TV careers beckon for students

A BRIGHT broadcasting career beckons for two creative media students at Warrington who have secured placements on two of the BBC’s flagship shows.
Nicola Rooney and Katie Jones, who both study television production at the Warrington Campus of Chester University have been selected to spend time working at the broadcasting giant’s northern base at MediaCityUK in Salford.
The pair attended a production management workshop at MediaCityUK after which their creative skills were put to the test as they were tasked with producing a 90-second film highlighting why they have got what it takes to be part of the next generation of production management at BBC North.
Having helped each other with the short films, they were delighted to find out that they had impressed the workshop organisers and had both been chosen for placements.
Nicola, aged 22, will gain production experience in the religion and ethics department, while 27-year-old Katie will be working in the entertainment department.
Nicola said: “The whole day was a great experience and included really valuable presentations and workshops. We also got the chance to hear from last year’s winner of a placement, Jay Petherbridge, who is also a Chester graduate.”
Katieadded: “The workshop gave us the opportunity to find out what a day in the life of a production manager is like. Having gained some experience in this field before it’s helped to focus my thinking about what I want to do once I graduate.”
Having seen that the placement led to a job for graduate Jay – who was offered a job working on Rip Off Britain and now works on Inside Out – the pair are hopeful that they can continue to impress the BBC bosses.
TV production lecturer Caroline Ford said: “I’m over the moon for Katie and Nicola and they should be very proud of themselves. These BBC placements are highly competitive. But the pair are getting their just desserts – they have both worked so hard over the past three years and have taken every opportunity to gain work experience outside of university. I’ll certainly be watching their careers with interest.”
Pictured: Katie Jones and Nicola Rooney.