#TVFUTURES

Callum O Leary

Author: Callum O Leary

Published 1st June 2015

by Callum O\'Leary Issue 101 - May 2015

When I first introduced myself back in September, I had just begun my final year project and it was all very early days. I cannot stress how scary the prospect of a final year project is, and it is most certainly a mountain that needs to be climbed.
I had originally decided upon a \'combined project\', which essentially is a study that will involve either the creation of a video artefact, or some real level of hands-on work that will contribute to the running of our TV channel. My focus was social media management of our faculty TV channel (Creative and Cultural Industries TV - CCI TV), and my actual dissertation was primed to investigate the impact of Twitter and second screen applications on users during live broadcasts.

My last year here at University has been exceptionally busy and demanding as I was also producing a documentary, helping out on many live broadcasts for other students on my course, and balancing all of that with my running job at IMG sport media.

However, the rollercoaster journey has all been worth it. As I write this, my dissertation hand-in is only a week away and thankfully, it\'s 99% done. After a handful of meetings with my supervisor, we agreed that doing a more traditional written dissertation was the right way forward.

However, that\'s not to say that all of the hands-on work and additional contributions to my peers programmes was a waste of time, because it was quite the opposite. Within the space of a few months, I gained the responsibility of running the TV channel\'s Twitter feed, Instagram and Vine output, alongside monitoring our Facebook popularity- not to mention everything else I\'ve done throughout my three years as a Television and Broadcasting student at the University of Portsmouth.

Within my study, I\'ve uncovered some really fascinating information, which genuinely has made me even more excited at the prospect of finding work in this industry upon graduation. The latter issue was something that used to worry me, but now I just feel ready, full of ideas and equipped with a great set of skills. I am really excited by television and social media, particularly in the sport area, and I can think of nowhere else I\'d like to be. With 4K acquisition and delivery on the way, things are changing fast. My research has indicated that sports fans want a rich, interactive experience, and I hope my understanding of this will be of interest to an employer out there. Some of the literature I\'ve been reading has really inspired and excited me; here are some incredible technologies coming our way in the near future so buckle up!

I have worked in post-production alongside editors for the Football League Show and more recently a live show called Kick-Off, filmed in house by IMG. It\'s a busy but rewarding position, and incredibly social. I am fortunate to have met and worked with some of the most talented people in sports production, and whilst I know it\'s not going to be easy to find that first job, the skills I have acquired over the last three years via BSc Television and Broadcasting at the University of Portsmouth should place me in a really great position. My course has been flexible enough to allow me to pursue additional industry work experience, and I hope to continue working in sports programme production upon graduating, and perhaps even build a career at IMG.

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