Bangor graduate's BBC role marks dream start to career
A Bangor University graduate who has won a place on the prestigious BBC Production Trainee Scheme has described it as “the dream start to a career.”
Jack GreenJack Green who is originally from Manchester studied a BA in Creative Studies at the School of Creative Studies and Media in Bangor. He then went on to study a part-time MA in Media Practice, whilst also working for local radio station Heart FM.
Jack beat off stiff competition from 4,000 applicants to win his place on the scheme. He went through a rigorous interview process which involved a group assessment and an interview with a panel of BBC executives, where he had to come up with and pitch an idea for a Saturday night TV show to rival the X factor.
Jack said, “It felt a bit like I was auditioning in front of a panel of judges myself during the interview, but thankfully my pitch went well and I was awarded a place as a production trainee. I’m one of twelve trainees chosen for the 18-month scheme and I will be spending four months at a time at various BBC departments, learning about all aspects of TV, Radio and Online production.
“I’m currently working on the BBC Radio 3 Arts programme, ‘Night Waves’ and I’m really enjoying it. As well as seeing how the programme is put together, I’m organising an event for the BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival at The Sage Gateshead on November 5th-7th called ‘Speed dating with a Thinker,’ where members of the public can pitch radical ideas to the audience.”
During his time in Bangor, Jack hosted his own show on the student radio station Storm FM for three years. It was through Storm that he got involved with Heart FM, eventually working as one of the faces of the station, attending charitable events and meeting the public.
Although Jack had always dreamed of being a writer, the Creative Studies course at Bangor opened his eyes to the opportunities of working in the media.
Jack said, “Some of my lecturers at Bangor were incredibly helpful and supportive and have definitely helped to shape my career. I hadn’t really considered working in the media until one of my lecturers suggested it, and once I’d studied an Introduction to Media Production module I realised that Producing was what I wanted to do.
“The aim is that I come out of the BBC Production Scheme as a fully-fledged producer with experience of working on a variety of programmes and different platforms. I’m learning so much every day and I feel really privileged to be working with people who are the best at what they do.”
Publication date: 3 November 2010