Posted In: About Us by
weareboutiqstg,
November 30, 2023
Scott: I finished my MA in Screenwriting earlier this year and was looking for opportunities in the Creative Industry. I found Channel 4’s Content Creatives Trainee scheme and knew that this would be a perfect opportunity for me. The scheme is an incredibly helpful initiative which provides training to people from lower socio-economic and diverse backgrounds in all things digital and content creation. After 8 weeks of training we are able to gain experience through a 16 week placement with a partner company, which is how we found ourselves at Boutique!
I was attracted to the scheme because it not only offered paid training, but the placement allows you to gain real-life, hands-on experience which is usually so hard to get.
Holly: I had finished my MA Film Production on September 11th, but I knew being in the North – opportunities were much more scarce so I started looking earlier. I knew that I wanted to work in the marketing / social media sector, I had dabbled in radio, film and TV and despite enjoying these, I found myself really enjoying the strategy and processes involved in marketing and social media! I saw the scheme on instagram and saw it as a chance to learn more and develop a skill set in digital media I neglected in my degree. I was set on being in radio but had a change of heart when taking on social media manager roles in my degrees! I knew the placement would be a great opportunity to develop, learn and be a sponge, I wanted to grow and this seemed like the perfect moment to do so!
Jenny: I had been interested in working in the media industry since I graduated university. As I graduated during the COVID-19 pandemic, I didn’t get a chance to gain experience in the industry due to the effects this had on the job market. I had also been interested in professional content creation, as I perform and produce events in my spare time, which I’ve ran social media pages for over the past 3 years. When I saw that this scheme was available for people without professional industry experience, I thought it would bring these two interests together perfectly, and I was right!
Scott: Other than meeting all of my lovely new colleagues, it would probably be getting stuck in and getting the chance to try my hand at working in different areas and gaining so many new and varied skills.
Holly: Honestly, I think my highlight would be feeling secure in a workplace. I love the routine, coming into the office a couple of times a week, the variety of work we’re given and the endless feedback we receive! I have developed so much in such a short amount of time!
Jenny: So far at Boutique, we’ve had loads of workshops lead by different experts on the PR team about topics like Influencer Marketing and Organic Social Media; Reactive PR and Trend Prediction; and SEO. These have all been really informative, and I’ve loved learning more about the world of PR!
Scott: As a recent graduate it seemed that I didn’t have enough of the right kind of experience for many of the opportunities I came across in the creative and digital sectors. It also seemed that opportunities that I was more qualified for tended to be outside of Leeds and mostly in London, but moving away from Leeds is not something that would be possible for me at the moment.
Holly: Lack of experience and wrong location – I found both of them equally as hard. I found jobs I liked the sound of in Leeds and the surrounding areas but then seeing most of them in senior, executive and director roles meant I had no way of accessing them. I think it was disappointing seeing entry level jobs looking for years of experience which I simply didn’t have! I love Leeds and have visited often since I was a child as it was the nearest big city, so being able to work here and not move to London away from all family and friends was a big thing for me!
Jenny: Like Scott, Holly, and many people in their early/mid twenties, I’ve struggled to gain the right kind of experience for the kind of jobs I’ve wanted to go into. As the job market gets more competitive, it’s harder and harder to go into the industry you want to without very specific kinds of experience.
Scott: Bold, Authentic & Unique
Holly: Warm, innovative & imaginative!
Jenny: Energetic, enterprising and confident.
Scott: The thing that has surprised me the most is how much I’ve enjoyed working in the marketing world! I never really knew much about the day-to-day workings of an agency before my time here. I’m really enjoying being here and learning new things and working with different clients – it feels like every day is new, and that was something I didn’t necessarily expect going into the scheme.
Holly: I think it has to be how I can adapt to different situations. I used to stick to one thing, but now I can flip between different jobs with ease which is a skill I thought I wouldn’t possess!
Jenny: I’ve been really pleasantly surprised at how well I’ve applied myself, utilised the skills I’ve learned along the way, and adapted to a new environment.
Scott: My dream job is probably working for a major theme park like the Disney or Universal parks. The ultimate dream would be to be a narrative designer for the rides!
Holly: I have two categories: professional and personal! Professional would be influencer marketing and social media marketing. Personal would be social media content creator / twitch streamer!
Jenny: The long term, pie-in-the-sky dream is that I could develop my skills in performance and event production to the point that I can do this full-time. In the short term, I would love to work in social media management and content creation.
What’s your favourite Christmas TV Ad of 2023?
Scott: My favourite is probably the Amazon ad – I love the song and it just feels so warm and festive without overdoing it.
Holly: My fave has to be Amazon – it’s so sweet and delivers the emotional message which always wins my heart – Aldi and Lidl are tied for second!
Jenny: Tan France is one of my favourite people, so it has to be M&S
Scott: Don’t hate me but I’m not that big of a roast dinner fan! The best part for me would either be the dessert (as long as it’s not Christmas Pudding!) – or maybe the leftover turkey sandwiches!
Holly: That’s a hard question! Has to be either pigs in blankets or roast potatoes!
Jenny: When stuffing’s good, it’s really good, so maybe that, but also, what’s a Christmas dinner without the gravy to tie it all together?!
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