Tristan Hall

Tristan Hall

I graduated from Sackville in July 2016 having spent the entire of my secondary and sixth form education there. I chose to go onto university, studying Media and Communication specialising in TV and radio, at Birmingham City University (BCU). I applied through UCAS, something which Sackville were very helpful with! I received offers or interviews from all my choices, and attended an interview for BCU, where I was then given an Unconditional offer.
I accepted and that’s where I am now, where alongside my studies I work for Capital FM and Heart as a member of their street teams, working as the face of both Capital and Heart ‘to the people’. I will be holding competitions, meeting the public, organising events and working alongside presenters to promote the brands of the stations. This is massive for me and something I am very proud of and something I have worked hard towards with gaining experience over the past 3 or 4 years.

1.       Briefly outline your journey from leaving school to where you are today

I graduated from Sackville in July 2016 having spent the entire of my secondary and sixth form education there. I chose to go onto university, studying Media and Communication specialising in TV and radio, at Birmingham City University (BCU). I applied through UCAS, something which Sackville were very helpful with! I received offers or interviews from all my choices, and attended an interview for BCU, where I was then given an Unconditional offer. I accepted and that’s where I am now, where alongside my studies I work for Capital FM and Heart as a member of their street teams, which includes holding competitions, meeting the public, organising and attending events, and working alongside presenters to promote the brands of the stations. 2018 update: I am now working as an assistant producer at Global Radio, producing Heart, Capital and Smooth breakfast shows. I am still studying at Birmingham City Uni, but doing a lot more work in both the radio and television industries. 

2.       One piece of advice you would give your 16 year old self
Take every opportunity that is presented to you, don’t listen to those who try and tell you ‘its just a pipe dream’. I have been very lucky to have several pieces of experience in both the professional TV and radio industries, so I would 100% encourage more of this. Don’t let anyone tell you what is the right or wrong thing to do, always do what is right for you, be confident with your goals, the only person standing in your way is yourself!

3.       Any stand-out moments of your progression from school to now (interviews, moving away from home etc.)
Pretty much as soon as I finished my A level’s my parents decided to move up to Leicestershire, which meant I had my entire summer in a place where I knew absolutely no one! As daunting as it sounds this forced me to become more independent, and create a whole new life for myself. This also meant I was more comfortable with the move to Uni then in September, so I settled in far easier.

4.       Best and Worst parts of the job or course you are doing now
The best part of University, aside of the social aspect of life! Is the practical element of my course. The Uni offers up-to-date industry standard facilities and equipment, which I was able to get my hands on from week one. Its a big jump from what I was used to working with at Sackville, but my experience in the TV industry stood me in good stead! Worst part… hmm that’s probably my 9am lecture on a Thursday, especially after sports socials on a Wednesday night!
5.       Describe a normal day in your working or studying life
On a typical TV Studio day at uni, we arrive at 9am, and begin with a discussion about what exactly we will be doing. The group then go into our separate studio and gallery roles and begin filming mock up TV programmes, as if they are being broadcast live. This typically goes on until around 12, when we have a break. During this time, as the episode producer for our final assessment programme, I will sit and meet with members of the group and discuss ideas about the final project which I can then begin putting together. The afternoon session then goes from 3-6, where we will try out any ideas and practice using the equipment and standing in as different roles. I then return to my flat in the evening, cook dinner, complete any work that needs doing, then if I’m not falling asleep at my desk, I’ll go out!
6.       Fondest memory from school
There are so many, its hard to choose! I was lucky enough to go on many different trips when at Sackville, my favourite of which have been Ski Trip 2012-13, Barbados 2014 and World Challenge 2015, all of which were amazing experiences that I’ll never forget.