New jobs are pitch perfect for clever duo
Graduates land broadcast deals thanks to St Mirren TV
Two talented students who played an important role in the link-up with Paisley’s university and St Mirren FC have secured top media posts.
Maryanne Orr and Calum Walker, who both graduate from University of the West of Scotland next week with first class honours in Sports Journalism, worked on the hugely successful UWS and Saints partnership that saw both organisations team up to provide practical work- based learning opportunities.
St Mirren TV and Radio saw students from the university’s School of Media, Culture and Society create programming of all the club’s games for international broadcast.
And now, thanks to the experience they gained, Maryanne has secured a post as a reporter with the International Sports Press Association during the UEFA Women’s Euros in the Netherlands, while Calum was appointed as a videographer for Rangers TV.
Maryanne, 22, said: “Studying sports journalism at UWS, was the only thing I wanted to do.
“The day I found the course I thought, ‘this was made for me’.
“The facilities and opportunities that came with studying there were key to my success, especially St Mirren TV and Radio.
“Without UWS and St Mirren, I would not have managed to achieve my dream opportunity of covering the Women’s Euros in the Netherlands.”
Calum, 23, attended university for a year before he went to UWS.
“I felt some pressure to go straight out of school but ended up on a course that, to me, wasn’t enjoyable,” he said.
“I decided I wanted to get into radio so resat my Higher English and attained the qualifications to apply for Broadcast Production TV and Radio at UWS.
“Since then my radio focus switched to TV.
“It was something I liked working in and something I was good at, so when the time came to decide between the two I turned all my attention onto working in television.
“The facilities at UWS were top notch and learning how to use both the in-house equipment and the kit that could be borrowed allowed me to gain the skills needed to start getting real work experience.”
It was in Calum’s third year that the St Mirren TV and Radio projects began and he jumped at the opportunity of working within a football club.
“That fast-paced environment and industry knowledge obtained was one of the key factors in me being offered employment at Rangers Football Club, full time in the Rangers TV department,” he said.
“The university allowed me to learn hands-on skills from day one and because of that, and putting that extra bit of effort in, I have left after four years with a first class honours degree.
“Taking the step of leaving a university course after a year was hard but, in the end, it was the right decision and applying to UWS has allowed me to be in a full time job that I love.”