STAN x North

Manchester and television go hand in hand … so it was no surprise that our alumni event at the University of Salford was a successful and rewarding event.

Organised by STAN and NaSTA's North West Development Officer Emma Nelson, and livestreamed by the team from Shock TV, the event brought together students from across the region for an afternoon of talks and networking. It was very encouraging to see a great turnout, especially given the academic final projects that many were completing at this time of year.

We kicked off the day with the NaSTA awards host Alex Buckmaster in conversation with Cameron Fox. He took us behind the scenes stories on several high-profile projects he has worked on, including the 24 hour roller skating challenge for Comic Relief.

Next, STAN's own Andrew Oldbury was joined by filmmaker Oz Arshad and production coordinator Joe Morris. Each have carved out a successful career in the north west, and they offered reflections on working in the region, and recalled stories from House of Dragons to Waterloo Road. Judging by the size of the queue to speak with them afterwards, their discussion struck a chord.

Following on was the STAN panel – Dan Orton, Dom Kullander and Andrew Oldbury – who took questions from both Emma and the audience.

We closed with Joe Lander, who brought his freelance experiences to life, with loads of examples from his various employments. His story, the transition from student television in Manchester to the professional world, perfectly captured the theme of the day: turning a student passion into a sustainable career.

It was great to connect with so many bright and enthusiastic students, who made full use of the CV Clinic and networking opportunities that the day presented. STAN are keen to take more of these events on the road in the future, so stay tuned.