LMA Creative Futures Tour Inspires Chelmsford College Students
Chelmsford College had the pleasure of welcoming the LMA Creative Futures Tour on Friday the 6th November, giving students from across different subject areas an insight into the opportunities available within the creative industries. The visit brought together professionals and current LMA students to share their experiences, career journeys and advice with students interested in exploring creative careers.
Adam Perry, Director of Events and Brand at LMA, hosted an interview-style discussion with Rianna Alexander, Strategist and LMA Lecturer, and industry guest speaker Harpal Khambay who is a Freelance Production Coordinator, along with current LMA students Abbie Connor and Joshua Lord.
The speakers highlighted the many different routes into the creative industries and how a fulfilling career can take shape in unexpected ways. They shared honest insights into their own experiences, offering practical advice and encouraging students to build a broad range of skills and remain open to different opportunities.
Rianna spoke about how a job opportunity in South Korea, just one year after graduating from university, helped shape the start of her career. The experience allowed her to build valuable connections and move into social media management. She has since worked across events, social media and production, including Eurovision for TikTok, and now undertakes agency work for Havas Play UK. She highlighted the importance of being adaptable and gaining experience across different areas of the industry.
arpal also demonstrated how career paths do not always follow a traditional route. After working at Waitrose, he successfully interviewed for a role on BBC drama Doctors, despite having no previous television experience. Although he did not get the original position, the production team offered him a role as a Production Secretary, which he held for two years. This inspiringly led to further opportunities, including working on EastEnders. He now works freelance and has built experience across live television roles, including BBC's The One Show.
Abbie and Joshua shared their enthusiasm for studying at LMA and discussed the opportunities available to Chelmsford College students who may be considering taking their next steps after College.
Fiona Byford-Smith, Information, Advice and Guidance Advisor at Chelmsford College, who helped organise the visit, said "It was a really lively and engaging event, which our Performing Arts and Creative Industries learners found particularly useful. Hearing directly from people working in the industry gave students a valuable insight into the different career paths available and the range of opportunities within the creative sector. It also highlighted that there are exciting business and production opportunities beyond the roles people might first think of."
Chelmsford College always values the visits of guest speakers and continues to prioritise highlighting opportunities to its students. The visit successfully gave students the chance to hear first-hand experiences from people at different stages of their careers, helping them understand the variety of possibilities within the creative industries and the value of building connections, developing transferable skills and staying open to new opportunities.