GRACE MONTGOMERY
Twitter: @Grace_Monty
OBJECTIVE: To gain more media experience to further enhance my skills and become more familiar with professional media working environments
MEDIA EXPERIENCE:
November 16th 2011-Ongoing: Talent Project/Aspire4u, Suite 201, Keys Court, 82-84 Moseley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, B12 ORT: Researching, writing articles for the company blog on various topics including music, fashion, youth and general entertainment and also about the Talent Project itself, interviewing, using recording equipment including Ediroles, assisting at events including networking events and auditions for Talent 2012
June 29th 2011-December 2011: Hello-Birmingham magazine, 111 Hagley Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B16 8LB: Researching, writing articles, liaising with photographers, interviewing ‘stylish shoppers’ in Birmingham, organised interviews, Facebook page administrator, promotional work- modelling
August 9-11th 2011: British Sky Broadcasting, 6 Centaurs Business Park, Grant Way, Isleworth, TW7 5QD: Locating tapes from VT library, choosing Getty images for TV listings (resizing, captioning, adding information) emailing other departments, adding audio description script to America’s Next Top Model programme etc
July 2nd-6th 2007: Solihull Observer, 1 The Courtyard, 707 Warwick Road, Solihull, B91 3DA: Shadowing a reporter and photographer, experience in writing press releases, researching and voxpops (collecting people’s opinions on the smoking ban)
TRANSFERABLE SKILLS FROM PART-TIME JOBS:
January-May 2010: Jimmy Spices buffet restaurant: Effective use of communication skills, understanding and tending to customers’ needs
COURSEWORK:
(2011) UNIVERSITY-
News and Feature Writing: Constructing opinion pieces, reviews, profiles, news stories, backgrounders, commissioned articles, features, various articles for group publication 'Scoop' magazine
Broadcast Journalism: Creating news bulletins, presenting, group work
Journalism: Comparing tabloids to broadsheets, researching, group work, attending a press conference as a journalist, creating voxpops, producing news stories
BCUltural Production Event- Journalist: Group work, working with photographers and web designers, blogging, research and planning, interviewing, article writing
(2008-2010) A2: Created the opening 5 minutes for a documentary ‘Obsessed: Body Image’: Documentary analysis, brainstorming, audience research, blogging, teamwork (challenging contributions e.g. working through creative differences within a team), communication skills, shooting and editing footage, using FinalCut (editing, adding transitions etc), adding relevant snippets of music, conducting audience feedback
AS: Produced a front cover, contents and double page spread for a music magazine: Magazine analysis, audience research, taking appropriate images for the genre, using InDesign and Photoshop, article writing, audience feedback
(2006-2008) GCSE: Horror film trailer: Research and planning, group work, storyboarding, filming and editing, adding relevant music/effects
Comic characters: Research and planning, idea development
Newspaper articles: Research and planning, news writing
Radio programme: Research and planning, script-writing, news, jingle, songs, presenting
EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS:
Birmingham City University (2010-onwards)
Solihull Sixth Form College (2008-2010)
Lyndon School Humanities College (2003-2008)
A LEVELS (2010):
Media Studies: A English Language: A Psychology: A*
GCSEs (JUNE 2008):
English: A
English Literature: A
Mathematics: B
Science: C
Science Additional: B
Citizenship: B
Religious Education: B
Information Technology: C
Spanish: A
Geography: B
Media: A
Art: C
KEY SKILLS:
Production related/technical skills:
· Good knowledge of Photoshop
· Use of InDesign for magazine production, FinalCut and Avid for editing footage
· Use of recording devices including Ediroles
Personal skills:
· Ability to work well under pressure- I rise to challenges and always seek to improve
· Good organisational skills- I frequently construct to-do lists and create deadline sheets to prioritise tasks and keep on top of heavy workloads
· Focused- I aim to succeed and strive to achieve tasks to the best of my ability
· Highly motivated- I put in maximum effort with each task
· Good time management skills- I always organise my work and meet set deadlines
· Reliable- I keep in constant communication and I am consistent with my work
· Punctual- I always arrive on time to meetings, events and interviews
· Able to work effectively both within a team and independently- I enjoy teamwork and liaising with other journalists/photographers and can do so co-operatively and successfully, as well as working individually
INTERESTS:
PERSONAL STATEMENT: I am an exceedingly hard-working individual with a passion for good writing. I am a perfectionist who always strives to do the best I can in any given task, with lots of enthusiasm and always working with a positive attitude. I am a keen learner; eager to become more knowledgeable about the industry and continue to develop and flourish as a media practitioner.
· Journalism: Reading, writing, interviewing, researching
· Television: Television dramas, documentaries, quiz shows, soap operas, films
· Reading: Magazines, books, blogs, newspapers and various other publications
· New Media: Frequent usage of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter
· Music: Listen to a variety of genres, from chart music to indie rock
PERSONAL STATEMENT: I am an exceedingly hard-working individual with a passion for good writing. I am a perfectionist who always strives to do the best I can in any given task, with lots of enthusiasm and always working with a positive attitude. I am a keen learner; eager to become more knowledgeable about the industry and continue to develop and flourish as a media practitioner.
REFERENCES: I am happy to supply any references on request
