The most powerful tool for self-development alongside gaining actual experience is having a mentor (or ideally, mentors). In this post, I give an overview of how my career to date has been shaped massively by three mentors I had across three different periods, and how each of their differing skillsets played a huge part in my development.
STARTING OUT - LEARNING THE CRAFT
Ben Marks literally taught me everything there is to know to start a career in radio imaging. He was station producer at GWR back in 2008 when I joined the station as a Black Thunder street team member, looking for an extra pair of hands to help with audio editing and grabbing vox pop audio on the street. Knowing I had a music technology degree from my CV, my street team boss introduced me to Ben who then proceeded to show me exactly what he did and what radio imaging was. I was hooked. From that point, I’d go in every day and grab vox pops and do simple audio tasks for Ben, in exchange he’d give me a script and voiceover for a promo to go away and make, and then run through it with me to coach me and help me learn. Each time we’d do three good things, three to improve. We did this for 18 months, by which point I’d gathered enough good audio to make a showreel and start applying for imaging roles. After two years, UKRD Group (who were in the building over the road!) offered me my first full-time professional role.
Ben is now one of the best imaging producers on the planet, working previously with Pure Tonic Media who then became part of Reelworld, which is where he is today. He is a master of rhythmic imaging with musical flow and energy and is largely responsible for the fundamentals of my own sound to this day. He taught me how to place syllables on beat, how to make an imaging piece flow both rhythmically and musically, how to use and edit music in powerful ways. Without him, I wouldn’t even be in radio… Fortunately we’re friends to this day, and I still send him audio and value his feedback!
FIRST PROFESSIONAL ROLE - SPACE TO GROW
Colin McGinness was Group Production Manager at UKRD Group and was the man who took a punt on me as a young upstart back in 2010. Col’s skillset was very different to Ben’s. Where Ben was brilliant at musical and energetic imaging, Col was a master storyteller. He could weave soundscapes and features better than anyone, winning countless awards at the New York Festivals for his Armistice Day feature pieces. He taught me the importance of script writing, utilising silence, giving things space and time to breathe and land in the listeners mind, as well as a key concept - utilising emotion and empathy. His work made people laugh and cry, often at the same time. He was also great fun to work with. I look back on that 7 year spell at UKRD as one of the most enjoyable times in my career. We had a talented small team and a great working environment, one of those periods where you all know it won’t last forever - but enjoy it and savour it while you’re in it.
HIGH-END SERVICE - TECHNICAL DETAIL TO ELEVATE YOUR SKILLSET
In 2014 whilst working at UKRD Group, I was given the opportunity to work on the launch team of Wise Buddah’s brand new imaging service, IMGR, as a freelancer. It’s worth noting at this point that it was with UKRD Group’s blessing, as they thought it’d be good for my development. I don’t think many companies would say that now! They thought the skills I would learn with IMGR would benefit them in the work I did day-to-day. And they’d be right. I was working under George Taylor, whose previous work for Pure Tonic Media I admired hugely. The major pull of the role was the opportunity to work with George and learn from him. I wasn’t disappointed. George’s superpower was his technical knowledge and attention to detail, it was unlike anything I’d seen before. He taught me how to EQ and compress properly, how to use and make adjustments using frequency analysers, how to make vocal drops and shouts sit in the mix properly, creative processing tricks, vocal processing… the list goes on. He opened up so many areas I’d had no development in thus far, and piqued my interest in music production too. George now works in music production and jingles for Wise Buddah as well as on his own music outfit Drumtap, and continues to be a genius!
SUMMARY
The above isn’t meant to be a self-indulgent trip down memory lane, I wanted to highlight just how big an impact that good mentors can have on both your development and, as a consequence, your career.
I was incredibly lucky to have three world-class mentors in the three roles I describe above, each complimenting the other. They gave me opportunity to grow, make my own mistakes and learn from them, as well as guiding me and steering me in the right direction. By utilising all three, my self development skyrocketed, and I’ll be forever grateful to all of them.
So it sounds great right, get yourself a mentor or two. But how? With remote working in the current climate and teams spread out across the globe, how do you do it? It’s actually easier than ever. The radio imaging community is very welcoming and open to networking, so if there’s a particular producer you admire - reach out to them! Ask for guidance or advice, strike up a relationship. Most give it freely and “pay it forward”. If you don’t ask, you won’t get anything. What’s the worst that could happen?! Personally, I’m more than happy to help anyone who contacts me where I can. Great producers such as Chris Nicoll, Denzil Lacey, Rob Wills, James Lawson, Matt Fisher and many others I could name are all happy to be contacted and give advice where they can. Why not get in touch and see if you can strike up a relationship? You never know, it might just be the best thing you every do in your career.
Cheers,
Adam.