BBC Series Producer Ben Southwell volunteered at the recent ‘Into University’ project in Bristol which aims to help young disadvantaged people get a University place and look at different careers.
“I was invited to give a presentation to the young of the charity ‘Into University’. I was one of three BBC staff who were asked to give a presentation on our roles and how we got into television.
I really didn’t know what to expect - and I had a preconceived idea the young people would only be interested in how to become a presenter. I was concerned how they would relate to me, and would they view me as someone old enough to be their grandfather?
We decided to break the afternoon up into three sections. We talked about what we studied in university, and our personal career progressions.
As a Series Producer I manage teams that make different factual programmes at BBC Bristol. These are varied and include content such as ‘DIY SOS’ to ‘Natural History’ and ‘history’ programmes. One of my colleagues is an apprentice and the other works in sustainability so our jobs and career paths are very different.
I’m pleased to say I found the experience very enjoyable and interesting. In particular the second section of the day was a highlight as the young people were asked in groups to come up with programme ideas and pitch them to us.
I took them through the different steps and important considerations such as programme format, crew size and cost. They grasped the nuts and bolts of it very quickly - and soon there were heated discussions about what sort of programme they wanted to pitch. I was so impressed with the range and inventiveness of the ideas I thought I was in a brainstorm at work!
Finally we ended our day with a questions and answer session. These students were so interested and well informed. None of them asked how they could become a presenter! I hope they enjoyed the afternoon as much as I did.
BBC Outreach & Corporate Responsibility brings the BBC closer to its audiences - particularly those audiences we have identified as harder to reach - with face-to-face activity, community and staff volunteering.
