Reflective Report - Enterprise Week 1000 Words

PDP: Professional Development Placement
Reflective Report

The 18^th – 22^nd was Enterprise week, during this week I have attended 3, hour long sessions ran by Jonathon Emery, Rachael Kerr and Sean O’Brian, these sessions looked at how to set up a business is Photography and Video Production, Looking at Journalism and Creative writing and the third session was an inside look at working within the industry, in particular the BBC and Zodiac Media.

All these sessions taught me something valuable which I can relate back to my previous placement and the knowledge that they have given me. Throughout this reflective report I will reference previous blog posts written throughout the Enterprise week which can be found at: http://jaredcostalevel5.blogspot.co.uk/.

Session 1 was ran by Jonathon Emery, who provided us with some first-hand experience when it came to setting up his Photography and Video Production; Vector Photography. Emery discussed with us the idea of getting your name out there, Emery told us that a lot of his business (around 80%) had come from networking, through friends of friends and previous contacts. He told us that to always keep in touch with previous contractors in the hope of them passing your name on or if you did a good job hopefully hire you for more work. This is something that I think is a particularly important lesson, particularly in my experience from my previous placement, I have remained in contact with someone I worked closely with from West Hull Community Radio, Dave Fewster. Dave Fewster, is someone who has worked with numerous figures including renowned BBC 1 DJ Noel Edmonds, whilst I was on placement I met numerous people Dave had worked with who he then put me in touch with, swapping details etc. to keep in touch after the placement. I feel that this is a way Jonathon Emery was so fortunate in setting up his business because of contacts he had made through social networking and friends of friends.

Another important lesson learnt during session 1 was to be forward, before Emery was self-employed he would put himself forward for any jobs or extra training within his area of work, this meant that it broadened his abilities, which made him more flexible and more desirable when it came to other careers because of the knowledge he had gained from learning to use all the various software and equipment. I find this to be very relevant to me because on my placement(s) I always try to put myself forward for every task, particularly when working at WHCR so that I could get the most out of the placement and learn about all the different elements of working within radio.

Session 2 was ran by Rachael Kerr, Kerr talked to us about creative writing as well as expressing the same lesson taught to us by Emery, to learn your trade. Kerr is currently working as freelance journalist working for companies such as Welcome Words and Story Harvesters, before these Kerr had worked at a number of different jobs, developing skills in various fields just as Emery talked about, I feel that I can relate this to myself because of all my experiences in previous areas of work, even though my only previous experience of working within the industry was at the radio station WHCR I feel that skills I have developed through other areas of work are equally as vital and can only prove beneficial when applying to other jobs. Because I have worked in roles which deal primarily with customer satisfaction (Plate Waiter and Bar Staff) It was vital to remain hospitable and enthusiastic, these jobs taught me vital people skills, something which I feel is a necessity when working within the industry. Because of my previous work experiences I had the confidence to talk fluently on air at WHCR as well being confident enough to go out into the city and put together voxpops and interviews of people from Hull which would then be aired over the station, heard by thousands. Because of my experiences at WHCR I have the confidence to be able to approach people in public and get them talking, this greatly aids me when it comes to my current job in Promotions which is exactly what Kerr was talking about – the idea of expanding your skills to make you confident in your field.

Session 3 proved to be the most insightful as to what happens within the industry. The BBC and Zodiac Media talk was ran by Sean O’Brian, a graduate from Leeds Trinity who was fortunate enough to get a job within the BBC just three days after leaving University. O'Brian primarily talked about his roles within the industry as well as the pros and cons of life in the Media industry, providing a very personal and honest opinion.  O’Brian talked about the type of environment he worked in, as well as the types of people he would have to deal with, potential diva celebrities for example. I feel that this links back to the idea of needing people skills and patience to work within the industry, something all my previous experiences have gifted me with. He also provided great insight as to the kind of hours we would be working if we were fortunate to work within the industry and the lifestyle which comes with the job, often a lot of travel is involved, however I felt that the positive outweighed the negative, O’Brian has the opportunity to work in one of the most diverse and fast moving careers in the world, as well as meeting so many people from around the world, sharing experiences few other industries create.

I feel that Enterprise week was a very beneficial exercise when it comes to looking at previous placements and work experiences and how the lessons and ideas taught to us in the session could be compared with our personal experiences within the industry. I also think that it will provide useful in our upcoming placements and potential careers as we will be placed into a completely professional environment. Therefore its vital that I take the lessons taught to me by Jonathon Emery, Rachael Kerr and Sean O'Brian and make sure I make use of them when I’m on my upcoming placement, to ensure I get the most experience and knowledge out of it. I felt that all 3 of the talks greatly encouraged us to be forward in the workplace to make sure we put ourselves forward for any task, to have the greatest experience. I think this kind of information is vital because it allows me to be self-reflective on my own experiences at WHCR and other previous jobs as well as preparing me for my future placement.