Class of 1990
Drama, Film & TV/English Literature
Country – United Kingdom
IF YOU STUDIED YOUR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMME AT YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES, DID YOU GO ON TO POSTGRADAUTE STUDY?
Yes, somewhere else.
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN THIS PHOTO AS YOUR YSJ SNAPSHOT?
Form a recent music project and represents where I am now but wearing a coat I wore back then.
WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND YSJ TO SOMEONE?
Absolutely.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES?
My choice was quite intuitive and based on the beauty of York and the moodiness of the quad on the day I turned up to be interviewed.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE COMPLETING YOUR STUDIES?
When I graduated, I decided to pursuer a career in TV and media. I paid off my (small) student debt by modelling for Boss models in Manchester (shoots for Wella, Hair Journal, Harrods Barber Shop and others). Then I worked at Granada TV and Yorkshire TV working in Design for shows like This Morning, You’ve Been Framed, The Royal plus work for many independent productions. Now I’m involved in music as a singer recording for a variety of dance music producers/labels as well recording and releasing multiple analogue synth records. This has led to some interesting live performances too!
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR SPECIFIC COURSE?
I liked books and I thought a TV career might be glamorous.
WHAT WERE THE BEST FEATURES OF YOUR COURSE?
It felt free and creative, lots of space for experimentation. At that time, education seemed to be focused on individual evolution and not specifically geared towards a specific career role. I appreciated that.
HOW DID STUDYING AT YSJ HELP IN YOUR CAREER SEARCH/SUCCESS/CURRENT ROLE?
It gave me space to grow up and define myself and offered a beautiful and supportive environment for me to experiment with life. Special thanks to David Powley who really helped me and who I remember fondly as a key figure in my York days.
WHAT ONE PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A CURRENT STUDENT, OR ONE ABOUT TO GRADUATE?
Be intuitive, experiment, push a few buttons and don’t be too serious.