BBC Production Co-Ordinator Apprenticeship - Placement #2

I finished my previous blog post at the end of my first placement on the Production Co-Ordinator Apprenticeship with ‘but the adventure must continue’, and wow, it certainly has! Soon after writing that post, it was confirmed that I had secured my dream placement.

I have always had a huge passion for radio and have always sought out opportunities to experience this industry as it is where I have always seen myself ending up in my career. From doing work experience at BBC Radio 1 at the age of 16, to volunteering at my local hospital radio station and even attempting my own radio podcast (yes, attempting is definitely the key word there), I returned to the location in the first point in that list. Yes, my dream had finally come true and on February 25th, I found myself walking through the doors of Radio 1 on the 8th floor of Broadcasting House.

Aside from my draw to radio, I have also always been interested in working in the world of events and events management. I touched upon this in a very small way at school, organising many of our Sixth Form events including our Prom, the school talent show, a Christmas party for a local school and a fundraiser to raise money for that party; and it was this introduction to events management that inspired me to seek more opportunities in an industry that I could see myself making use of my organisational head and attention-to-detail.

So, thanks to my scheme manager on the apprenticeship, I ended up at the absolute ideal placement for me. Radio + Events = Radio Events. And here I am! To give the team their deserved full title, the Live Music and Events team in Radio Popular Music. If you’ve ever listened, watched or even been to an event for Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, 6 Music or BBC Introducing, it would have been organised by the lovely team I am currently sitting alongside now as I write this. Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Radio 2 in Hyde Park, 1Xtra Live, The Teen Awards, 6 Music Festival – the list goes on and on.

One of the best parts about this placement has been the huge amount of trust that the team have put in me. I’ve been given a great deal of responsibility which I really appreciate and respect, and for that reason I’ve made sure I’ve put 110% into everything I’ve done so they wouldn’t regret it. So hopefully they haven’t!

Within the first days of this placement, I was already on a train to Manchester to work at the first ever 6 Music Festival. I was immediately thrown into a DJ and artist liaison role and loved every minute. Experiencing such a large event within my first days prepared me to understand the coordination and logistical process that goes into achieving the end result that I witnessed in Manchester, and helped me to know how to continue whilst working towards Radio 1’s Big Weekend – a project I have completely admired.

Two years ago when the team were organising one of their biggest events to date, the Hackney Weekend, I found myself at the Hackney Academy listening to a talk given by Neil Wyatt, the Live Events Manager who was heading up the event. I was completely absorbed in everything he had to say and now I can’t quite believe I’m sitting here two years on working with the same team on the Radio 1 Big Weekend in Glasgow. I’ve done a full loop, and as much as I enjoyed sitting on my sofa at home and watching Jay Z and Rihanna on telly playing the Big Weekend that year in 2012, I have absolutely no doubt that I will much prefer 2014 and I guarantee I will stand pinching myself when I see Coldplay in Glasgow. And even more importantly, as I run around in the mud on Glasgow Green chasing after artists to get them on stage, the thought of that sofa in 2012 will become an increasingly distant one.

One of the main projects I have been involved in is the ongoing BBC Introducing programme and I have absolutely loved it! It’s a fantastic scheme that supports unsigned and under-the-radar musicians – it’s an incredible opportunity for artists trying to break the industry, and from my perspective, an equally amazing scheme to work on. I have been involved in the organisation of the Introducing stages at some of the upcoming summer festivals, including Big Weekend, Glastonbury and T in the Park. I’ve been responsible for asking for recommendations from the local shows, sending these to a panel of presenters, producers and music experts for their opinions and then contacting the artists and confirming their availability once the line-up was chosen. I have also worked with the Introducing team to decipher to final running order at Big Weekend to ensure a variety across both days. The whole process was an extremely interesting and eye-opening experience, particularly because of my love for music and what better way to spend your day than by listening to a ton of new music! Of course, that isn’t all I do but I have spent the odd day here and there just browsing through the Uploader for some fantastic new music, which there is a huge abundance of out there.

I’ve also done a spot of writing for the BBC Introducing blog each week, listening to some more fantastic music that has made it onto the Introducing slot on the Radio 1 playlist and then writing about it. This job just gets better and better.

From working on 6 Music Festival, to Big Weekend in two weekend’s time, I’ve also been fortunate enough to work on Jo Whiley’s Sport Relief Challenge, the Radio 1 Academy, as well as looking ahead to Glastonbury, T in the Park and Radio 2 In Concert with Kylie this week!

With just days to go until I get on the train to Glasgow, the anticipation for the festival is building on the 8th Floor and across Glasgow it seems. Everybody is extraordinarily busy but also incredibly excited for the weekend and I feel truly inspired by the team I’m working with, with brains that can be best described as Big Weekend encyclopaedias! The creativity, organisation prowess and dedication of everybody working towards the event is admirable and I feel incredibly lucky to be doing my dream job surrounded by these people.

Onward to Glasgow!

 

The BBC at Festivals

With a breadth of media outlets attending the UK’s festivals each year, there is one broadcaster who stands in the forefront with the greatest presence at the country’s summer events. As one of the largest broadcasters in the world, the BBC is representing the British media worldwide, with their coverage of such events providing overseas viewers with a sense of our first-class festivals to rival the European and US counterparts like Snowbombing and Coachella.

As summer is fast approaching, the impending festival season is becoming increasingly anticipated, as it does year upon year. It is with no doubt that most of us will be unable to attend all of the festivals we wish to, resulting in relying on television, radio and online sources to provide us with all of the excitement from the events.

Over the upcoming four months, the BBC will bring us coverage of four of the top UK festivals, including what can arguably be described as the ‘Power 3’ of festivals.

Glastonbury, T In The Park and Reading & Leeds festival are undeniably three of the biggest music events of the calendar both in size and popularity. With multiple stages, there is something for everybody, with the BBC’s broadcasting outlets providing a sense of this.

In 2013 and post-Olympics Britain, the technological availability and advancements that the BBC are open to has allowed for an increase in output, which these festivals will make use of.

BBC Online was subject to a vast expansion in 2012 in order to show numerous events at the London Olympics. These capabilities will spread to this summer’s Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset from 26th to 30th June, with plans in place to have cameras streaming live footage on its digital media players throughout the entirety of the weekend.

A statement released from the BBC at the start of the year by then Acting Director General, Tim Davie said, “[Our] ambition this year is to offer music fans unprecedented coverage of live music.”

“On desktop, mobile, tablet and connected TVs, we will bring BBC audiences closer to the music they love by offering a full performance or festival-goer experience for those who can’t be there.”

Not only do the BBC deliver content to viewers, they also deliver in providing festivals with highly sought-after performers. The ‘BBC Radio 1 & NME Stage’ at Reading & Leeds Festival as well as T In The Park is a renowned attribute of the festivals’ line-ups, presenting attendees with an abundance of the artists that listeners are accustomed to hearing every day on Radio 1. Fans of Bastille, Skrillex, Alt-J, Jake Bugg and BBC Sound of 2013 winners, Haim, will be pleased to see such acts at Reading & Leeds on the Radio 1 & NME Stage on the weekend of the 23rd – 25th August.

The long-standing BBC Introducing scheme also comes alive during festival season, with Reading, Leeds and T In The Park holding a stage specifically for the programme, which seeks to highlight and support under-the-radar artists into the public eye.

The BBC’s festival coverage will all commence on in the last weekend of May, when Radio 1 take their annual Big Weekend to Northern Ireland. This year the event will take place in Derry-Londonderry and for the first time, the festival will consist of three days of music starting on Friday 24th May. Olly Murs and Two Door Cinema Club are the only acts announced so far, with the rest of the line-up being announced at the start of May. All we do know is that the Main Stage will focus on dance music, with other stages being run by Radio 1’s sister-station, 1Xtra, and In New Music We Trust.

From delivering a vast extent of coverage of the summer’s hottest festivals, to organising their very own, the BBC are the leaders in supplying the nation with the musical highlights of the year. Without them, we would be left very out of pocket in our quest to experience the musical moments that they manage to deliver to our eyes and ears through the media.

Success for Mr Murs

Olly Murs must be constantly grinning ear-to-ear at the moment!

Following on from the success of Olly's self-titled debut album and sell-out theatre tour, Olly is practising a new talent in presenting. Olly's mentor from the X Factor, Simon Cowell, recruited Olly to co-host the Xtra Factor on ITV2 with Caroline Flack. After only 3 episodes of the Xtra Factor so far, Olly has received great reviews for his natural presenting ability, as well as for having a great on-air relationship with Caroline.

But it doesn't stop here!...

Last week, Olly was celebrating his 2nd #1 single with 'Heart Skips A Beat', which also features upcoming band, Rizzle Kicks, who have been very popular at festivals this year with BBC Introducing. Olly's first #1 Single came just a year ago with his debut single, Please Don't Let Me Go'. This year, Olly had to fight off stiff competition from Will Young and Calvin Harris to reach the top spot, which he celebrated in style on the Official Chart show with Scott Mills on Radio 1. Olly's X Factor companion Joe McElderry also reached #2 in the album chart with his second album 'Classic'.

Even before Olly has released his yet untitled second album, which is due out on November 28th, tickets for Olly's second tour have nearly sold out! Olly will be taking Album 2 on an arena tour across the country, visiting The O2 Arena and Wembley Arena in London, The LG Arena in Birmingham, Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, MEN Arena in Manchester, as well as many more!

Tickets are becoming very limited so make sure you head to Ticketmaster soon to get your tickets for February and March.