Falmouth student wins global entertainment award while interning at Disney+
17 June 2025
After building vital creative skills in the first two years of her Falmouth degree, from confidence and resilience to collaboration, Illustration BA student Rhea Haynes is now finishing her placement year working for subscription giant Disney+ in London, where she got the chance to put those skills to practise in a dream role.
Rhea’s time as Creative Intern for Disney+ has given her the opportunity to experience the variation and joy of working in a creative team on projects she cares about. Her year has consisted of everything from contributing to brand campaigns to crafting social content. Now, Rhea is finishing her internship on a high after winning gold at the GEMA Awards (Global Entertainment Marketing Academy Awards).
We chatted with Rhea to learn more about how her time studying Illustration BA helped set her up for such an exciting opportunity, learn more about the behind-the-scenes of working for Disney+ and the advice she would give to anyone wanting to achieve similar success.
You’re now finishing your placement year at Disney+, can you tell us more about what you’ve been up to over the last 12 months?
While I’ve been in the creative team at Disney+ I’ve worked on lots of different and exciting brand campaigns. I’ve helped brainstorm ideas, pitch concepts, and create social content and digital out-of-home displays. Day to day, I also did tasks like clip pulling, adding subtitles to content, and making shot lists. We get to work with a broad mix of content, from general entertainment to the classic Disney stuff, which made each project interesting and varied.
You’ve just won gold at the GEMA Awards 2025 – congratulations! How does it feel to end the year on such a high note?
Thank you! It’s been such a fantastic way to round off my internship, and mark what a truly valuable experience it has been. The award was based on some of the work that I created during my time at Disney+, so it’s been a lovely recognition of the hard work I’ve put in over the last year. I must also shout out the amazing creative team I’ve been with at Disney+. They have all been so supportive and encouraging during my placement and gave me the confidence to push myself – I really have learned so much from everyone. I look forward to bringing my new experience and skills into the final year of my degree. And, although London has been amazing, I can’t wait to move back down to Falmouth!
What skills from your Illustration BA have come in handy during your placement?
Studying Illustration really helped build my creative confidence and resilience. Having feedback sessions with my tutors during my Illustration course gave me the skills to be able to receive feedback on my work – a crucial part of working in a creative role. I also felt more prepared to work collaboratively in a team after the different group projects I worked on in my first and second year. I felt like I was equipped with the skills to jump straight into a role in the creative industry, which meant I could really hit the ground running.
I really appreciate the support I’ve had from Falmouth. Once I had the placement confirmed, the Employability team made sure I was ready to make the most of the opportunity by providing presentations on working in an office environment and providing information on how the year would go. Additionally, throughout the year the team have been so supportive by keeping up with my placement journey and making sure I was on track with my reflective journal.
What’s the most exciting or interesting project you’ve worked on during your internship?
Definitely the Disney+ 5-year anniversary campaign! I got to create a fun sing-along style “Happy Birthday” video for our social channels, using clips from across the platform. I had a lot of fun editing it to make iconic characters like Kim Kardashian and Deadpool appear to sing along to an upbeat version of the song. It was really rewarding to see it go live on Instagram and be shared in an internal email to all UK and Ireland staff as part of the celebrations.
What advice would you give to someone looking to get into a similar role?
Look out for and apply to different internships, placement year and trainee schemes. They are such a great way to get started, giving you a really supported way to learn whilst on the job and make connections. I recommend using platforms like Handshake and LinkedIn to find them or go directly to the company websites and socials that you’re interested in to see what opportunities they have. And never be put off applying for anything because you think it’ll be too competitive; someone’s got to get the role, so why not you!
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