BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing
Name
Rebecca Oates
What course did you study?
English and Creative Writing
Year of graduation
2013
Where are you from originally?
The Wirral
Why University of Cumbria, what attracted you?
I fell in love with the Lancaster campus when I visited, and when speaking to the lecturers I got the impression that they loved their jobs and were passionate about the subjects.
Job title
Script Consultant
Current employer
Freelance
What sector/industry do you work in?
Film and Television
Briefly describe your role and responsibilities
My work involves reading script submissions and writing coverage reports, which break down each script into their key components (pace, story, characterisation, market potential) and give the writer tips on how to improve.
Briefly describe your career progression from graduation to where you are now
Like most people, I fell into retail work after graduation. I worked at HMV - while job hunting - for about 10 months before a job came up to work as a proof reader and tester for an e-learning company. After a year, I was promoted to content writer, which I loved. The company was badly run and became toxic, so I left about two years after my promotion. From there, I went on to work as a website developer at a digital agency. I then left that paying job to take unpaid work experience at Hurricane Films, as I've always wanted to work in media production. I learned script reading skills there for 6 months, but had to leave in order to earn money. I stuck it out as a Civil Servant for 18 months, before committing to my dreams and becoming a script consultant.
What is the most satisfying aspect of your job?
I love everything about my job, except that it lacks some of the security that came with some I've held in the past. I learn something new from each script I read, and it feels good to know that I'm helping someone else get closer to their dreams.
What are your ambitions, now and in the future?
In September, I start an MA in Screenwriting. I've also applied to join a script editor training programme, which I would complete around my Master's. My aim is to be employed as a junior script editor by the time I turn 30, which is only 18 months away, and I feel like I'm on the right track.
Looking back, what advice would you give yourself when you just graduated?
I would tell myself to suck it up and move to one of the hubs for media production, like Manchester or London, as there is just not enough going on in Liverpool. I should have stuck it out in retail a bit longer and not settled on the first office job that was only tangentially related to my degree.
What top tips would you give to new alumni who are wishing to pursue a similar career to you?
Join Facebook groups related to the field you're interested in, as so many jobs get advertised there. Listen to people who have experience in the industry - it is notoriously difficult to break into, and people will be blunt with you in order to bring out your best. Don't take tough advice or rejection to heart. And don't ever work for free - you won't get the level of exposure they promise, and all work deserves to be paid for.
Do you have any support messages for the class of 2020, just embarking on their careers during the Covid-19 pandemic?
You're entering a weird job market. The job you take now will look very different to how it would have done 12 months ago, and it will look different again 12 months from now. You might have to settle for something that doesn't inspire you, and you might have to work at McDonald's even though we were all told that we were going to University to avoid that. Always be on the lookout for something that you'll love. Don't worry if, after a year, your CV is filled with odd jobs you were only in for a month or two at a time. Temporary placements are normal, and any one of them has the potential to lead to something bigger.