Alana Taylor : Channel 4 Work Experience.

A few weeks ago I was looking for opening opportunities that I could apply for during half term/ summer, to build on my experience and learning in the media industry. I had recently attended a C4PopUp in Norwich to do with Channel 4's, 4 Talent (C4PopUp post is included in the blog opportunities section). I was extremely inspired by all the people I came into contact with when I visited Channel 4 previously and I knew from there this is somewhere I could picture myself working one day. The building has an atmosphere like no other, from the cleaners, to the security guards, to the catering staff and obviously the experts in the building that create amazing content, they are all the most friendly and welcoming individuals I have ever met.

Channel 4 Reception with the other successful work experience guys!

Out of 900 applicants myself and 17 others were the successful bunch! I arrived at the Channel on Monday 15th Feb for an induction day into the origins of Channel 4. Extremely surprised that it was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1982, and even more so that it was implemented by Auntie Margaret Thatcher herself! The main cause of Channel 4's existence is to promote diversity, change perceptions and to inspire change in peoples lives, also to represent society as it is and not what it ought to be like. And that's exactly what it does! I was most excited to see the 4Talent team again, after the C4PopUp I could not have been more inspired by the work they are doing for people like me, to help us get our foot in the door and encourage us to make something of ourselves.

Grange Wellington Hotel. (my awesome shot)

The induction day came to an end and it was time to check out the amazing accommodation Channel 4 had set up for us. I have never stayed in such a lovely and welcoming hotel, from the hotel lobby staff to the bar staff. I was especially excited to find out a few days before we arrived Gordon Brown made an appearance here! First time I have stayed away from home completely on my own and what better place to have that experience than in West minister, London, round the corner from Channel 4.

My first day began in the Commissioning Features department (My first choice) I couldn't have been more excited. I met my mentor for the week Nicole Steven and I knew we were going to work well together, she was so bubbly and positive about me being there, I could tell I was going to learn a lot. The first area I learnt about was programme certification, and then I had the opportunity to certify a programme myself, this included picking out strong language, surgery scenes, nudity and more, to flag it up and record the time it appeared. The first programme I certified was Body Shockers and wow that was a good one to certify and gave me a hands on experience of being part of the commissioning branch. I also got to meet with guests and take them to the commissioning editors for meetings, this had to be one of my favourite parts, I love meeting new people especially when they are production companies! I couldn't stop geeking out asking them loads of questions and they were asking me questions too, it was a great atmosphere. I also got to meet the team, Gill, Alex, Helen and Lizi! Nicole was helping me arrange a meeting with Lizi to gain a better insight into what her job role was and how she got the opportunity to work at Channel 4.

My second day I got a chance to do some more programme certification however this one was different, I had to pick out any racism, sexism and nudity in a programme called It was Alright in the 60's and was this an eye opener or what! After I had picked out everything (of which there was a lot of certifying needed) I reflected on the show and wrote a piece in my notebook about how this is educational for ages like me to know and acknowledge that things haven't always been as equal as they are today. It provided me a greater insight into a society and what people had to experience being a part of society back then. I also thought it was good to see the celeb reactions for some who were in the 60's and some who weren't, to see how they reacted seeing content that was racist, sexist and homophobic, and to acknowledge that, that is not okay in today's society and shouldn't have been allowed back then. This follows the Channel 4 remit of changing perceptions and welcoming diversity, educating their audiences on what TV used to be like compared to how open and accepting it is now, where Channel 4 itself plays a massive part in delivering that. Today I had the opportunity got to meet with Lizi Wootton who spoke of her awesome experiences when she was in production, travelling all around the world to create brilliant content. I also asked her for advice for the situation I am in, debating Uni and trying gain as much as experience as I can from the industry. I found Lizi extremely encouraging when she spoke of what some people in the industry want to see on your CV and what she expects to see, it has given me motivation to get my CV looking profession, now I know what I need to include on it from a professional perspective. I also had the opportunity to speak to some apprentices, and be a part of one of their meetings to see what they get up to and how the apprenticeships work. Have to admit it got me really interested and made me realise that it is another path I could go down instead of University, keeping my options open.

The Drum!! Work experience meeting place.

My final day was the best day, Nicole gave me a project to do, something that I could feedback to the work experience group. She introduced me to a show called The Changing Room, this is what my project was based on. I watched it and had to note what worked well and what didn't work so well, I then had to re-write what talent I would use in it to make it more successful and possible segments that could be included. I also suggested it could be a short on All4 as that is becoming more popular by the day and over half of 16-24 year olds are registered with it. I ended up writing a script treatment without knowing! Nicole also provided me with an opportunity for Lizi and Helen to read this and give me feedback on it, they are the commissioning editors so they really know their stuff and it was an incredible chance for me to communicate my ideas to the professionals who deal with new ideas for content day in and day out. They were really pleased with what I had produced and the talent I chose was people that they themselves would have considered for the role, this is what has given me a sense of direction to get more involved in the industry, especially in an area like commissioning that I had never thought of before. I also had the opportunity to meet Simone Haywood who was the commissioning editor on the hit TV show Tattoo Fixes, I had a bunch of questions to ask her about the show, she explained it was Fact-ent, (factual entertainment) and that within commissioning there are different genres, for examples formats and features (features is where I had my work experience). I also asked her about possible routes into the industry and we spoke about the production side of the industry. I feel that I learnt a lot from everyone I had the chance to meet and I am grateful that everyone was so willing to talk to me and give me answers to all of my questions.

WHEN THE SQUAD IS LIT. Couldn't have spent this work experience time than with anyone better than these guys.

That's the best thing about work experience at Channel 4 everyone who applied is as outgoing and positive as you are, we may have only spent a week together but we each shared what we were interested in and where we could see ourselves in a few years. Everyone was so welcoming and we all exchanged contact info and still speak now, we ourselves could be contacts to one another if we need each other, and that is great to have.

Part of the 4Talent team is Gaby Power, she is an inspiration and someone who has encouraged me from when I first attended a C4 pop up, she gave the best advice about getting into this industry, how to be persistent, how to network efficiently and how to work on my own branding to promote what I can do. I could not thank her enough for everything she has done for me and everyone else on work experience. She is a networking G!!

This experience is like no other, I highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking of applying because it's worth the journey and taking the tube! (in rush hour). I can now definitely see a future for me in this building working at Channel 4 would be a dream, especially working with people that care so much about young peoples future and the efforts that go into the content they create. Channel 4's values are something I would love to work towards, this opportunity has opened up doors for me and contacts that will be so helpful for my future prospects. It has also provided me with the confidence to begin getting my foot in the door at the age I am. My knowledge of media so far was commended and as I was the youngest work experience (aged 18 without uni experience) this made me more determined to learn more possibly at university. I couldn't thank the 4Talent team enough for believing and encouraging me the whole way through, this is an experience I won't ever forget for.

This has also made an impact on my local community, My college and local newspaper commented on this opportunity.