Louisa Adams was a student on the MA Broadcast Journalism course at the University of Sheffield. She graduated in 2017 and is now a producer with the Prison Radio Association.
- Make the most of your placements – they really help to build your confidence.
- Do some podcasting on the side. If you don’t yet have the media job you want, this will show prospective employers you are committed.
- Find stories to tell from your local area and pitch them – newsrooms are looking for diverse perspectives.
- Gather mentors everywhere you go – people are really willing to help and it’s good to have lots of opinions on your work.
- Don’t panic! It may take time to get the job you want, but if you keep going, something will stick!
What made you want to become a journalist?
I had always been fascinated by radio and TV and was quite a creative person at school. But I was also interested in politics and what was going around me, and journalism links all those things together. Journalism gives you the opportunity to tell stories in a creative way and reach a large, diverse audience at the same time. That’s not always possible in other creative pursuits. I did however, do a Geography degree first before figuring out that it was journalism I wanted to do.
How did you decide which course to study?
My first criteria was that it was BJTC accredited. There are so many options when choosing a Masters, I wanted to be able to guarantee I’d get what I was looking for, which BJTC accreditation does. I wanted the hands-on practical teaching and the emphasis on placements that BJTC courses have. I also wanted to be in the north, after going south for my degree. I’m from Harrogate, so Sheffield was perfect. It meant I got to be in Yorkshire. It was nice to be studying somewhere where there is a lot of news that is different from the news in London.
How useful was your course in preparing you for your future career?
Invaluable. I owe so much of what I learned in that course to where I am now. The placements were the most helpful. I’d never had any work experience in the media before doing the course, but after the first placement I had the confidence to believe I could do it. I went to a small TV company called ‘Made in Leeds’ (now Leeds TV) which did local news. I wouldn’t have done that if my tutors hadn’t given me the confidence to go for it. That, in turn, gave me the confidence to ask for more placements like InsideOut Yorkshire and ITV Tonight in Salford. Towards the end of my course I did a placement at Radio 4 in Salford, and I ended up freelancing there for the next two and a half years.
People talk about the importance of networking, but I found that intimidating. I didn’t know anyone in the industry – no-one in my family had been in the media, nor did they know anyone who was. But placements give you the confidence to know you are capable and have the skills, that I can go into a work setting and actually do the job – I think that’s just as important, if not more important than networking.
What were the things you found the most helpful, now that you have been in the industry for a little while?
Being able to pick up the phone. It really is a great skill to be able to say ‘Maybe I should just call this person’. The newsdays on the course give you that skill. I’ll do whatever I can to get someone to talk to us. Editing has also been incredible for me throughout. Just being able to sit down and choose what to keep, what to cut out. We learned how to listen out for a soundbite and put news together. Being able to ask questions – it’s important that you feel comfortable asking questions in the first place, and eventually you will get to the point where you get an answer from them. The journalistic nitty gritty I learned on the course has stayed with me ever since.
How did you tackle finding work?
I was fortunate to be able to freelance at BBC Radio 4 from my time at university. Then last year I pitched a story to the BBC News Podcast team which wasn’t right for Radio 4; it was more suited to a younger audience. They liked it and I got some work with them. It’s a good idea to think about stories you’d be good at doing, and then think of places to pitch it – that way the work comes to you rather than having to constantly chase it.
I had been applying for full time roles with the BBC for some time but wasn’t getting the positions, which can be a bit soul destroying. And I wanted to stay in the north-west because I love living in Manchester. Then one day I was scrolling through Twitter and I saw a full-time contract role advertised for the Prison Radio Association. I applied and I got it. I make content for the radio station – a mixture of music, journalism and some documentary making. And once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted I’ll be working with female prisoners, helping them to make radio themselves. It’s super interesting and I’m really enjoying it.
For a long time after leaving university I struggled with the pressure I put on myself over what I should and shouldn’t be doing. I fell victim to seeing what people were doing on social media, like taking up traineeships with big organisations like the BBC and ITV, and thinking ‘I should be doing that’. It’s so easy to question your decisions and compare yourself with what others are doing. It’s taken a lot to get to the point where I can say I really enjoy what I’m doing and remembering why I did it in the first place. I’ve had the chance to show I can just do the work. At Radio 4 I showed I could think quickly on my feet and I was considered ‘a safe pair of hands’. It’s a great position to be in.
What would you say to new graduates, who perhaps feel that getting work in the industry is a huge challenge?
Don’t panic. Don’t worry if your first job is not in the industry. It takes some time, you may not get that dream job when you first come out of your course. It may take several years. Just use the time to focus on what you enjoy about the work, what you discovered you liked on your course. It can’t hurt to make your own podcasts and keep on top of your skills. If you are working in an office job and podcasting on the side it shows you are really committed. There is work out there at the moment, just try and pick up a couple of shifts here and there and show you are a safe pair of hands. Lots of news organisations are keen for younger, more diverse perspectives. If you see something in your community you think should be reported nationally, and you know someone in the industry, then pitch it to them. There is no ‘right’ career trajectory. Just take a breath and don’t worry too much. You’ve learned so much during your course and at some point something will stick. Just keep going.
It’s also a good idea to collect as many mentors as you can. For every outlet you work for, or every placement you do, see if someone will consider being your mentor. I really struggled the first time I asked someone, and made it into a massive deal, but when I finally asked, she just said: ‘Of course’. It’s really useful to have more than one opinion on your work or what you are doing so seek advice from lots of people.
Now that you’ve been working in the industry for a while, what do you most love about it?
I love speaking to different people about the experiences in their life. During this lockdown I miss meeting people to talk to them, but at least I can still do it remotely.
This article was written in May 2020. To keep up to date with what Louisa is up to, follow her on social media.
Twitter: @louisa_adams | LinkedIn: Louisa Adams
And if you’d like to listen to some of Louisa’s work, try these…
The Next Episode: ‘Money for Youth Services‘ from BBC News Podcasts Team
Smart Consumer: ‘How to Afford University‘ for Radio 4
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.
