Calum was a film student at Exeter who wanted to make his own stuff, which he did. These days, he’s an editor and writer on the films team at the Radio Times. In his own words: I'm into le cinema.
What University did you go to and what subject did you study?
University of Exeter, BA & MA in English & Film Studies
What Student TV Station were you a part of?
XTV
Why did you choose to get involved with Student TV?
As a film student, I'd wanted to make my own stuff: films, TV, documentaries, music videos. That's it: sheer megalomania.
What was the highlight of your time involved with Student TV?
The obvious answers—winning NaSTAs, somehow pulling off organising a whole conference and awards show, meeting interesting people from The Industry—are all fun anecdotes, but the only real highlight remains—and I mean this sincerely, so don't laugh—the friends we made along the way. Can't remember a thing about half the stuff we made; just the shoots, the long editing nights, the parties in between. I still see many, many old XTV "colleagues" with ridiculous frequency—and only a handful of us actually work in TV.
How has Student TV helped you in your professional life?
It hasn't. That doesn't matter. See my above answer on "highlights".
What did you do after graduating?
Here's the short answer: I flew through periods of unfulfilling employment in a range of roles/sectors (secondary education; big tech; academic publishing), while working freelance on something I loved. Six and a half genuinely long years after leaving university, I finally ended up doing that something as an actual, permanent job.
What do you do now?
I'm adjacent to TV in that, as part of my Radio Times job, I keep in frequent contact with the people responsible for programming the various UK TV channels as well as the PR for all streaming services (and cinema distributors). I work to organise and commission all of our film reviews coverage for the print magazine, as well as to edit and, often, to write that coverage.
What's been a highlight of your career so far?
I was recently allowed a vote in the Sight & Sound poll. If you know, you know.
What would you say to someone who is currently part of a NaSTA Station and is due to graduate soon?
If you don't immediately land that dream job, you'll probably find yourself hustling on the side, building up that extra experience to make yourself (and your CV) a great deal happier. Tenacity certainly pays off—but don't be afraid to slow down, too: you've got time, things'll come up, don't burn yourself out. Do what you can. A mere hour a week of personal projects or freelancing still counts; if you find yourself with more time and energy during a given period, great. Compete with yourself, not with your friends. Try and stay calm. Also, anything you can achieve with as little social media reliance as possible, the better.
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