Shumi - Influencing Media
Shumi Makuto
Assistant Events Producer at the BBC
BA (Hons) Media and Communications
Shumi has always had a gift for telling people’s stories. Her career in market research has allowed her to take people’s experiences and transform them into impactful media. She’s influenced campaigns from global companies such as Coca-Cola and TikTok and she’s now gathering insights to transform the BBC’s radio and television programs.
“I’ve always been a bold, confident person who puts people at the centre of everything I do. I love communicating with people and telling their stories, but I was never sure how that could translate into a career. I’ve always been a spontaneous person and I struggled to think five-plus years into the future to envision a career, so I found applying to university a tough decision.
I come from a really small town in Wales, so when I was applying to university I had one goal: to go somewhere exciting. I loved the idea of a big, diverse city where I could meet people from all walks of life and confront ideas and opinions that would challenge me and enable me to grow. Birmingham definitely fit the bill.
The Media and Communications course at BCU was perfect as it allowed me to explore different types of media and different careers in the sector. During my time on the course, I got to create a TV show, a radio show, and a podcast and tried out journalism too.
A highlight for me was collaborating with students on other courses. The course helped me realise that I’m such a people person, I get my energy from people and hearing their stories inspires me. I began to realise that my goal was to uplift others and allow their ideas and feelings to be seen in the media.
I had a part-time job as a Student Vlogger at BCU, sharing my student story and helping applicants through their university journey. This was great for me as it gave me experience of working within the media and I got to experiment with YouTube, and social media and explore my personal brand. Plus, it led to my first graduate role at BCU. I worked in the University’s Events Team as a Events Administrator which was such an exciting role for me as I got to work with big names in media.
I organised an event with Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones, another with George Clark from George Clark’s Amazing Spaces and we also hosted Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Manifesto. This gave me a real insight into the media industry.
Following my role in events, I began to work for BeatFreaks, a social engagement agency that helps organisations gain insights from young people to develop their campaigns and messaging. I worked with huge companies like YouTube, Coca-Cola and TikTok. I really enjoyed this role as I could collect insight from young people and marginalised groups and pass this on to these companies. As a result, the media we consume is more thought provoking and relatable.
This experience is how I found my current role at the BBC as an Assistant Events Producer. I work with teams across the BBC to host market research groups to find out crucial information and insight from the general public that influences the way we work at the BBC. The insights that the BBC want to gather could be anything from ‘are under 25-year-olds listening to Radio 1?’ to ‘are the plotlines in Eastenders engaging?’ It’s fascinating to speak with the general public in these market research panels and pass on their stories to the BBC to make a real impact in the media we consume every day.
Recently, we ran a market research group about the cost of living and how it’s affecting people. A young mother in the group spoke about the rising cost of baby formula and how unaffordable it is in a cost-of-living crisis. This was passed on and discussed on BBC Radio, the attention this received has led to the cost of formula being reviewed and reduced in many retailers.
That’s just one example of the huge impact my work can do. Representation in the media is so important and it’s key that we talk about the issues that impact our everyday lives.
At the BBC, I’ve found my niche, communicating with others is my skill and I’m able to use it every day to make a real impact. Every media student dreams of working for a worldwide media broadcaster like the BBC and my experience from BCU helped me get there.”
