Media and creative industries case studies

In these case studies, read about David Flynn and Elizabeth McMeekin's careers in media and creative industries.

Case study 1
Sector: Media and creative industries
Name of company: BBC Radio Scotland
Work area based: Pacific Quay, Glasgow
Individual name: David Flynn
Age: 37
Job title: Radio Producer
Home area: Langside, Glasgow
School/college/university: Saint Constantine’s Primary in Govan, Saint Gerard’s Secondary School in Govan and Glasgow College of Building and Printing

Career path
Having left college I took a variety of retail jobs to tide me over till something better came along. I had an aptitude for sales and this actually lead to me working my way from part-time staff all the way through to Area Manager and Regional Training Manager for Tie Rack and Eissenegger.

In my spare time I wrote comedy sketches and was persuaded by an old Tie Rack workmate to send them to BBC Radio Scotland’s comedy football programme ‘Off the Ball’.

After four years of writing material regularly for the show, I was made aware of an opportunity to switch careers and apply for a research position on the Fred MacAulay Breakfast Show.

I got the job and over the last five years have developed my skills to become a senior producer on the show.

What are the key skills used in your job?
• Many of the skills I had used in retail are essential in my current job: time management; organisational skills; strong communication
• There is a large degree of talent management involved and making sure that everyone involved in the production knows what they are doing and is comfortable and relaxed

What are the biggest challenges in your job?
Having to produce live programmes within a short period of time can be stressful but ultimately rewarding when you know that what you are broadcasting is reaching listeners across the world.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
There is a large amount of creative freedom when you are a producer. Essentially if you or the team you are working with good, strong ideas you can make them happen. I also love working on our shows with a live audience as it’s always a joy to see the reactions of the public and to see them entertained by what we do.

What advice would you give to others interested in this type of work?
I’d say the best thing to do is to persevere with ideas and to get into a habit of writing them down and developing them. I’d also say that you should never imagine that the skills you currently have won’t be transferable to completely different areas.

A day in the life of a Radio Producer
• On a day of production I’m normally up at 0630 to get ready for work. When I get to the BBC I have to collect the morning’s newspapers and quickly check the script – guidelines for presenter, the call sheet – transport details for all guests and the running order (an accurately timed document of how the items in the show will start and finish)
• By the time I’ve done that it will be knocking on 0800 and I’ll go through the morning’s news to try and find a topical story we can talk about at the top of the show
• I’ll hand this over to a researcher and then head to the studio to discuss the show in depth with my studio manager. Together we’ll look at the order of all audio clips and pieces of music that are to be featured and what studios we’ll be linking up with around the country
• 0830 - our hosts will appear and they’ll be brought into studio to do a live trail into the programme that is on before us
• 0850 - for the next half hour we will run through the entire show: reading links, playing clips and explaining any new developments
• 0925 - with everything done, we sit and relax. It’s the best time for a little quiet time in the studio before we go live on air.
• 0930 -1100 I’ll produce the breakfast show, keeping an eye on timing of items, working out what’s been on and what we still need to get to and at what time we need to get to it
• After the show we have a full debrief and discuss any problems that may have arisen
• Then it’s home by about 1300 for a quiet night because the next day you have to start doing it all over again

Case study 2
Sector: Media and creative industries
Name of company: The Herald newspaper
Work area based: Glasgow
Individual name: Elizabeth McMeekin
Age: 27
Job title: Feature Writer/Fashion Writer
Home area: Partick, Glasgow
School/college/university:  St Andrew's Academy Paisley, Glasgow University - LLB Hons (law degree) (1998-2002), Strathclyde University - Post graduate diploma in Journalism (2002-3)

Career path
I started doing unpaid work experience at the Sunday Herald while I was still at university in 2003. From there I got some freelance work on the ‘Sevendays’ section of the publication. After a few months I was offered the opportunity of a trainee position at the Big Issue, where I stayed for three months working as a feature writer. I then moved back to the Sunday Herald for six months to work on their news desk as a general reporter. In 2004 I applied for a position at The Herald covering property and interior design features. Since early 2005 I have been working as a feature writer for The Herald, focusing mainly on fashion.

What are the key skills used in your job?
Communication is key to being a good journalist. You have to be confident enough to ask questions and request information on a daily basis. As a print journalist, it's also important to have a passion for great writing. We do plenty of research every day from other newspapers, the web, books and magazines. So a keen eye and an ability to sift through lots of information helps.

What are the biggest challenges in your job?
Working to tight deadlines can be difficult at times. As a feature writer, I'm often asked to write lengthy articles in less than a day or two. Often the hardest task is tracking people down and persuading them to talk to you. The public are notoriously shy.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
Everything listed above and more. While deadlines can be a little frightening at times, they also provide you with a great sense of achievement when things get done. Writing is also a lot of fun. Feature writing allows you to be creative with language while still getting the story, or message, of the piece across.

What advice would you give to others interested in this type of work?
Work experience, work experience, work experience. Almost everyone who works in journalism will have started their career doing unpaid work experience at a magazine, newspaper or other publication. It's one of the best ways to introduce yourself to the industry, as well as being a good way to pick up some work.

A day in the life of a Feature Writer/ Fashion Writer
I start the day at 10am, when most of the features and magazine staff get into work. After checking through phone messages, emails and mail I start to plan my day ahead. As I am responsible for the fashion features in the paper I often have to plan my day around borrowing, or returning, clothes from shops around Glasgow. If I'm doing that I'll normally call round any shops I plan to visit to let them know I m coming along. I'll have a good idea of the kind of clothes I m looking for, so I rarely pack any photographs or notes. Borrowing clothes can sometimes take up to three hours and isn't as glamorous as it sounds - often, in the winter, I have to carry up to 30 items around Glasgow in the snow or rain. If I'm not picking up clothes I'll be writing or interviewing someone that day. Writing is a very personal process and everyone has their own way of producing an article. I like to write things in one go, regardless of whether they are 400 or 3000 words long, so I can be glued to my computer for four or five hours in one go. I also have to meet PR representatives from the fashion and beauty industry, many of whom travel up from London to meet with the Scottish media. If that's the case then I'll often have to travel out of the office, sometimes as far as Edinburgh to have a meeting with them. My day ends at about 6pm, though if I'm on deadline for the next day, or have a big article to write that week, I will stay later.

Teacher placement
Would you like to find out more about these companies or this industry? A teacher placement is a great way to do this. To find out more about the national Excellence in Education through Business Links placement programme visit Careers Scotland.