The Structure and Ownership of the Media Sector

I have always wanted to work in the media industry. I have been told for many years that I would work best in a creative industry so now I am attempting to follow my dream. I’m not 100% sure what area of the industry I would like to work in, weather it be a big media conglomerate like Netflix/Disney or a smaller/more local company like Dog Ears/BBC NI. But I know that wherever I work I would like to be either a director or an editor.

I want to work in the media industry primarily because I love the art of storytelling. I believe that I have stories to tell and I want the world to hear them. I also really like editing. I find it fun to work on a video until I feel that it is in it’s perfect state and then releasing it for everyone to see. I also enjoy working creative projects because they offer me a chance to do things I normally wouldn’t be able to such as working with others and going to different places.

Now is a great time to want to work in the media industry because employment in the UK is growing at four times the rate of the entirety of the UK’s workforce as whole, according to the recent official statistics from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The reports state that the number of jobs in the UK's creative industries rose by 5 per cent in 2016, compared to the 1.2 per cent increase in the wider UK workforce. That means that almost 2 million UK citizens are now employed in the creative organisations around the UK, with an even bigger number of 3.04 million making up the creative economy which also includes creative roles in non-creative organisations

I currently work at VR World in Derry where you can pay £10 to get an hour playing VR games. They don’t have a website but they do have a Facebook page which you can use to make bookings. This job has given me an opportunity to improve my people skills and has made me better at managing large groups of people while also giving me the chance to introduce others to my love of Virtual Reality. I believe that in the future VR will play a big part in the entertainment industry due to the face that unlike other forms of media it truly immerses you in the story and makes you feel as if you are a part of the world the story inhabits. It also enables people to do things they probably wouldn’t be able to do such as skydiving, mountain climbing or even going on a rollercoaster. It will also allow people to visit various locations all over the world without having to leave their own homes.

If I were to continue working in VR/AR I would like to approach a Belfast company called “RETìníZE” who specialise in VR filmmaking. They have created multiple VR documentary films for companies such as the “BBC”, “Exxon Mobil” and “Save The Children”. VR filmmaking is still relatively new so it would be an interesting to be a part of one of the first companies approaching this new form of filmmaking.

The company was set up by Phil Morrow

It funds itself through commissions and project partnerships with the following larger brand names:

In the future following up more training and my degree in Cinematic Arts I would love to be able to work for this company.

If I were to work for a major media company, I believe that I would like to start off working at a more local company such as BBC NI. The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is a public service broadcaster that operates in the UK. It is the oldest national broadcasting organization in the world and is also the largest in terms of employee numbers, with over 35,000 staff including part-time workers. If I were to work at the BBC I would like to work within its creative sector. It would be great to be a part of the creative process within the company and would be an incredible experience.