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Name
Lindsay Kelso
Last name as a student
McWilliams
Which campus did you study at?
Carlisle, Brampton Road
What course did you study?
BA (Hons) Photography
What years did you study with us?
2007 to 2010
Why did you choose to study with us?
The BA (Hons) Photography course was one of the best in the country and set students up to run their own photography businesses after graduation. The Brampton Road campus was a nice size, had some great photography studios and high-end equipment. Plus, everyone was really friendly.
Do you remember any tutors? Did you have any favourites, if so, what made them special?
Of course – The course leader was Mike England. John Darwell and Sam Henderson were two of the tutors and David Prakel lectured on the more technical aspects of photography.
Who were your friends, have you stayed in touch?
My closest friend was Aiden Keefe. We’re still in touch and he came to my wedding, but we haven’t seen each other in person for a while.
What did you do in your spare time as a student?
I spent a lot of time enjoying Carlisle’s nightlife and visiting friends in other cities. In Carlisle I spent evenings in The Globe pub next to The Old Brewery Halls, Wednesday nights at The Wheel on West Walls and too many late nights in Club Concrete on Lowther Street or at gigs at The Brickyard on Fisher Street. During the days and at weekends when I wasn’t studying, I did some freelance photography, worked for the university giving tours and doing outreach and in the Students’ Union shop. I also launched a clothing company with my then partner and eventually opened a shop in an old antiques centre in a converted church on Cecil Street. That was with the help of the university's small business programme!
What is your fondest memory of your time as a student?
Our student-led photography exhibitions were a real highlight. We found our own venue, organised the exhibition, promoted it and held a launch night. It was a brilliant experience.
Job title
Digital Marketing Manager
Employer/organisation name
The Idol
Briefly explain what your job entails
I work for a financial technology company with several brands, so every day is different. One day I could be optimising our PPC accounts, writing guides for our website and updating our emails. The next I could be meeting with our PR agency discussing our next campaign or looking at how we improve UX on one of our online journeys.
What is the most satisfying aspect of your job?
Being able to create and launch campaigns that make a real difference to people’s lives. Our recent Get Britain Pension Ready campaign for Annuity Ready, our annuity comparison site, was fronted by TV and radio presenter Angellica Bell and encourages everyone to get to grips with pension planning.
What were your career ambitions when you started studying and do you think that you have achieved them?
I planned to become a photographer after finishing university and that’s exactly what I did. I opened a photography franchise focusing on in-home family portrait sessions. After running the business for a year, I decided I enjoyed the marketing side more and started to focus on that instead. I might go back to photography in the future, who knows! But for now, I’m really enjoying what I’m doing.
How did going to university influence your life?
University was a fantastic place to learn about myself, figure out how to live on my own and of course, have fun.
What are you most proud of?
As well as working in my corporate job I help my husband and his business partner with marketing for their greetings card company You Said It. I think I’m probably most proud of the fact I’m managing to keep all the plates spinning! They’ve recently launched a marketplace where graphic designers can upload and sell their work without having to pay for marketing or manage sales channels and inventory. I’ve been busy recruiting talented designers and it’s so exciting to see their work for sale on the You Said It website and on different marketplaces.
What are your ambitions for the future?
In my career I want to continue working hard and seeing success. In the longer term I’d like to be financially free and maybe go into property investment on the side. In my time off I’d like to show my little boy the world and go on lots of fun adventures with him and my husband.
Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for students today?
I’d say study what you enjoy and make the most of all the experiences university has to offer. If you work hard and believe in yourself everything else will fall into place.
Follow Lindsay's work with You Said It... https://www.yousaidit.co.uk/
Helping graphic designers and artists to sell their own work
Lindsay is looking for graphic designers and artists who may wish to sell their work on greetings cards through the You Said It marketplace. Designers are able to upload their own artwork and select which channels they’d like it to be sold on. With just a couple of clicks they can choose to have their designs available for sale on yousaidit.co.uk and Amazon. They can even opt to sell through You Said It’s wholesale site which supplies greetings cards to gift shops throughout the UK.
Find out more about the You Said It marketplace.
What have you been up to since uni? Done something cool and exciting? Want us to help promote your project or business to the alumni community? Complete our alumni profile form to be considered for our spotlight series.