making the most of the transformation
“Yeah ripping off my (lawyer) clothes on stage. That would be interesting”.
Slightly hot under the collar and trying to concentrate I press on to ask why she’s keen to break the UK music scene – and doesn’t she know about our weather?!
“I love UK pop, and I think my music fits well there. There’s a specific sound it has. I will be coming over a few times in 2013. I was there in July (2012) and when I returned home it was absolutely freezing and I couldn’t cope. It was funny though because when I returned back to work no one knew where I had been. Literally five days before I had been in a nightclub being introduced as Bowie Jane, and then there I am stood in a country court in front of the judge thinking ‘what’s my name’ and wondering have I left my black nail varnish on!”
Has no one recognised you from a gig in court?
“No not yet surprisingly actually. Sometimes I see people that I recognise but they don’t recognise me because my hair is different. I have a fringe on stage and I have no fringe in court and often it’s under a wig – so it’s hidden”
Will you have to choose between the two?
“I can’t wait to just be able to do the music full time, that’s my real passion. I just want to be on massive stages appearing before massive crowds. I don’t want to be doing the law. I don’t mind doing it but it is definitely my priority to get the music going.”
What music’s inspired you?
“I have always loved pop music, to the point that I would get teased at school for listening. Everyone would be listening to cool indie bands and I was listening to the charts.”
Is Kylie an inspiration for her music?
“Pop isn’t so prominent in Australia – not for home artists – really overseas artists. That happened to Kylie. People here started to give her credit when she started having success in the UK and then her following grew. Sia and Havana Brown have had more success abroad then in Australia too, so the markets very different. The festival scene here tends to be more indie, while on radio it’s a lot of international artists that get played.”
Bowie Jane’s assault on the UK really begins in earnest with her single Luv Bomb – a full on pop assault of your eardrums. Catchy in just the right way – the song packs a mighty punch
“The lyrics are about unrequited love. Perhaps when a friend makes a move on you when they have had a few drinks and you’ve made it clear you are not interested. And it real ruins the friendship. I have some ballads that I have written, but I wrote the songs thinking about being on stage and I wanted to be having fun and I want the audience to be having fun as well.”
It’s almost 2am, and I have to cut short our conversation, before I dare to mention cricket, barbeques or any more Aussie clichés. What’s clear from our chat is that despite this intriguing back story about her daytime job, Bowie Jane is not going to be distracted from her ambitions. She is a determined and hugely aware singer and I think the UK might just take to her refreshing charm. She arrives here for some gigs next month.
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Not the most interesting of years 2012 – which fell into the shadow of Adele’s 2011. The trend of female singers continued – with Emile Sande taking up the baton from the Tottenham lass as she concentrated on Bond and baby. As of early December Sande’s album was the only release to top a million sales this year – and her Olympic ceremony appearances deservedly raised her profile. But Sande is not the most exciting of stars – summing up a fairly drab year in the mainstream.
The Mercury Prize often gets it terribly wrong in search of credibility but this year there was little argument with Alt J winning. Both these albums feature in my Top 10:
ALT J – An Awesome Wave: Atmospheric – creative and catchy it is beautifully produced, allowing space and breathing room, when so many albums these days don’t
EMILE SANDE – Our Version of Events: Great voice, solid song writing – deservedly a million seller. But did we need to see her quite so much during Olympics?!
THE WEEKND – Trilogy: Three albums is a lot for some to get their heads around but there is plenty of treasure to find, including the supreme Wicked Games.
TAYLOR SWIFT – Red: Not sure how many boyfriends she has had (December alone saw her go out with Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles alone. But if her break ups continue corking pop songs like I Almost Do then that’s good news.
THE SHINS – Port of Morrow: A super charged and hook laden opening three songs launch this album with a pace that’s hard to match later on BUT for arty pop-rockers – they’re the best.
PINK – Truth About Love: Back to her Mizunderstood best with a collection of cracking pop songs.
MACCABEES – Given To The Wild: Some of the album is way too close to Coldplay for comfort BUT there is enough here to think they might just make the next big step.
THE IMAGINED VILLAGE – Bending The Dark: Folk and Afro Celt beats mix for a delightful and heady mix of sounds and rhythms. Could have been used in Olympic opening ceremony such is it multiculturalism.
CIVIL WARS – Barton Hollow: An intoxicating Jools appearance captured my imagination and the album is a delicate but beautiful journey with superb harmonised vocals.
MICHAEL KIWANUKA – Home Again: Perfect accompaniment to a British summer – if only we’d had one.
When Jeff Wayne first launched his new live show of War of the Worlds in 2006, the move was made with tentative footsteps. Like the alien tentacles referred to in the story, feelers were put out to see how the show would be received and how it could best be performed, with firstly a gig at the Royal Albert Hall and 13 other shows. Now, after a number of sold out runs across the world, the budget is bigger and the show is bolder.
Of course, like football managers suddenly given lots of money to spend – how you spend the cash, not much of it there is, is the most important thing. Since those first shows six years ago, the show has moved on considerably, with explosions, fire effects and of course a new cast – or the New Generation. Most notably Liam Neeson takes over the role of narrator from Richard Burton, but strangely he is still on video. Having made the bold step to lose Burton’s iconic voice, it seems strange not to go the whole way and have the narrator on stage as part of the action. It means that awkward interactions continue between those on stage and the hologram narrator.
Despite all the changes cosmetically, the music remains fundamentally the same and that is after all what made Jeff Wayne’s album so successful. There is an unnecessary spoken introduction featuring the aliens on Mars discussing their invasion, seemingly around a cup of tea, and a short play featuring a couple of amateur astronomers that add nothing to the show, while the second half begins with a weird conversation between the narrator and lost love Carrie, which is not in the book or the original album – and shouldn’t be included here either.
While the cast may seem a strange collection of reformed troubled singers and E-listers, the quality of performances is stunning. Marti Pellow, Jason Donovan and the surprisingly impressive Ricky Wilson all perform their songs with relish, while Will Stapleton’s Thunder Child is the outstanding moment of the evening. Pellow’s take on Forever Autumn and Wilson’s energetic Brave New World are noteworthy, while the explosive finale is both impressive and humorous.
Given the success of these tours, 33 years on there is obviously still real interest in Wayne’s unique classic album and the O2 is packed to the rafters with young and (it has to be said mostly) old. Perhaps some scaling back to basics might help future tours though, as the show feels a touch bloated and over-indulgent, losing some of its original charm.
Rating: 3.5/5
