Television Production MA graduates

Simon Hawtins

Graduated 2006

After leaving Falmouth, Simon worked for both Touch Productions and Diverse Bristol as a researcher. In October 2007, He came back to Touch to run the Development & Programming department.

"The role is fantastically varied and challenging; generating ideas and writing full treatments, shooting and cutting taster tapes, sourcing new talent and pitching to commissioners; liaising with post-productions house and targeting foreign sales. I work with some hugely talented and very friendly people. It's a great job and I love doing it."

Polly Enright

Graduated 2006

After graduating Polly did a 12 month internship as a Media Production Assistant in Cornwall Council's New Media department. Her job role involved every aspect of programme making from pre to post production, including filming and editing. During the internship she was given the opportunity to attend training courses with the BBC to further her skills and knowledge.

"MA Television Production helped me gain the skills and knowledge I needed for this position and built on the skills I developed on the BA(Hons) Broadcasting course. The MA was exactly what I needed to go into a job with confidence. The tutors were brilliant and helped me no end in the development of my skills. My advice to anyone interested in the course would be to take full advantage of the opportunities you are given, it's only a year so use your time wisely."

John Holmes

Graduated 2006

My time at Falmouth equipped me with the necessary skills to produce projects across the full spectrum of television production. This has proved crucial when I was setting up my own company, Oso Media, with fellow graduate, Ben Young. The skills we learnt crossed over into many other outlets and helped us enter the tough media industry with a good level of knowledge.

I use my knowledge of technology, camera operating skills and pre-production skills more than others at the moment. These were all expanded on my course and allowed me to fine tune them to industry standard. These skills are used daily in my business. They have been invaluable in producing a quality product with a competitive edge.

If you are serious about working in the industry then this is the course for you. Take advantage of the excellent media facilities Falmouth has to offer. Take the equipment out as much as you can and really use them. When you get into many media companies, new recruits usually only get limited access to the cameras and editing equipment! The college has lots of opportunities...so get out there and enjoy it!

Ben Young

Graduated 2006

Ben gained some initial editing experience after finishing his Fine Art Degree and decided that video production was the way forward. He found out about the course at Falmouth, and decided that it could help his way into the industry.

After graduating, Ben started a small production company, Oso Media, with fellow graduate John Holmes. He also works as a full-time video editor at the Northampton based company Outlook.

"The course has been essential in getting me to my current position and I would recomend it to anyone trying to break into the industry. I learnt an enormous amount about production, both from the tutors and the course exercises. The work experience I did was also invaluable, and was made all the more easy by the endless list of contacts that the University College has links to."

Jessica Symons

Graduated 2005

Jessica is Commissioning Editor of Children's Programmes at Channel 5, with overall responsibility for the channel's acclaimed Milkshake! preschool strand.

The strand includes a range of engaging entertainment and factual programmes that include story led animation, documentaries specifically aimed at preschool children, and presenter led musical entertainment. Milkshake! is also the home of high profile children's programme brands well known amongst children and parents in the UK, including Peppa Pig, Noddy, The Mr Men, Fifi and the Flowertots, The Little Princess, Roary the Racing Car and Rupert Bear.

Jessica's current responsibilities include developing, commissioning and acquiring programming, as well as overseeing in-house production and scheduling the Milkshake! strand across two channels.

Laura Kennedy

Graduated 2005

Laura's role at BBC Music Entertainment involves co-ordinating audiences and liaising with the public, press and record companies. She has worked as a Production Team Assistant and as a runner on a variety of productions including Glastonbury Festival, Reading & Leeds Festival, Radio 1's Big Weekend, and two series of Later with Jools Holland. She has also worked on Soul Britannia at the Barbican concerts, and with a number of artists in session for BBC One and BBC Four. Laura interviewed some of the bands that appeared on Later with Jools Holland for the show's website.

On a lighter note, she has dressed up as Big Ben on Jools Holland's Hootenanny, and went onstage with the Flaming Lips when they were on Later with Jools Holland - all in a days work!

"Falmouth helped me to get my foot in the door thanks to the work experience I gained during my course. That was the start of everything and I haven't looked back."

Leigh Butcher

Graduated 2005

Leigh works as a Studio Operator and Editor within the Media & Business Complex of the London Stock Exchange. The Exchange's live studios are used daily for business reporting by broadcasters such as the BBC, Sky News, CNBC and CNN amongst others.

As a professional multi-skilled operator, his role has great variety. He can spend the morning studio directing and vision mixing, and then spend the afternoon operating a studio camera, whilst working on some of his Final Cut editing projects between live broadcasts. He also works on creating on-air graphics, audio mixing and studio lighting, so there is plenty to keep him busy.

"I really enjoyed my time at Falmouth and the broad base of technical skills I learnt on the course provided a great foundation to enter into this area of work. It certainly made me a more attractive prospect to employers. Having always been interested in the live production and technical side of television, I am happy to be able to say that I love my job. The MA Television Production course provided me with the flexibility to focus on this area and give my career in television a head start."

Mario-Pascal Geisler

Graduated 2004

Pascal is a television commercial director, camera operator and editor in Cambodia. He is also a lecturer on Television Production at the Royal University of Phnomh Penh.

"Cambodia a really interesting work environment. The country is developing fast and I feel very much that I am contributing to the creation of its media industry with the skills I gained at Falmouth."

Davey Spens

Graduated 2003

Davey Spens directed an eight-minute film, entitled Shadowboxer, which was selected for The Times 47th BFI London Film Festival in 2003.

Shot and produced in Cornwall by fellow students on the Television Production course, the film focuses on how a boxer's training is disrupted when his shadow starts to fight back. It was screened at the National Film Theatre on the South Bank as part of a series of short films entitled 'Strange Days', and represented a significant milestone for the young film-makers, who have also been offered a distribution deal with Britshorts.

Tom Eldridge

Graduated 2003

On the Monday after he finished the Television Production course, Tom started at Carlton Westcountry TV. He worked as a cameraman/editor on a fifteen-part series called The Tanner Brothers, shooting on Beta SX and editing on Avid. Tom directed, shot and edited one of the programmes himself.

In 2005 Tom lauched Ikandi Media with fellow graduate Toby Lobb.

"I am very grateful for everything that the programme taught me, and really enjoyed it."

Toby Lobb

Graduated 2003

Toby started out as a Production Junior at ITV Westcountry, working on a fifteen part series that looked back at important events from the last forty years in the region, and brought the viewer up to date with people who were involved.

"Because I worked in a small team, comprising two producers, one researcher and myself, I had to undertake a lot of roles. Researching stories, music, locations and contributors was a major part of my day, but I also got to play around in archive libraries, take stills photographs, prepare and sit in on edits, develop sequence ideas and assist on set. Sometimes I even got to shoot some of the footage for the series. There was a lot of paperwork and organisation involved, which I thankfully learnt on the postgraduate course, as well as the more practical side. However, it was all worthwhile when a story you discovered and interviews you set up went well. My advice to anyone looking to get into TV is just to keep on plugging away with letters, CVs and work experience programmes, that keep you fresh in the minds of potential employers. Studying on the TV Production course will give you a great deal of useful advice and contacts that will help you out no end."

In 2005 Toby launched Ikandi Media with fellow graduate Tom Eldridge.

Chantal Robehmed

Graduated 2003

After graduating from Falmouth, Chantal did two weeks' work experience at HTV in Bristol on a documentary. She then served as simulated press/cameraperson on board HMS Invincible for the Royal Navy during the climax of their flagship training for one week.

"That was a truly indescribable but amazing experience. I then worked with the same team at HTV as freelance for two weeks, and luckily, got through two interview/writing stages to get a job as a development researcher at Prospect Pictures in London on a three-month rolling contract."

Katie Giles

Graduated 2003

Katie Giles gained a traineeship at twofour productions, having been selected at the South West talent day.

Katie has worked as a researcher on programmes such as City Gardener, Making Space and a number of pilots for Channel Four; has been on shoots, sometimes for a week at a time, for a programme called Botox Babes (working title) and worked in the corporate communication department, which she found challenging and enjoyable.

"The traineeship lasts for six months and is a really good introduction into the world of television. There are lots of opportunities to put the skills I developed at Falmouth into practice, and I would very much recommend anyone interested in entering the industry to apply for the course."

Matt Clifford

Graduated 2002

Matt had a Fine Art degree when he came to Falmouth to study Television Production. He knew he wanted to work in TV but didn't know how to go about it. During his year here, he focused on learning how to direct, as well as studying camerawork, sound recording, and AVID editing. When he graduated, the show reel of work he had directed helped him to get a job with Flawless Media. While there, he developed an idea for The Joy of Decks, a 6-part series about DJs that was commissioned by Channel Four. As well as developing the concept, Matt directed and edited parts of the series.

"In my wildest dreams I wouldn't have believed that I'd ever be in a position to make my own show, and the course at Falmouth made it happen. I was always very ambitious and determined to direct within two years of graduating, and I realise now that I learnt everything I needed to know to make that happen whilst I was on this course."

Theresa Strack

Graduated 2002

Theresa Strack came to the programme from Germany, and since graduation has been working on a variety of projects for Endemol, including directing the auditions for the last series of Fame Academy, and working in the company's development department. In between, Theresa also managed to spend four weeks in Hawaii filming a commercial for a tourism company!

Claudia Heinemann

Graduated 2002

After graduation, Claudia was employed by HTV West as a researcher, working on the documentary Children's Ward filmed at Bristol Children's Hospital. On the first series, Claudia undertook medical research, gathered stories and identified contributors, dealt with all the production documentation and clearances for music etc, booked crews, scheduled filming, cut some of the stories out with the crew, and wrote commentary.

Claudia was then promoted to Assistant Producer for the second series, and was responsible for all the initial research, scheduling, selecting contributors and stories, drawing up an initial budget and schedule, and filming the first stories.

"It was a great experience, even when one of our cameramen fainted in theatre and I had to pick up the digibeta and carry on! My training at Falmouth has given me the confidence to go out and believe that I can do it, even in difficult situations like that. Having worked in other areas of television before, the course allowed me to focus on the direction that was right for me, and it has given me a good base of craft skills. Even just to know basic things about call sheets, clearances and camera formats really helps when you start as a researcher somewhere."

Martin Conway

Graduated 2002

After graduating from the Television Production course, Martin worked as a runner on the the second series of Pop Idol at Thames TV in London. He was offered the job having completed a period of work experience on the first series, whilst a student at Falmouth. In October 2002, he worked on a couple of Des O'Connor Christmas Specials as Junior Researcher. He also worked on a number of pilots at Thames as a DV Camera Operator. He then returned to Pop Idol pre-production and subsequently worked on Pop Idol One Year On and the full returning series the following summer.

"I've gained some invaluable experience and have learnt an awful lot very quickly. On the road at the regional auditions I was given the opportunity to do some DV work, some of which was actually used in the show. It's thanks in no small part to the skills I learnt at Falmouth that I felt confident enough to do this. Longer term, my interest lies in directing factual and entertainment programming."

Eline Liebeskind

Graduated 2000

Eline undertook the MA in Television Production as a way of fasttracking her career after her BA(Hons) Media and Visual Culture degree at Newport.

"Right now, I am in Munich working for a big production company. We are producing a prime-time series on One Hit Wonders. I would say it is my greatest project so far. I spent last summer in Los Angeles working for a small production company as a correspondent and producer. So you can see, I am doing ok!"

Eline is currently working as a freelancer.