LoveLove Films Production Coordinator Shannon and Junior Animator Joe were thrilled to attend the tenth annual “Meet the Professionals” event held by the RTS (Royal Television Society) at Bournemouth University on the 25^th of March 2018.

The Meet the Professionals event is a chance for media students from universities across the South Coast to meet with a range of media professionals at different stages in their careers to discuss the current TV landscape, breaking your way into the industry and climbing the career ladder once in.

The event began with an informal panel held in three stages (the newly qualified panellists, the more experienced panellists, and then executive producers and managing directors from a range of companies), chaired by the RTS Southern Centre chair Gordon Cooper.

The panel included Joe and Shannon from LoveLove Films’, along with a number of other professionals, from recent graduates to big industry names. Notable attendees included a range of professionals from companies across the South.

LoveLove Films’ own Joe Simpson met Georgina at the Meet the Professionals event in 2017, then approaching her about job and placement opportunities with LoveLove Films. Joe then did a placement with us in 2017, and impressed us so much that he was kept on, and we created a full-time animator role for him!

Discussing the event, Joe said “it was great to meet so many young, talented and enthusiastic people from universities across the South. They had so many interesting and insightful questions about topics ranging from animation to getting a foot in the door, and it’s clear to see that a lot of them will go very far in the industry!”

LoveLove Animator Joe and Production Coordinator Shannon talking on the RTS panel

Students attending the event came from a range of educational institutions from across the South, including Bournemouth University, Arts University Bournemouth, Southampton Solent University and Southampton University. The panel event was followed by a two-hour networking session, in which the professionals gave the students advice on topics ranging from how to get their start in the industry, to what kinds of careers they might be best suited to.

Joe and Shannon also answered a range of questions about LoveLove Films’ ‘New Talent’ placement scheme, from students keen to get a foot in the door in the industry. The New Talent scheme has been running since LoveLove Films’ inception in 2010, and now takes over 30 placement students from local educational institutions a year. Our placement scheme has glowing reviews from the students that have spent time with us, as our placement scheme is tailored to each individual student and gives them a real experience of the media industry as it is today.

Around 80% of the LoveLove Films team are alumni of local universities or colleges, so we know first-hand the quality of education that these young people are getting! We can’t wait for next year’s Meet the Professionals, and any collaborations with local universities in the meantime!

For more information on our New Talent Placement Scheme, click here.

To read about last years Meet the Professionals event, click here.

To find out more about the RTS, click here.