Written by Jazmyn Ball a second year Media and Creative Industries student undertook a 6 month placement with Creative Futures, and discusses her experience.
Take a look at our in-depth interview as she reflects on her time here with us, and reveals key learnings that she will take going forward for the benefit of her future career.
Brief intro to yourself and what you are studying?
Hi, I’m Jaz Ball, I am a second-year student at the University of Warwick studying Media and Creative Industries, currently trying to find what I am best at doing within the creative sector, so I can pursue my dream career.
Why did you decide to undertake this placement?
This placement is a key part of my degree – I am interested in trying lots of areas within the creative sector to familiarise myself with as many types of jobs as possible, to discover what would best suit me when I graduate. Being an Events Assistant for Creative Futures gave me the chance to try something new, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Describe what was involved in this placement?
As an Events Assistant I was involved in putting together timetables and plans for the Careers in the Games Industry event, having meetings with members of Creative Futures, and external companies such as ScreenSkills. We also spoke to members of various games companies to gain their support and get them involved.
I designed a logo for the event, put together some script outlines for speakers as well as compiling their biogs. When it came to promotion, I reached out to local companies and contacted many University Societies and reps to promote and encourage people to come. One of the most exciting things at the event was a ‘sizzle reel’ used to promote the games developed in Silicon Spa, the creative cluster here in Leamington. I was responsible for collecting statistics and key information on games companies to accompany the sizzle reel. I also helped to pack the ‘goodie bags’ for the day and was a photographer at the event itself.
How did this placement benefit you?
This placement has helped me improve my networking skills and given me experience in event production. I have also learned how to find information on well-known people, scripted questions for panellists and improved my design and advertising skills.
What did you learn most from this placement?
I have learnt how important networking is within the creative industries. It took networking from the entire team to put together our events, and played a huge part in the overall success!
Are there any challenges you faced during the placement?
My biggest challenge was facing tasks I hadn’t handled before, and asking for help, as I like to be independent. Throughout the placement I realised how important it was to ask for advice or guidance to achieve a successful outcome.
In conclusion, I loved every moment of the placement and very much enjoyed my time working with Creative Futures.