Category Archives: Alumni matters

Posts of interest to graduates and students – alumni stories, jobs, internships and general interest.

Katy Atkinson, Class of 2006 | The Reporters’ Academy @ Rio 2016

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Katy-Akinson_TRA_Rio2016-TeamOur 2006 graduate and inspirational media mentor Katy Atkinson is the co-founder of The Reporters’ Academy (TRA) – a not for profit media production company – based at MediaCityUK and she is at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games (5-21 August) to give young people from the UK the opportunity to produce a range of publicity content. Katy said: We’ve been tasked with the mission of officially working alongside a number of Olympic nations as their press and media partners. This is a huge honour as we have been working tirelessly since before the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics to champion young people and showcase their abilities on a global stage.

Throughout these Rio Olympics, a team of four from The Reporters’ Academy will be working with our Olympic colleagues from Oceania nations.  We will be working alongside the Oceania teams to provide press and media production support throughout the Games. We will be writing, filming, reporting and collating all their news to share on the teams’ media platforms and also assist our international media colleagues in telling their stories. Here’s a ‘behind the scenes’ clip with TRA Alice at the Rio Olympics.


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Ben Atkinson, Class of 2013 & 2015 | Creative Director, Tall Lime

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When I graduated in 2013 I have to admit at first, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do with myself career wise. The three years I’d spent at LSFM were so intense when it came to both student work and throwing myself into external projects, like co-founding the student radio station Brayford Radio, that it was weird for everything to suddenly just stop. I’d also faced a very clear dividing line in my interests during third year, choosing to focus on radio (my passion) but at the same time marrying it with digital media (where I thought my skills were best placed career wise). In the end the first thing I decided to do was take a break from everything and visit friends in Latvia that I’d made during a trip to Finland for the MC2020 project in my final year, and on my return I applied for an internship at the University.

Applying for the internship seemed to make perfect sense for me at the time because the one stipulation I had set myself when I graduated was to stay in Lincoln. Continue reading →

Dr. Mikey Murray, LSFM | Award-winning Screenwriter/Filmmaker

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Indie-Lincs-drinks-MikeyMurrayLecturer, multiple short award winning, Dr. Mikey Murray specialises in Film Production and Screenwriting at LSFM.  He started the Indie-Lincs film festival “to help independent filmmakers from around the world showcase their films in Lincoln.” Mikey is pictured social networking with students and he posted about the importance of collaboration from teaching to film-making. He’s been on-location directing Game of Thrones actor Kate Dickie on the set of ‘Natalie’. The film is due for release later this year – for now he found time to reflect … 

This time 6 years ago I was working a part-time job in the now defunct retail chain, Comet.  Why was I doing that? Because it was what I needed to do to at the time to pay the rent and give myself time to continue my vocation as a filmmaker. I did have an evening job teaching screenwriting at a local college too, and that was not only something I enjoyed, but it was also something that allowed me to stay fundamentally connected to the industry. I learned from my first teaching job that film education institutions are effectively industry hubs and therefore it didn’t take me long to apply for a Graduate Teaching Assistant position at Bangor University that would include PhD study in Film Practice. There was really no argument against packing my bags for North Wales as I’ve always believed that if I was willing to move anywhere, it would allow me to progress my career quicker. I’ve now had spells living and working in Scotland, London, Los Angeles and Wales before ending up here, in Lincoln.

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Chris Matthews LSFM Lecturer | Cities of the North launch 30 June

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CitiesOfTheNorth_book_June2016Cities of the North (Five Leaves Publications) is a new book by Adrian Jones – town planner and urban designer – with LSFM Lecturer in graphic design and local historian Chris Matthews. They have a book launch on 30th June and you are invited, 7.00pm-8.30pm, to Five Leaves Bookshop in Nottingham. RSVP: bookshop@fiveleaves.co.uk 

From Jones the Planner: ‘Cities of the North takes an irreverent and often amusing look at the changing townscape, special character, architecture and planning of the great Northern English cities. It explores the process and politics of development and ‘regeneration’ which is reshaping Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford, Hull and Newcastle amongst others, always focusing on the intrinsic character of place.’  

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“The book is also a product of the friendly and supportive environment at LSFM – without that the whole project would have been quite impossible.”  

Chris Matthews, Lecturer/Designer 

 

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Mike Andrews, Class of 2008 | Nintendo: digital media creation

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MichaelAndrews_MPGraduate As most people would probably agree, 2008 (the year the financial crisis started to hit) was a pretty bad time to be looking for a job. That was the year I graduated from Lincoln, getting my BA in Media Production.

I needed a job badly and wanted to get out of Lincoln. I actually fell pretty lucky. Not that I got a job in my field of study. Nothing quite so glorious. A friend I’d worked with some years earlier was now a manager. He needed somebody, because a person he’d hired had pulled out. So, I returned to the company that I’d left because I’d gotten bored of it and wanted to study. But eating is far more important than staving off boredom.  I spent the next year or so scouring job sites, trying to find something that would fit my skill set and interests. Months went by, applications went off, and I never even received a call-back. Needless to say I was pretty fed up. To give myself a leg up on the career ladder, I applied (and was accepted) on a Masters programme at Sussex. All was set. And then I saw a job advert, that I wouldn’t have seen had it not been for my friend’s offhand comment about how I “should work for Nintendo”. Continue reading →

Ellen Jackson, Class of 2011 | Wedding Industry Experts Award

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Our alumna Ellen Jackson pulled in the public vote to win Most Popular Cinematographer/ Videographer at the Wedding Industry Experts 2016 Awards. She’s one of our Industry Mentors and reflects on her career with this update:

With more than five years’ experience in the videography business things have really started to progress for me and my business. I have had some brilliant opportunities and been able to work with some really amazing people, locally and nationally. The corporate side of my business is thriving; with work under my belt for all different types of businesses and events.  In 2013 I launched the wedding side of things, and since then it’s all gone mad! So mad that this year I won the award for the most Popular Cinematographer in the UK, and second popular in the world!


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Ayodele Ogunshakin, Class of 2015 | Blue Peter Studio Runner

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I’m currently working at the BBC as a CBBC Blue Peter Studio Runner. I studied Media Production at the University of Lincoln School of Film & Media and graduated in September 2015. I also completed a semester abroad at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where I studied Mass Communications. Ayodele_May2016

After graduating, I contacted a BBC Children’s Talent Manager and he agreed to see me for a meeting.  Following the meeting, my CV was put forward to the Production Manager for a job within the Blue Peter ‘Badge Team’. I came back two days later for an interview and a couple of weeks later I started working as a Correspondence Assistant. Throughout my time in the badge team, I volunteered on other BBC productions as a runner in my spare time. Continue reading →

Animation Degree Show, LSFM | 1st June 2016 at 1pm in LPAC

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AnimationDegreeShow_1June2016Here’s your invitation to the ANIMATION DEGREE SHOW 2016.  Doors will open at 12.30 on Wednesday 1st June at University of Lincoln Performing Arts Centre (LPAC), Brayford Pool, LN6 7TS.  The show’s free and all are welcome.

Join us for the show at 1pm in LPAC and see a showcase of stunning students’ work on the BA (Hons) Animation course at the Lincoln School of Film & Media. For about a couple of hours there’ll be screenings and a short session for awards. The Animation Degree Show will be a lovely way to celebrate end of year work and meet the animators.

Resolution, CLM Degree Show | 27 May-10 June, AAD Building

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CLM-DegreeShow2016-PosterInvite_27May-10JuneHere’s your INVITATION to LSFM’s Contemporary Lens Media (CLM) Degree Show 2016. It’s free entry and open to the public from this Friday until 10th June at the University of Lincoln Art, Architecture and Design Building (AAD). Clementine Monro, Lincoln School of Film & Media’s Senior Lecturer, said: This year students are featuring works that include the genres of documentary, narrative, experimental and experiential in both the still and moving image. Join us on Friday 27 May at 7pm in the AAD west atrium and photography studio. Then the show’s open daily, including this weekend & Bank Holiday Monday, until June 10th from 10am-4pm.  See CLM Resolution gallery, site was designed by Adam Hewitt.

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Photography is one of the University of Lincoln’s Design courses ranked 3rd in the UK, according to the National Student Survey 2015.

Michael Henry, Class of 2009 | MUTE (2016) released 21.05.2016

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MUTE-poster_May2016Independent filmmaker Michael Henry, our 2009 graduate and one of LSFM’s industry mentors, has been in touch about the general release of MUTE (2016). The film will be available on demand, DVD and to download, from Saturday 21st May 2016 then it will do the rounds at various international film festivals. The 76-minute film, by award winning production company Quandary Productions (QP), has a freedom of expression theme.  

The indie said: Filmed in and around Lincoln, the independent film stars some of Lincoln’s finest acting talent including Nikki Mclusky, Tom Bridger, Charles Cromwell and Rob Smith. The film was shot July 2015, with the help of over 30 film students from the local College and University. The crew on MUTE included LSFM media production alumni: James Jackson, Producer/Sound Recordist, Louise Bawtree, Associate Producer and Nathan T. Dean, script supervisor. The feature film was written and directed by Michael Henry who explains his idea of MUTE.

Pre-order DVD (£5.99 before 21 May) | More info about digital download on the QP site Continue reading →