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Goodbye for now!

 

This will sadly be my final blog. Thank you to anyone that has read, responded, or contacted me through my radio channels and email. I have written for many different publications throughout my time at school, uni and now working life. I’ve always wanted to blog but knew I would never keep it up if I ventured it on my own, ie. starting my own site or YouTube channel for that matter. Being held accountable to such an inspiring team has made it easy to feel motivated and willing to write for readers each month as well as everyone else that contributes. I am proud to have been part of such a fun project!

I have always incorporated music and blogging into my academic life. My dissertation included lots of audio interviews and links out to my Soundcloud and Mixcloud pages. I also still have my BBC recording equipment ready for when I next feel inspired to create a podcast. We are all probably looking forward to listening to more music as the nights get cooler and cozy nights in are the way forward. Even blogging as a whole in the industry has been making a relative comeback, across beauty, music, tech and everything in-between! We are also seeing a new podcast launch every minute which can only be a good thing.

The lack of live music at the moment can at least be replaced creatively by musicians going live on Instagram or YouTube, interacting with viewers, and making sure their music lives on. I was lucky enough to attend the outdoor venue in Newcastle earlier in the year to see ABBA and Beatles tribute acts which was so much fun. I do hope outdoor, spaced-out, less crowded venues are the way forward. The industry now needs to look at new ways to be seen, whether that be on social media platforms or back to old school via newspapers and magazines, it will always be an area that is growing as people look for more forms of entertainment.

I know I currently have endless lists of TV shows and films to watch as well as classic albums and new podcasts. As long as we keep creating, we keep listening! Best of luck to everyone for 2021, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you on another blog somewhere in the future most likely.

Time to Listen

Clearing out the loft, the garage and every cupboard and drawer of my parents’ house has had its perks in the form of vinyl, tapes, VHS cassettes, mixtapes, CDs and DVDs. There is a chance they have collections to be envied. They have albums they didn’t even know they owned with unknown handwriting, original covers/cases, and some labels as ‘Class 3 or Class 7’, coming most certainly from ‘show and tell’ lessons at school in the 60s.

This has filled time when trying not to watch too much TV and avoiding screens after working from the phone via a laptop all day. We’ve listened to everything from Carole King to Fleetwood Mac, to more recent purchases of Jake Bugg and Harry Styles. Other vinyls include Van Morrison, Frank Sinatra, Jane Fonda (lol), Eric Clapton, Steely Dan, and The Four Seasons.

DVD wise I constantly have a long list of films I plan to watch, but often opt for podcasts or shorter 30 minute TV sitcoms such as Miranda, Outnumbered, or more recently The Stranger and Sherlock on Netflix. Writing this has certainly made me realise the amount of media I have consumed over the past few weeks! I have ticked off Rendition and Pride and Prejudice from my list finally, with Pulp Fiction and Harry Potter 3 still to go (bizarrely managed to miss the worldwide Harry Potter hype back in the day and have still only seen the first two). Managed to find a DVD named ‘Alexandra’s videos’ which will not play on any device we own, so eagerly awaiting a time when I can ask a friend to try it on their TV/laptops.

Back to the music, we have huge collections of Elton John, The Police, The Beatles, and David Cassidy. I have been taking the posters out of the vinyl covers and plastering them on my wall, although never a real fan, my childhood bedroom walls are now sporting ginormous Toto and Wings Over America, Paul McCartney posters.

Finally, onto VHS’, many of which I remember watching as a child, I loved Riverdance and definitely imagined myself as a future dancer. My mum and I re-watched Carole King’s live set the other day and had a great dance party. The Neil Diamond film too is a favourite of my Dad’s. We still have Bruce Springstein, Eurythmics, Carly Simon, and Dire Straits to go. We are probably one of the only households that can easily play tapes, VHS, and vinyl but struggle with a DVD or Spotify playlist!

We did manage to set up a Bluetooth speaker this week that I bought my brother for Xmas, he clearly left it behind as he has a fancier one of his own, but my mum persevered and finally got Johnny Hates Jazz on the speaker via YouTube on her phone. So tech. The irony that a lot of my work revolves around social media is quite hilarious.

 

The Power Of Audio

The online podcasting space is a playground for creators to innovate, connect and influence. What was once an underground movement is now an oversaturated market of opportunity for brands to speak to their customers directly. The development and global reach of podcasts continue to show how digital-first talent can create a streamlined partnership between their unique content and a brand, leading to what can be a successful revenue stream for both parties. However, with the widespread belief that “everyone has a podcast”, the challenge becomes how to stand out, create distinctive formats and effectively position sponsors within podcasts. It is important to note how podcasts can give a voice to smaller companies and niche markets in a succinct way. Conversations around branded partnerships on podcasts have escalated as the combination of creativity, a new platform and a new audience is increasingly attractive to brands.

With wide-ranging genres and topics, podcasts are increasingly pertinent in the media world to compete with the constant production of online content. The new wave of podcasting has increased the number of online places you can go to for information. There is an unlimited possibility for people to learn from others. The function of a podcast does not always have to be educational; most are far from it. Many comedians have turned to podcasts as a way to showcase their best work, edited in a way in which suits them. There are very few unedited, raw podcasts as producers lean towards a more stylishly finished piece with soundbites, clean-cut features and intro/outro music. All these different styles could look to integrate a brand partner that matches the themes and tones of the conversations.

YouTube once acted as the progressive powerhouse, a petri dish of creativity. It was an evolutionary form of “edutainment”. Too many podcasts jumping out of our screens every day may suck the creative content out of the world if every comedy duo around starts to host their own weekly conversational podcast. The sponsored messaging within podcasts must continue to evolve and represent current climates and global situations. Both brands and hosts of podcasts must work together to design creative, relatable and concise ad breaks within the episodes. We are living in a world of constant search to experience real-life through a virtual form, whether that be via audio or video. We are also becoming more distracted, 64% of young people are “online” when watching TV (Social Chain, 2018). This means that podcasts must move with the times and speak to their audiences honestly and authentically, becoming more creative with every change they make in order to maintain our attention.

New forms of immaterial, digital labour envelope our everyday lives.  Podcasting can be a form of labour in which you are constantly immersed. In order to network and succeed, you could always record one more episode, the belief being that the risk of becoming irrelevant is managed through social connections. What must be avoided is the tragic love story of creativity and success. Creative media appeals to those with a forward-looking vision. Listeners could be described as the “losers that keep waiting to be seen”, the dreamers amongst us that place value on positivity. Podcasters can weaponise nostalgia, hitting us with anecdotes, comedy sketches and old-school ways of living, allowing escapism from the real world. If a brand can produce messaging and continuously engaging information via an ad read, listeners will return for more and be more likely to investigate the product or service being advertised and brands can ensure the value is felt with full effect.

Film and television often represent historical standards of unfair representation and social norms, whereas podcasts by new wave millennials advocate more activism in the media industry to encourage inclusive, multi-faceted and ambitious creations. The influence on attitudes via audio-visual communication and advertising can be staggering. Challenging conversations lead to progression. This activism will increase the integrity of creative industries. It is interesting to evaluate the difference in influence between mainstream television and radio programmes and new media. Presenters of television and radio can often feel detached from their audience. Particularly when working with unbiased corporations, where they’re unable to promote or discuss any of their own opinions. This means that the audience, although engaging in their millions, does not know anything about the personal life of the person they are watching. They are not invested in their lives. They have no attachment. In contrast, digital-first talent has amassed their following by being open and honest online and giving their truthful opinions on everything ranging from food to politics to veganism. In the current climate of hedonistic lifestyles, it is unsurprising that online social media talent can influence audiences more than mainstream media. Taking this into consideration, it could be confidently suggested that partnering with podcasts is a great way to reach new audiences and provide clear explanations of what a certain brand may offer.

As podcasts provide copious amounts of content with the offer of inspiration, ideas and advice to make business and life decisions, they can be incredibly influential. You feel connected to a person through headphones, carrying out active listening such as nodding your head, laughing or verbally agreeing with someone that is not physically there. It is an exciting time for brands to be involved with a new wave of creative entrepreneurs that are using a simple medium to build global connections around the world. Podcasts whether they be educational, comical, fiction or everything in between bring people together in a shared moment of relatability. Quick and easy listening styles of podcasts sponsorships leave people wanting more and the content can be made personal to all listeners. Brands should be on the lookout for a podcast partner that matches their brand values and demographic, as it will enable them to reach a new audience using a creative and effective ad format.

Find a Side Hustle

 

The weeks may be dragging, the weeks may be absolutely flying by. Everything is the same yet everything is different. For everyone! One day it’s all fun and games, others it can seem too overwhelming to stay on top of anything. My plan every weekend for the past few weeks (months) has been to do email outreach for my podcast but life easily finds a way to get in the way!

I find that keeping a diary/agenda, as well as a daily journal and reminders on my phone calendar really makes a difference. Taking each week, one week at a time is also a good way to get through a to-do list that has always seemed never-ending and provides no motivational pull whatsoever. I have also planned to read two books a month, which I am top of at the moment by literally putting in calendar reminders to read! It is so easy to watch TV or be on my phone instead, but I am trying my best to read even just a little bit every night. In general, doing one tiny thing a day that leads towards making something out of your potential side hustle can make a difference.

On another note, I have become obsessed with a songwriting podcast called ‘And The Writer Is…’. It had been on my list for so long due to the Instagram shout-out from Alice Levine at BBC Radio 1, but it has been well worth the wait! I am currently still bingeing the 2017 episodes and have decided that songwriting will be my new venture. My Dad is an unexpected poet, perhaps I can make a move into songwriting? It is a fascinating industry, there is so much to know and learn and I feel like it is such an undercover movement that you wouldn’t know about it unless you were in it.

My plan is to first binge this podcast, then get writing, one song a day is what they recommend, then start on the cold call email reach outs and then see what happens! I will keep you updated. Who knows what could happen.

Best of luck to all your side hustles. Keep going, stay invested, and always try out new ideas! Creativity is the future.

BBC Sounds Podcast is Live

January can be quite a busy month for most people. New goals, new mindsets, new plans. I have always loved January as it is my birthday month, as well as many of my friends’ birthdays. The month has already flown by! I celebrated NYE in Newcastle with a uni friend then returned to work in London. Despite being known to be a “slower month” in the industry, I managed to stay busy! I have taken a week to continue my birthday celebrations, a few days in York with my mum and a trip to Lisbon with a friend. I don’t want the fun to end!

In more exciting and relevant news, my BBC Sounds audio piece is live! It went up on 16th January and started to gain traction on Instagram on 22nd January. I am yet to post about it on my personal social channels and may not get round to that until February, so stay tuned! I have mentioned the piece before, but for anyone who doesn’t know, this is how the BBC have described it:

I have flown the family nest for the bright lights of London. I usually don’t realise I miss home until I hear the Geordie accent in an unexpected place. A park, a coffee shop, the tube. My parents are polar opposites. Mum is the life and soul of the party, usually connected to a telephone, but as for Dad… He’s a poet. Some artists appear out of the blue. My 58-year-old Scottish father deals with the passing of a friend, his wife’s endless diets and his children’s travels abroad by putting pen to paper. His spelling is awful and the rhyming can be questionable but it definitely brings a laugh to anyone that has the pleasure of hearing them!. And he uses his autobiographical poetic content to communicate with the rest of the family. Through family conversation and anecdotal comedic poems, this piece will remind you that some of the best moments can happen in the home. My Dad is a poet and he really didn’t know it. New Creatives is supported by Arts Council England and BBC Arts.

This has been about a year in the making, with my initial application to the programme occurring when I was working in Seville between January and April 2019. I am so happy with the progress I made completing the BBC New Creatives scheme, learning about how to distribute and market my own audio work. This has been difficult to carry out when applying for many different jobs and then once more after moving to London for a full-time job. I hope that this audio piece can lead to more increasingly exciting opportunities in the near future! I know my Dad would love for his work to be picked up and published! I had always suggested he make a book with all his poems, but a podcast is another fun alternative!

You can find a link to my work here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0801sr8

Best of luck to everyone’s 2020 endeavours!

One Year On

I can’t believe it is almost 2020. Probably how most blogs are going to start in the coming weeks. I started this blog in January 2019, at home in Newcastle, six months after graduating from the University of Exeter, UK, still without a “real job.” I had volunteered at festivals throughout the summer, worked the whole month at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and was debating between doing a ski season in France or moving to Sevilla, Spain, to work at a TV/film production company. I went with the latter, deciding it was more related to the career path I wanted to take. The three months in Spain were amazing for my language skills, meeting new people, and discovering a new city. However, in April 2019, I was back to square one again, at home in Newcastle without full-time employment.

I again volunteered at festivals, worked as a TV runner in a freelance/very on-off capacity, and was filling out job applications every day for everything from journalism to consultancy to working in theatres and production companies. In May, things very quickly went from screening phone calls to face-to-face to final stage Skype with a talent management company. Not something I’d ever considered before, or even to a real-life job people did! I’d known of the company for many years and followed the industry of YouTube, blogging, and podcasts for many years, too, but had no idea this could be an industry I could be qualified to work in.

I started on July 1st, 2019, and I’m still in the same job! I passed my 3-month probation in October and will hopefully pass the 6-month one in January. I love every aspect of it. Even the “boring/less fun” parts of the job, in my opinion, such as finance and legal, are relatively interesting in the context of the work. Every day is different, I work with brilliant people, and  I genuinely learn something new every day, whether it be some behind-the-scenes tech knowledge of Instagram or random law jargon. I am hoping to continue to write this blog bi-monthly in 2020, so I can hopefully document the journey going forward!

Last week, I attended the second annual BBC Radio 4 Student Journalism Awards, in which I won the 2018 prize for ‘Best Student Programme’ last year. It was so great to return and be able to talk about the work I’ve done since and give advice to current students – mainly to make the most of the flexibility and freedom of university and enjoy it while it lasts!

I can’t wait to see what the next year brings. Will I stay in London? Will I be in the same house share? Will I live abroad again? Will I develop within the same company? (I hope so!) Who will I meet? What exciting events will I go to? Which fun work projects will I be involved in? I need to start writing my New Year’s Resolutions soon, I know two of them already:

Thank you for reading my final blog post of 2019, see you in 2020!

WHERE ELSE TO FIND ME:

Sobremesa (tri-lingual student radio show archive): https://www.mixcloud.com/Alexandra_McLeod/

Media things Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AlexandraSobremesa/

YouTube and Geography blog: https://alexandrasobremesa.wordpress.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-mcleod-79b7a8107?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Launching Content 

In 2019, most people can class themselves as a content creator. Whether you post pictures on Instagram, are in a band or write poetry in your spare time, you’re creating content. The more difficult part is getting people to notice (if that’s what you want to do of course).

As I have come towards the end of the BBC New Creatives scheme, myself and the team are planning how to promote the audio piece and which platforms it will sit best on. The piece is a five-minute clip of my Dad reading out his poems, snippets of family conversations, and me reading out emails and letters my Dad has written to me over the years.

I will most likely put the “podcast”/audio piece on SoundCloud, where I first started posting commentary with friends on my Dad’s poems throughout university:

https://soundcloud.com/yadroteoem

I then hope to post a relevant image of my parents on my Instagram page, along with a clip of the audio and subtitles for the dialogue. I haven’t figured out how to do this yet, but I will do! I will also post on my Facebook page that was dedicated to my tri-lingual student radio show and now is used for any media updates and opportunities through my work.

I will place a link on my website to my SoundCloud. I, unfortunately, will not be able to post on Mixcloud as the audio piece is too short. I will make sure to tag everyone that has been involved, from BBC New Creatives, Naked Productions, Tyneside Cinema, Arts Council England, and BBC Arts. I will post on LinkedIn too at some point and add to my profile.

This blog has also been such a great way to document the process! I hope to be able to continue talking about my side projects and creative endeavours. The final workshop in Newcastle for BBC New Creatives was a great way to see and listen to all the work created by different participants. It was so inspiring to see how experimental and inventive everyone had been.

I can’t wait to see the journey of all the different projects!

Check out the link here to all the projects:

https://newcreatives.co.uk/creatives

One issue has been the name of my podcast; we’re still working on that one and will have it confirmed soon hopefully!

WHERE ELSE TO FIND ME:

Tri-lingual radio show (Sobremesa): https://www.mixcloud.com/Alexandra_McLeod/

Sobremesa Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AlexandraSobremesa/

YouTube and Geography blog: https://alexandrasobremesa.wordpress.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-mcleod-79b7a8107?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

New Podcast Finds

I’ve written about podcasts before. Listening to them. Producing them. Presenting them. They remain one of my favourite mediums of entertainment and education. I’m also running out of audio topics to expand upon! So, this month I decided to write up some mini-reviews of new podcasts I have discovered. Some I have completed and listened to in full, some I am binging at the moment and others I haven’t even started yet and are on my ‘Listen to’ list.

I Shouldn’t Say This…But

 

This is presented by Katy Leeson, Managing Director of Social Chain UK. I found it through Steven Bartlett’s podcast (Diary of a CEO). It is very raw, natural, and unedited. Well, it is at the moment, I am still on December 2018 episodes, to be honest. I have about 40 to listen to which is great. They vary in length but are relatively short (30 – 40 minutes) and easily digestible. There is also a producer (Dodds) that vocalises his opinions and adds value with his ‘devil’s advocate’ comments. Topics about personal emotions, professional struggles, and taboo subjects are covered each week.

Teenage Mixtape

This is hosted by Joel Dommett (comedian and presenter) and Steve Dunne (comedian). They are childhood best friends which makes the podcast flow easily, their conversation is friendly and not forced. The guests are often male British comedians (Iain Stirling, Rhys James). Most likely their close friends and colleagues which makes the vibe very funny and comfortable. The structure is asking certain questions around music, for example, first album you bought? A song that reminds you of a teenage crush? This results in creating a 10 – 12 song mixtape. It often reminds you of classics you may have forgotten about.

Dear Joan & Jerika

This was recommended by a colleague of mine. It. Is. Epic. I was warned how “near the knuckle” and controversial it was. But it is hilarious. I don’t know the actors/presenters but they are incredibly talented. (Update! Upon searching for the thumbnail image, I have realised I do know Julia Davis, from Gavin and Stacey). Highly recommend this podcast to anyone that also loves ‘My Dad Wrote A Porno’.

Doing It! with Hannah Witton

I have followed Hannah’s YouTube channel for many years, therefore, it was likely that I would enjoy her podcast. She broaches topics including sex, relationships, feminism, sexuality, and pregnancy. Her guests are diverse, interesting and have a huge amount of expertise. Any young woman that wants to learn more about their body should listen.

This Might Get Weird

A long-term YouTube duo. Grace Helbig and Mamrie Hart. Comedians, actors, presenters, and social media creators. They’ve done it all. They have managed to create a hilarious podcast merely discussing the weirdest moments of their week. You would think there couldn’t possibly be that many but you would be wrong. These women are hard-working and dedicated to their loyal audience and deserve a TV show eventually.

There are so many more podcasts I want to listen to including:

Call Your Girlfriend

And The Writer Is…with Ross Golan

Phil Taggart’s Slacker Podcast

Feminists Don’t Wear Pink

What are you listening to right now?

 SoundGirls Suggestions – Women in Audio Podcasts

WHERE ELSE TO FIND ME:

Tri-lingual radio show (Sobremesa): https://www.mixcloud.com/Alexandra_McLeod/

Sobremesa Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AlexandraSobremesa/

YouTube and Geography blog: https://alexandrasobremesa.wordpress.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-mcleod-79b7a8107?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Moving to London to Pursue Media

On the 1st of July, I moved from Newcastle to London to pursue the media dream. I had been applying for multiple different jobs in many locations, including Barcelona, Edinburgh, Bristol, and Brighton. I had no real desire or desperate need to move to London as I had never lived there before. It can often seem at UK universities that the obvious thing to do straight after graduation is to move to London to start a grad job on Sep 1st. I had only ever traveled through busy airports and train stations in London to transfer elsewhere or had been there and back in a day for interviews and assessment centres. I visited London for the first time at age 18, which can be seen to be rare for someone UK based.

It all happened relatively quickly; I’ll give a short break-down of my application process below:

I am working in an exciting industry in a company I have been aware of for around eight years. It is not directly associated with audio, but there will be elements for me to learn more about podcasting and music production hopefully. I am five weeks in, and I love it. I learn something new each day and have a great team around me that have such a vast range of knowledge and skills regarding TV, advertising, social media, film, music, theatre, podcasts, radio, law – and so much more!

The physical move down to London, however, was quite stressful. I thought finding somewhere to live for my year abroad in Bordeaux, France was difficult, but this may have been worse, or more disheartening at least. I used SpareRoom.co.uk to start looking for properties a few weeks before I was planning to move down. I was met with many responses stating that I was too early to be getting in touch. I contacted 64 people on the website, got around 30 replies, and visited 20 properties. The way I did it was staying in an Airbnb for four days in London to find a place. I went to seven viewings on my first day and was at the point of moving back home at the end of the day. I had never experienced so many out of date or misleading advertisements. I realised how lucky I was to have had a relatively easy university experience in terms of first-year halls and second and fourth year housing. This was next level.

I spent every evening contacting different people, scouring search results for something in my budget, with as short a commute to work as possible. I also wanted to live with other people and preferably those that spoke French and/or Spanish to keep up my language skills (I’m aware I was probably asking for too much!). I then resorted to Facebook pages to enquire about renting rooms. I kept notes about every property in my red notebook so that I could analyse and make decisions at the end of the day. I rated each place out of 10.

 

 

In the end, I got lucky. I found a nice big room in a 3-floor house with two other really nice girls. We have a garden and I have a direct tube route to work. It’s all going so well so far! I would recommend anyone moving to London, or any other city that is known for it’s “housing crisis” to not take the first thing you see. I know I had the privilege of being able to stay in an Airbnb for a few days, but I can’t imagine if I had felt pressured to take the first property I saw. I understand now why there is such an issue in large urban cities with landlords that take advantage of tenants and tenants feeling unable to do anything about it.

I am settled into my new house and job now, enjoying London life each day and trying not to get too busy or become too overwhelmed by it all. It feels like such a great time for me to have moved to London. I could never have done it when I was 18, or even last year straight out of uni.

 

 

I wish everyone else that is making big moves the best of luck!

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