Graduating from Bournemouth University with a Television Production degree in 2020 meant that I was met with a pretty sparse job market coming out of university. Due to the pandemic, entry-level opportunities within the TV and Film industry were few and far between, and those that were available were extremely competitive. As a result, I spent the next seven months trying everything I could to enrich my CV, but with what felt like a lot of graft and no results, I started to lose hope that I would ever be able to find a full-time job that I was passionate about.
From November onwards, I was on furlough, exhausting Zoom with call after call on ‘how to break into the industry’, and my job application rejection pile was reaching the ceiling. The only alternative support out there were courses and masterclasses that cost 100s of pounds. I very quickly spiralled into the mindset that I would never be able to succeed in the industry without the support that I just didn’t have. I started to question if I was even good enough with the aspirations I had for a career in TV and Film.
I found Making The Leap in January after finding a job vacancy advertised on their website for an Office Runner at a Television Production company. Greeted by Yasmin and Gareth with warm and welcoming chats about MTL and what it stands for, it was the first time I had felt seen in my struggles. After finding out that there was accessible support out there, I didn’t hesitate to sign up to the ACE programme, but I remember being sceptical of what they could tell me that I hadn’t already been told. However, upon logging on that first Zoom call on Day 1, I was very gladly proven wrong.
Charlotte and her cohort on the Virtual ACE week-long workshop.
Some particular highlights for me include the encouragement and validation I was given across the board from the incredible team behind the workshops and the other volunteers participating. As the days passed, the workshops became a comforting and safe space to level up and develop yourself without feeling judged or scrutinised. Most importantly, the ACE Programme taught me new processes that are now an asset to my professional life, pushed me out of my comfort zone enough to see my value, and allowed me to take ownership of where I want to go next.
Since completing the ACE Programme at the beginning of February, I have since moved to London and will be reaching 5 months in my role as a Music Promotions Executive at Music Gateway at the end of this month. Despite still having the aspiration to work in Television and content creation, my work with MTL has allowed me to rekindle my other passions and skills and bring them into my job search. With this at the forefront, I opened myself up to more opportunities through networking with connections I already had, and I was referred by a fellow graduate from my university for a role at Music Gateway. As a musician and lover of music, I am thrilled to be waking up every day to a job in the music industry. I look forward to seeing how I can progress into other areas of music promotion that will involve creating audio-visual content and storytelling.
To anybody feeling burned out from job hunting, deflated from being rejected from applications, or fearful of taking risks in case of failure, I recommend Making The Leap’s services. Sometimes you don’t realise that you need support until it’s given to you, and from every volunteer to the staff members I had the pleasure of working with, you are met with warmth and the desire to want to help.
By Charlotte.
