Resources and Opportunities in the Media

 

Last Thursday, students on the final-year undergraduate Creative Writing module "Writing Voices," along with students from the MA in Creative Writing, visited the BBC in Leicester, and were kindly given a tour and talk by Executive Producer Hannah Meredith. During the talk, Hannah recommended the following websites as useful resources for anyone interested in pursuing careers in the BBC and the media in general:

Early careers @BBCGetIn available here. 

Training and development @BBCAcademy available here. 

Channel 4 careers and skills @Channel4Skills available here. 

Jobs and opportunities @MediaBeans available here. 

Advice, mentoring and coaching for media jobs @TheMediaMentor available here. 

BBC Writers resources available here. 

You can also find more useful websites and resources for writers on Creative Writing at Leicester here. 

Some Useful Online Resources for Creative Writers

By Jonathan Taylor

Recently, I've given a couple of short talks - one as a guest at Loughborough University, one as part of our own MA Creative Writing Dissertation Day - introducing online resources that might be useful for Creative Writing students. So I thought I might also share some of the main links here. 

There are, of course, huge numbers of useful websites on writing, publishing, and opportunities in the arts sector. What follows are just a few key starting-points. They include sites which feature listings of writing opportunities, sites which have useful electronic newsletters, and sites which list jobs in the arts sector. There are many more out there. It's worth noting that some of these sites are time-specific, so may well change in the (near-)future. 

Useful online resources for writers: a selection

Everybody's Reviewing, our very own review site, is always looking for book and event reviews.

Creative Writing at Leicester has a dedicated strand about writing in professional contexts, with lots of articles on the subject. 

Creative Writing at Leicester University Facebook group is constantly updated with news, opportunities, calls for submissions and job opportunities. 

NAWE Writers' Compass is an excellent listing site for writing opportunities, submission calls, events and jobs. 

Writing East Midlands is the public writers' agency for the region. They produce a newsletter, give advice, provide mentoring and training services, and run lots of events and competitions.

Leicester Writers' Club is a vibrant community of writers in and around Leicester. 

Arts Council England provide funding to arts organisations, as well as individual writers. You can apply for an individual grant to develop your work via the "Developing Your Creative Practice" scheme. Details of the DYCP scheme are here. 

Arts Jobs is run by Arts Council England, and lists job opportunities in the arts sector across the UK. 

Jobs.ac.uk is the central resource for all jobs in Higher Education, including postgraduate opportunities. 

BBC Careers is the central hub for all job opportunities and work experience in the BBC. 

BBC Writersroom is the first port of call for writers interested in writing for the BBC. The site includes lots of resources, information and opportunities. 

The Bookseller has listings of job opportunities in publishing. 

The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook, both online and in hardcopy form, includes lots of advice alongside listings of publishers and literary agents. 

The Dots lists lots of current freelance writing opportunities. (Thanks to MA Creative Writing student Ayan Artan for this suggestion). 

Sian Meades-Williams provides a useful weekly freelance writing newsletter, including jobs and opportunities across the UK. (Thanks to MA Creative Writing student Kristy Diaz for this suggestion). 

Wordbox blog has monthly listings of writing opportunities, and lots of other information about publishing. 

Published to Death is an excellent resource which includes listings of agents, publishers and magazines looking for submissions. 

Short Stops website is no longer being updated, but includes excellent listings of literary magazines and other resources. 

Neon Magazine also has an excellent list of literary magazines in the UK and beyond. 

CLMP has a big directory of (primarily US) publishers. 

Is an Internship for You?

By Lisa Smalley

A degree may be proof of your academic ability, but vocational experience is a completely different matter. Unfortunately for most creatives, this is the balance they must achieve when trying to enter into their chosen career. Of course there are graduate placements, but these are extremely competitive in the creative industry, and often the best course of action is to take on an internship to get that all-important experience to support your C.V.

Show me the goods
Trying to gain experience in my chosen career in copywriting has been like trying to squeeze into my pre-Christmas jeans: a feat that even the most talented of professionals would find impossible. Most companies want to see published work, and this is the area where I have struggled most. So when the opportunity to intern with a creative agency was offered on the Creative Writing at Leicester University Facebook page, I leapt on it with both feet and sickening enthusiasm. 

Show me the money!
My internship was unpaid, and I weighed this option against the experience I would be gaining in an active agency. Experience, as it turned out, was my main priority. Working in the office with other creatives, including photographers and graphic designers, was an inspiring experience. I have never been so motivated in my writing - being in an environment charged with that much creative energy rubbed off on me and I learnt a lot from my colleagues there. 

What did you gain?
I have come away with regular paid work, which has padded my portfolio nicely. The only downside is that trying to publish under my own name has proved challenging. Many companies want 'white ticket' writing, where their own names will appear as the author. The agency tried to help with this, publishing a couple of my blogs on their own website, and even endorsing my skills and providing a recommendation on Linkedin. They gave me training in digital marketing and offered access to courses for social media marketing. 

This has been a step in the right direction and one that I can build on. Based on this, here are my best bits of advice for anyone considering an internship: 

• Be clear on your timeline.  How much time can you realistically afford to dedicate to the company?
• Be clear with your expectations.  For the work you provide, what experience will the company give in return and is it worth your time?  Will it translate onto your CV?
• Think about your portfolio.  Look at jobs in your field of interest and note down what kind of experience they're asking for.  Can you achieve some of these points in the internship?

I wish you the best of luck, and I look forward to seeing more creatives out there in the future.


About the author
Lisa Smalley is an MA English student, and an aspiring copywriter.