20 June 2023

Alumna helps students hit their stride

Just a year after graduating from Canterbury Christ Church University and landing a job at the music TV channel, MTV, alumna Lauren Baugh was offering her peers opportunities as runners. Former Film, Radio and Television student Lauren who graduated in 2021 from the School of Arts and Creative Industries had the challenge of joining a competitive industry slowly coming out of COVID-19. But this did not deter her enthusiasm to give others a chance.

Lauren had benefitted from her employability modules throughout her degree where guest speakers would pass on their knowledge of how to navigate the media world and gain your first job. Once she had secured her spot at MTV as a Production Coordinator, Lauren saw the chance to give back.

“I really enjoy sharing my own experience with the students and being able to provide my own knowledge on work experience and runner roles, as I know how daunting it can be when it comes to leaving University and entering the television and film world”.

With such insight, Lauren offered the chance of possible paid work to the current year two students on Film Production and FRTV if they showed dedication and interest in a runner role. CCCU student India Copp did just that. With a cover email and CV, India applied, and the application stood out. They spoke and India took the runner role, tackling three separate shoots over one day with a variety of music artists in London. India’s role also included: helping set up all the kit required for the shoot, assisting the crew and arranging catering vouchers for breakfast and lunch. She also set up all the talent dressing rooms and sat in the hot seat during rehearsals. The experience was a resounding success. Lauren admired India’s professionalism and willingness to learn. “I am looking forward to getting India back on set in the future for more advanced shoots to develop her skillset”.

Jane Milton, Faculty Lead for Industry Partnerships, is grateful for such chances being offered to the students:

“We really appreciate the connections with our alumni, how much time they give to the students and in this case, help them gain a job credit. Lauren is one of our many amazing alumni within the sector to help us at CCCU and these connections are vital. We are very grateful for this altruistic support.”

India added, “It was a great experience working at MTV. Everyone was very welcoming and made me feel comfortable. I was able to sit in the gallery while they shot the interviews in the studio next door, so was lovely to see how everything worked. I got this opportunity through attending the online talks for professional perspectives, where I saw Lauren, who mentioned getting in contact with her for future runner jobs at MTV.”

“With help from both Jane and Chiara Hewer, Careers and Enterprise Partner, I got my CV and cover letter ready to send to Lauren. Overall, it was an amazing experience, and it is lovely to know how the University keeps connected with our alumni who can give opportunities to current students.”

In the meantime, Lauren was nominated for a Rising Star alumni award in our Alumni Awards 2023 in June in recognition of her on-going support and career success.