Executive Producer of ITV’s Love Island, Mike Spencer, (BA (Hons) Film, Radio and Television Studies with Media and Cultural Studies, 2007), volunteered to mentor a current student here at Christ Church. He talks about how and why he became involved.

“I did a Q&A previously at the University and we spoke about mentoring. Students could apply and I was hoping I could help ease them into the industry. I’d already mentored a student with the Royal Television Society so we put this out at Christ Church. A number of students applied, and I picked Mia.

“Mia knows she can come to me for advice on tips when applying for jobs and I’ve given her suggestions on how to redo CVs. Luckily, Mia is exceptional as a student and she has gone above and beyond to do work-experience. She’s a real go getter and my role for her is to guide her as much as possible and I’d love to see her when she gets her first job.

“For me, it is nice to be able to give back. I would have loved a mentor when I was at University. I think the University has changed since I was there in terms of mental health and support but, at the time, it wasn’t pushed. I like being able to help and I’m happy to continue to do that and once [Covid] restrictions are eased, I’d love to come back to the University and see what it’s like.”

“My advice for any students studying at Christ Church is please, make your contacts. Since I did the Q&A lots of students have reached out on LinkedIn.

“Make the contacts, bother people, or you’re not going to get what you want. Go get it, email everyone. You can’t offend anyone by being pro-active. Anything can happen you just have to work for it! The more real industry experience you get the more likely you will get a role when you graduate.”

Read the full story of Mike’s career since graduating here.