Skye Broad

Media Production BA (Hons)

Initially planning to study another subject at university, Skye went through Clearing at BCU to study Media Production. Her time at BCU was transformative, leading her to discover her passion for media and giving her the hands-on experience she’d need for her roles today on numerous TV productions such as Late Night Lycett and Britain’s Got Talent.

“I always wanted to go to university, but I didn't make my mind up on what to study until results day. I tailored my A-Levels towards studying German at university but changed my mind and got into BCU via Clearing.

My results weren’t what I’d hoped, which meant I didn’t have many UCAS points, and my course options were limited. BCU allowed me to do a foundation year, which gave me the step in that I needed. So, I started in my foundation year studying PR and Media before changing to Media Production after the first year.

I loved studying at BCU; it helped me to decide the route I wanted to pursue a career in, and I discovered a passion for something I previously had no knowledge of. I made friends to last a lifetime despite living at home whilst studying. I built a springboard from all the opportunities at university that allowed me to work in the industry before graduating.

I undertook several jobs whilst I studied at BCU, including multiple days as a runner on shows such as Britain's Got Talent. I did a placement on the Birmingham Commonwealth Games as a Video Playback Operator at the Swimming and Diving events, and an eight-week full-time placement on Late Night Lycett as a production trainee.

I soon applied for the Trainee Programme for Late Night Lycett and got the position of Production Management trainee. It was a local scheme open to anyone, so you didn’t need experience or qualifications to enter. This was great for me, as I hadn’t yet graduated.

I was in the office every day, very hands-on, learning all the software and terminology I would need to progress in the future. I even took responsibility for the production office as a whole, as a lot of the crew were London-based. I loved it so much that I came back for season two, working as a full-time Production Secretary for six months.

In the latest series, I was solely responsible for all accommodation, catering and transport for 200 crew, and generating invoices within the budget. As a Production Secretary, I was also in charge of ensuring all the runners knew what they were doing.

To this day, it is still the most fun show I have worked on! It was extremely stressful at times but so rewarding when it went live at 10pm on Channel 4 on a Friday night. I learned so much on the show which meant I was able to continue working for Rumpus Media, the production company behind the show, for other projects.

Currently, I am awaiting the start of The Hundred in both Cardiff and Birmingham, where I’ll be working with Progress Productions, and then Great British Menu on BBC2 working for Optomen TV. These two jobs will see me until February 2025.

Having studied Media production, my course has put me in great stead for my career and I wouldn't have understood all I do of the industry if it wasn't for the hands-on experience I received during university.

A typical day for me could either be working from home or in the office. Unless it is a studio day, my job is flexible.I would begin by getting up to date on my emails and then seeing what tasks needed completing. As an example, Late Night Lycett was live every Friday, so a Monday would be processing invoices and receipts that were received on Friday, and inputting these into the budget. Tuesday would be looking at the crew we are expecting on Thursday and Friday and updating catering with numbers and allergies. On Thursday, it would be a case of getting all the dressing rooms ready and tailoring the spaces for who we were expecting, as well as organising any props we needed for the following day. Friday is then show day, which was always crazy, and no one could predict what was going to happen!

The most challenging aspect of my career so far has been getting over the fear that I wasn't good enough. I always felt there was someone else that knew more or had more expertise as I was fresh out of university. Once I gained more confidence in myself and the role, I managed to overcome this.

I still think graduating from BCU is my proudest achievement as on my A-Level results day, I didn't even think that I would even be able to go to university, let alone graduate with a top degree and give a speech at my graduation.

Long term, I want to stay working within unscripted live television and work my way up to Production Manager and beyond. I want to know all I can about the world of TV Production and network with lots of people along the way. I am also hoping to become a successful freelancer and secure work for 12 months of the year.

My advice to anyone considering studying Media Production at BCU is to do it! Even if you aren't sure what section of media you want to work within, the course will guide and direct you to where you are meant to be. For me, despite solely working in production, having a base knowledge of cameras and editorial put me leaps and bounds ahead of others that weren't sure how the industry works. BCU will support you from start to finish and beyond that.

To me, ‘I AM BCU’ means this is where my roots lie. BCU is what made me the person I am today and helped me to realise what I wanted from life. BCU was where I grew up and where I met some of my closest friends. I am proud to say that I went to BCU.”