As a Television Production student who graduated in 2018, Harley shares with us her journey in gaining professional experience and achieving success as an indispensable member of The Salisbury NHS communications team.
As a local to North Yorkshire and having previously taken a year out to travel the glorious beaches of the world, Harley’s decision to study at BU wasn’t just about the miles of glorious sandy beaches Dorset has to offer – although the ‘beach vibe’ was very much still on her mind. It was the reputation of BU’s media school that initially caught her attention, and the TV Production course felt the best fit. Especially with the TV studios being a practical place to learn, experiment and get creative.
When discussing the course and skills gained in preparation for her career Harley reflects, “the course has equipped me with a range of skills and knowledge to help in any working environment”. Noting that her “graduate project was especially beneficial” as she “took ownership of the project and oversaw the whole production process – meeting deadlines, time management, prioritising task lists and communicating with a variety of people.” She describes these as essential skills contributing to her current success.
In addition, being able to “learn about the different equipment and to ‘specialise’ in various areas during my course whilst gaining a theoretical understanding has been a huge help in transitioning into the workplace”.
As a graduate exploring the job landscape Harley began taking on projects related to her degree but started to find it difficult to gain a full-time media-based role. She explains that having her old tutor “Trevor Hearing on LinkedIn directed me to my current post. He shared the role with the employers contact details and I applied just in time.”
Harley explains, “I was drawn to the role as it seemed to offer a great opportunity to put into practice the skills I had developed from my degree, and whilst I’d never considered working in a hospital it was intriguing and different to me. I’ve learned so much in such a short space of time”.
To provide an insight into Harley’s work she describes that “there’s always lots of small projects but the two biggest I’ve worked on are, ‘The Annual Staff Awards Look Back video’ and the ‘Reflections Poetry Project'.”
“Being left to my own devices to produce the ‘Look Back’ video had me sourcing music, piecing it together with content – it was very much my chance to get creative and have my own vision.” Harley’s hard work and initiative paid off as she was recognised with a Sharing Outstanding Excellence award.
Head of Communications at Salisbury NHS, Dave Roberts, comments “Harley has made a fantastic and moving video looking back at the past year at the hospital as staff got to grips with the COVID pandemic. She’s captured live poetry readings, created a powerful video with Oscar winning actress Olivia Colman and filmed horses, children, and operations. Her photography has also covered a large variety of Hospital events.”
Harley summarises her Bournemouth University experience in three words, “Challenging, Enjoyable, and Developmental.”
If reading Harley’s story and seeing her work has inspired you to pursue a career in Television Production, you can sign-up to an open day to come and see our facilities and meet the academic staff here.
