In just over two years, BU graduate Ed Brown has gone from working part time for a digital start-up to becoming its Business Director.
Ed first began working for Event Crowd, which provides online training for events professionals, during the final year of his BA (Hons) in Scriptwriting for Film and Television. Having started out providing video editing and motion graphics for the company, he went on to become its Content Manager and Head of Business Development, before taking up his current role in October this year (2022).
Ed said: “It has been an incredible two years since starting work with the team at Event Crowd. My final year at university coincided with the pandemic when lectures had moved online. The opportunity came along to begin working for Event Crowd a couple of days a week and so I approached my lecturers to see if we could make it work. They were incredibly supportive in letting me access recordings of lectures at other times to enable me to build my professional experience and career. I was doing two days in the business and five days on university work, which was full on but worthwhile.”
The start-up culture at Event Crowd has enabled Ed to gain experience across a range of business disciplines in a short space of time. He said: “The company has grown quickly and it has been a steep learning curve, particularly when it comes to taking on responsibility for leading teams and managing finances. I’ve had a lot of imposter syndrome moments, but you have to trust yourself and take the chances as they come along. I would totally recommend joining a start-up for those fresh out of university. There is a lot more flexibility and opportunity to expand your skill set which can be difficult in bigger, more established companies.”
Looking back on his time at BU, Ed said: “I didn’t consider myself as particularly academic at school but the whole university experience was so valuable for me – not just in terms of the course but the additional opportunities it gave me, together with the time to give things a go without the pressures and commitments that come once you’ve finished your studies. Going to university isn’t automatically going to make you a success in work, but I do believe the opportunities are there for the taking and you can do a lot to give yourself a head start. My advice to others is to make the most of the time available and also invest in your networks as the people you meet on and through your course can help when it comes to building your career.”