Katie Fenton was a student on the BA (Hons) Broadcast Journalism course at Nottingham Trent University. She graduated in 2019 and is now a news trainee at ITV Wales.

What was it like for you on your Broadcast Journalism course and how did it prepare you for your career?

When I started I wanted to be a presenter, and not necessarily in hard news, something like ‘This Morning’ was what I was thinking. But you really quickly get to try all sorts of roles related to news like production, camera work, editing, newsgathering and bulletin production. I realised I loved this much more than presenting. I got involved in the student TV station, Trent TV,  and got practice in directing studio programmes, presenting them, coming up with ideas. We ended up with fully-fledged studio programmes we could send to employers. And then there was the theory I learned on the course: politics, how local councils work, devolution, media law. This has been so helpful for jumping straight into news. Having all that media law in the back of my mind was crucial in starting my career.

What placements did you do and how helpful were they?

I was encouraged by my tutors to apply for one of the BJTC placements at BBC and I was fortunate enough to be successful. I did mine with Panorama. That was great to have on my CV! Then I was encouraged to try different types of work experience so I did a month with a documentary production company in London called Nutopia and some with the radio station Gem 106 in Nottingham, which led to freelance reporting shifts. All of this helped make my CV richer and richer. When I came out of uni I was able to refer to those experiences in my cover letters, detailing what I’d learned and contributed. I don’t know how I’d have sold myself if it hadn’t been for that experience.  

You get out of it what you put in when it comes to placements. Some people don’t bring in ideas or try to get involved and make contributions. Those of us who enjoyed it were coming in with ideas. If you did that you were given the freedom to do it yourself. At Gem 106 I ended up getting to do interviews and gather stories for the bulletins. Being proactive like that meant they trusted me and offered me some freelance reporting shifts to cover their regular reporter. I was in my second year of uni and I got my first paid journalism gig, which I was really proud of.

I’ve always been a person who is interested in people and stories, and the work at Gem 106 allowed me to make some great contacts. One of the contacts from a little story I did ended up being the main case study in my final year documentary. This won a university award and later on I managed to get it aired on ITV.

Now that you’ve been in the industry for a little while, what do you think was most useful for you from what you learned at university?

I think it may have been on the first day that we had to go out and get vox pops for radio with our mobile phones. So, straight away we were thrown in the deep end doing mobile journalism. And we were forced to actually speak to people! We did vox pops all the way through uni – and even though some of us were reluctant at first, it teaches you some of the core journalism skills. It gives you the confidence to speak to strangers, find out things and get stories. We were also thrown into the studio and gallery, learning all the technical skills you need to know about. And even though I’m not directing or working the autocue in my job now, I know how those roles work so I can appreciate what my colleagues are doing and understand what they need from me.

How did you tackle finding work? It was definitely a daunting time. During a Futures Day at University, my course leader, Gail Mellors, introduced me to someone from ITV Central and encouraged me to tell him about the documentary I was making. He was interested in what I was going to be filming the next day and possibly getting the footage. This allowed me to develop a relationship with him, and this helped in the application process for an ITV News Traineeship. I gave myself loads of time to do the online application – it was lengthy, which I think they do on purpose to separate out the people who really want it. My tutors gave me lots of support, helping me to think about what ITV News would really want. It helps that Gail and our tutors come from the industry and still do broadcast work, so they know what employers are looking for.

I got through to the next stage and went on a nerve-wracking, but amazing, assessment day. It was probably one of the most gruelling days of my life. A week or two later I was offered an interview with ITV Central, but I didn’t end up getting the position. I’d had my heart set on a position there and I didn’t have any other interviews. But then I got a call for an interview at ITV Wales, and the previous experience of interviewing really helped. I spent a lot of time researching it and finding out what they wanted in a candidate. I found out what values ITV had – for example they are really big on people stories, so I came with ideas and case studies ready. And I really pushed the skills I had already learned, demonstrating my enthusiasm and determination, and what I’d learned on my placements.

I was offered the traineeship, and I still can’t believe how lucky I am. I am one of 12 ITV news trainees out of about 1000 applicants. The traineeship ends soon, but I’ve been offered a contract extension. 

How prepared did you feel for it?

For the first few months I had imposter syndrome, feeling that I didn’t really deserve to be there and that I’d fluked the interview. But then I reminded myself I DID know what I was doing and I started applying all the skills from my university course. I picked up gallery work quickly as I was already so experienced in it. And I had all the media law in my head, ready to apply. 

What do you actually do in your current role?

I produce a lot of bulletins, doing the running orders and considering the treatment for stories. I edit video, and am now proficient on both Adobe Premiere and Avid. I do a lot of digital, both articles and social videos. I plan and research stories. I also get the opportunity to pitch my own stories ideas, which is a good way to stand out and develop a good reputation. On the traineeship side of things, every few weeks we get to go to different regions and have training with lots of ITV reporters. We’ve been to Millbank for the parliamentary coverage and had a tour of parliament. We have camera training to come – but of course, some of all this is on hold now due to the COVID-19 restrictions. I am familiar with a lot of these things because we did the exact same things on our course during newsdays.

What would your advice be to someone looking for their first job?

If you’ve taken on the advice throughout your course of seeking work experience, developing contacts, getting involved in everything, you’ll be more prepared than you think. It’s daunting, but don’t feel pressured to get your dream job the second you’ve graduated. I have friends who didn’t have work for a few months, but because they were patient and didn’t jump into something they didn’t want to do and were open to opportunities, they now have jobs they love. It’s important to know your worth and what you want to do, but be open-minded. You never know what you’ll enjoy. Give yourself plenty of time – don’t rush applications. You can get ruled out if an employer can tell you’ve rushed an application. It puts less pressure on you if you chip away at it over a couple of weeks. Reach out for contacts and take advice from them – message people who you know are a couple of steps ahead of you in their careers. I’ve never had anyone say ‘no’ when I’ve asked for advice. Talk to people in the year above you, your tutors etc. And develop a reputation for being the person who pitches original stories. Challenge yourself to pitch a story once a week during placements, at uni and in the early stages of your career. That reputation will pay off in the end.

What are your next challenges? 

Making the jump from production journalist, which is the entry level role, to reporter, which is what I want to do for a career. It’s the biggest jump I will make in my career, but I’m not feeling rushed to do it. I just want to learn as much as I can and get as much experience as possible in those core roles. I’d rather make the mistakes I might need to make off-screen. I’m also figuring out where I want to be in terms of location. ITV Wales is amazing for development, and it’s beautiful! I’d like to go to London eventually, but want to be ready for that beast, developing as a journalist and enjoying the journey over the next few years. My usual mindset is to look constantly at the next big thing, but I want to enjoy the present! 

Now that you’ve done the job for a while, what do you love about it?

The privilege of telling stories. Being able to speak to people you’d never have access to otherwise. Being the person who can give people a voice during the best and worst times of their lives. This COVID-19 crisis has made me feel so proud to be a journalist – being labelled a key worker. It has really hit me how important journalism is during a crisis. We get messages from people saying ‘Thank you for being there, and giving us information’. It’s such a privilege at such an important time.

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This article was written in May 2020. To keep up to date with what Katie is up to, follow her on social media.
Twitter: @__katiefenton
And if you’d like to take a look at Katie’s final year documentary, you’ll find it here: Paedophile Hunters : A new kind of policing

We regularly catch up with our BJTC alumni to find out how they are going with their careers and what advice they might have to offer students embarking on their own broadcast journalism journeys. If you’d like to be considered for the Alumni Spotlight, contact us and let us know. We’d love to hear from you.