Introducing our 2023 Alumni Journeys webinar series!
Last year we introduced Alumni Journeys: Creativity, Careers and Community, a webinar series celebrating our alumni and their achievements. From comedian Alasdair Beckett-King to the creators of York based charity Menfulness, Dan Braidley and Jack Woodhams, we shared inspiring talks from our alumni.
After a successful first series, we are back in 2023 for series 2! This year we have 5 alumni from a broad range of industries offering advice and sharing their stories. From the Director of a company to a Production Manager, we are excited to share some amazing alumni stories.
Starting in January, we will be premiering a webinar once a month. Each webinar contains a talk from one of our alumni and a Q&A with one of our academics. Make sure to follow our social media pages and sign up to our newsletter to know when our webinars are posted! Let us introduce you to this year’s speakers:
Nathan Fulwood – Strategy Director and co-founder of CreateFuture.
Nathan is the Strategy Director and co-founder of an innovation and design company that drives sustainable growth through product and service design. He also has over 25 years’ experience in brand and digital strategy.
An early adopter of the internet, and still (mostly) excited and optimistic about its possibilities, Nathan has worked with brands such as Orange, Expedia, Penguin RandomHouse, Tesco Bank and adidas.
Nathan graduated from York St John in 1995 with a degree in English Literature and History.
Find out more about Nathan’s work on the CreatureFuture website and on LinkedIn.
Ellen Taylor – Author and Team GB Ice Swimmer.
Ellen studied Psychology at York St John and graduated in 2017. While at YSJ, she chaired the Creative Writing Society for two years. She then studied an MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience at Durham University, and a DPhil at University of Oxford.
In 2022, she published her first novella, Said the Crow. Her short story Stella Polaris was runner-up of the Oxford-BNU Prize in Creative Writing, and will be published in 2023. The Tears of Lir, her first novel for young adults, will be released in 2024.
Ellen is an open water swimmer and has recently joined Team GB’s Ice Swimming team. In 2019 Ellen and her mother swam the strongest tidal current in the world, situated in the Arctic Circle in Norway.
Find out more about Ellen’s work by looking at her work on Amazon, Blackwells and Waterstones.
Emma Mallett – Production Coordinator and Production Manager.
Emma graduated in 1999 with a degree in Film and Television and has over twenty years’ experience in Film and High End Television. Working across a wide range of productions, Emma started as a Runner on Thomas the Tank Engine and has recently stepped up to Line Producer on Netflix drama Damage.
As a Production Manager, Emma has worked on a variety of projects, from Alan Partridge: Alpha Pappa, The Invisible Woman & Me Before You to studio pictures Quantum of Solace, Maleficent & Wonka. Emma is also an advocate for industry training and regularly leads workshops for new and developing Production crew.
Find out more about Emma’s work on her IMDB page.
Dom Smith – Digital journalist and qualified counsellor.
Dom is a digital journalist and qualified counsellor. In 2007, Dom graduated from York St John University with a Film and Television degree. He also holds a Masters degree in Magazine Journalism from the University of Central Lancashire.
Dom runs the music publication, Soundsphere. In previous years, he has written for Metro, Rock Sound magazine, NME.com, and Metal Hammer magazine. He has interviewed everyone from Judas Priest to The 1975.
Throughout his career, Dom has had the opportunity to conduct regular workshops and talks around the country about entrepreneurship, media, and journalism with students.
Find out more about Dom’s work on the Soundsphere website and on the Facebook and Instagram pages.
Mark Mattinson – General Manager at York Dungeon.
Mark graduated from York St John in 2014 with a degree in International Tourism Management and has worked in the tourism industry for twenty years.
Before becoming the general manager of York Dungeon. Mark previously worked for City Cruises York. Over his career, he has focused on building strong relationships with family friendly tourist attractions in the York area.
Mark is also a trustee for Future of Taru, a small UK Registered Charity providing a school, quality education, a feeding program, emotional support and a safe environment for many of the poor children in Taru, Kenya.
Find out more about Mark’s work for Future of Taru on their website. You can also find him on LinkedIn.
From the Arts to Business, our alumni community span a variety of careers. Whether you landed your dream job straight after graduation or you discovered a new passion after leaving university, there is no correct career journey.
If you wish to ask one of our speakers a question after watching a webinar, please email alumni@yorksj.ac.uk. We will forward your questions to the relevant speaker.
We would love to hear from you! If you would like to be involved in future webinar series, please email alumni@yorksj.ac.uk. You can also submit a snapshot highlighting what you have done since leaving York St John.
