QM News 74 (pdf 1.58 MB) - Queen Margaret University

More documents

Recommendations

Info

PAGE 22 ALUMNI PROFILE Postcard from Clare Carswell Community Editor, STV Local Edinburgh North BA (Hons) Media and Culture 2008 Claire Carswell Since graduated from QMU in 2008, Clare has had an exciting and varied couple of years which culminated in her landing the role of Community Editor for STV Local Edinburgh North in March 2011. As well as taking a postgraduate programme to specialise in multimedia journalism, Clare gained a myriad of media experience whilst at QMU and after graduation, including volunteering with and working for Leith FM, Radio Borders, Radio Scotland, The Borders Book Festival and festival review publication ‘Three Weeks’. We caught up with Clare on one of her yearly visits to QMU to talk to our second year BA (Hons) Media students about how to build a career in the industry. What made you choose media at QMU? I already had an idea that I wanted to work in the media in some way or another but I think I actually chose QMU first rather than the specific course. I had heard it was a very practical university that specialised in courses which provided skills relevant to graduate employment. Taking my interest in radio and photography into consideration the Media and Culture programme looked like the best fit for me. How has your degree from QMU helped you in your career progression? Firstly I’d say I really enjoyed the programme at QMU. It worked my brain and made me look at ideas and concepts which I might not have otherwise considered. The course included sections on subjects such as philosophy and sociology as well as the more practical aspects of the media. It was definitely a perfectly placed first rung on the ladder. Whilst the experiences and learning I have had since leaving QMU also contributed to me being where I am today, I’m very aware that QMU gave me a solid foundation for my future career. What are your main memories of being a student at QMU? My main memories are probably those from my final year when my friends and I would discuss difficult coursework, plan and panic about our dissertations while enjoying one of many cups of coffee. I also have fond memories of the music group that was run by Rob MacKillop the musician in residence at the time, and we had great fun just making music in informal groups. It was a great balance to the hard work I was putting in elsewhere at QMU and we would perform for staff, students and the public as well. It’s important to make sure you have interests outside of your studies. Any tips for current students? To be enthusiastic about their interests and make every effort to get practical experience - get involved! Find out what you like and plan how you’re going to get experience and ultimately land a job in that area. It’s important to make sure you get a variety of experiences in and around your chosen field. I’m fairly sure it stood me in good stead when applying for my current job that I could say on my CV that I had experience in radio, podcasting, print journalism, media research, arts reviewing, and a host of other things like working at a book festival and experience of photography. You don’t necessarily need to plan long term – media is the kind of industry where you need to grasp opportunities when they arise – but you should have a definite goal or a definite idea of what you want to get out of each experience before you start. What’s the best thing about your current job? Having a good team of colleagues makes all the difference and I’m very lucky in that respect. They’re an excellent sounding board for ideas as they all have a very wide range of experiences in the media and the content of their work is varied. It’s also great to have the opportunity to meet interesting and inspirational people every day. There’s a lot of variety in my job which helps to keep you interested and focused. What’s the most challenging thing about your job? Trying to make sure the area is well represented and that the journalistic quality remains high. We work at a really fast pace but it’s important to make sure that the web content is well balanced and that events are well documented. What are your plans for the future? I’ve only been in my job since March so at the moment I’m excited about contributing to the success of STV Local and watching it grow to its full potential. We already have coverage in Edinburgh, the North East and Lanarkshire and we launched in Glasgow before Christmas so it’s busy time for us right now. Clare’s work on the Edinburgh North section of the STV website can be found at www.local.stv.tv/edinburgh-north
PAGE 23 ALUMNI PROFILE Angel Coulby is shining star in HIT TV FANTASY SERIES, ‘Merlin’ Angel has played Gwen in all four series of ‘Merlin’ It always lifts the spirits when you spot a QMU graduate on the TV. Over the years many drama and media and communication alumni have graced our screens, but one rising star who is currently appearing with great regularity at the moment is Angel Coulby. Best known for her portrayal of Guinevere in the hit BBC One fantasy series ‘Merlin’, 31 year old Angel is starring alongside seasoned veterans Richard Wilson and Anthony Head. Her role as Guinevere (Gwen) sees her move from a humble and lowly maid servant all the way to becoming Queen Guinevere, the legendary wife of King Arthur and Queen of Camelot. A permanent fixture since the beginning of the first series, Angel has now starred in all four series of Merlin, and a fifth is in the offing. The programme’s reach goes far beyond the UK - the drama is screened in around 80 territories including the USA and Australia. After growing up in Finsbury Park, north London, Angel came to Queen Margaret in 1998 to study acting and graduated with a first in 2001. She got her breakthrough in TV when she starred next to Johnny Vaughan in ‘Orrible’. She has since appeared in numerous British TV programmes including ‘The Bill’, ‘Casualty’, ‘Holby City’, ‘Hustle’, ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Vincent’ before getting her big break in Merlin. The popular Saturday night prime time programme, which is screened both in the UK and the USA, represents Angel’s biggest role yet. So what’s next for this rising star? Well, Merlin co-creators, Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy, recently revealed that a film version of the hit series is also in the works, so we could be seeing Angel on the big screen.. She’s also currently playing the role of Jessie, a jazz singer in Stephen Polakoff’s new TV drama ‘Dancing on the edge’ which will be aired later in 2012. Reminiscing about student days: Angel worried about fitting in but she met her friend Helen Ward McAlpine in the first week and they really clicked. The girls are still great friends. Angel recalls that her first term was pretty terrifying, mainly because she thought her head of year at the time, Lynne Bains, was an incredibly formidable person. She remembers looking at the schedule, which involved The Alexander Technique, singing and ballroom dancing, and thinking it was amazing. She had lots of fun and remembers that in between lessons she used to go into the music room with musical friend, Robert Archibald, who was an amazing pianist, and sing all the musicals they could think of at the top of their voices.
Page 1 and 2: The magazine for alumni and friends
Page 3 and 4: PAGE 0 NEWS IN BRIEF QMU is top for
Page 5 and 6: PAGE 0 What are universities for? P
Page 7 and 8: QMU partners with Edinburgh New Tow
Page 9 and 10: PAGE 0 SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS - FOCUS
Page 11 and 12: PAGE 11 HEALTH AND REHABILITATION E
Page 13 and 14: PAGE 13 HEALTH AND REHABILITATION L
Page 15 and 16: PAGE 15 CREATIVITY AND CULTURE In S
Page 17 and 18: PAGE 17 CREATIVITY AND CULTURE Home
Page 19 and 20: PAGE 19 COMMERCIAL FOCUS QMU - Work
Page 21: PAGE 21 RECENT STUDENT AND GRADUATE
Page 25 and 26: PAGE 25 DEVELOPMENT NEWS Santander
Page 27 and 28: PAGE 27 CLASSNOTES AND EXHIBITIONS

QM News 74 (pdf 1.58 MB) - Queen Margaret University

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?