By Richard Liddle
Leeds Trinity University is to host a panel of alumni who have used the skills they developed in journalism and media degrees to achieve success in other sectors.
The panel, titled More Than One Direction, is being held on Wednesday November 6 at 3pm in the Mary Hallaway Lecture Theatre, and will consist of four ex-students – Katie Mather, Matthew Brannen, Simon Crowe and Matthew Bebbington – who have found success in various different sectors thanks to their time studying journalism and media at Leeds Trinity.
The panel is expected to be beneficial for current students. Journalism senior lecturer Dr Carolyn Jackson-Brown, who is hosting the session, said: “Hearing from those who are just ahead of you on the career path can often be the most helpful step.
“They may well have the answers to your most pressing questions and their stories will undoubtedly inspire you as you prepare for your next steps.”
The panellists have experience in a wide range of sectors and will offer a diverse perspective on the career opportunities for journalism and media graduates.
Katie Mather graduated in 2010 and has used the skills she developed in her BA Journalism degree to launch her own freelance copywriting and content agency, Seed Copywriting, as well as writing for Ferment Magazine, Original Gravity and Pellicle on beer and pub culture.
Matthew Brannen studied BA Theology at Trinity before taking up journalism at a Masters level, graduating in 2017.
He has created content for BBC Radio 1, 5 Live, Look North and many other broadcast news outlets, but now works in the civil service as private secretary to Andy Hobart, the commercial director of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Simon Crowe studied journalism at both an undergraduate and postgraduate level before going on to work with news outlets such as Simple Politics, BCB and TEAMtalk Media.
He now works as a social media executive for P&B Media, the marketing agency behind the social media success of LADBible and UNILAD.
Finally, Matthew Bebbington is a Cinematography and Film/Video Production graduate now working as a videographer and editor within West Yorkshire Police’s forensics department.
The More Than One Direction panel is part of Leeds Trinity University’s annual Journalism and Media Week, which takes place on November 4-7 and features talks from a number of industry experts.