Source : Chiara Robinson
BRISTALIANS AT WORK :
Bristol ’ s alumni talk media , music and multilingual journalism
I n February , the Italian department hosted the fourth edition of its ‘ Bristalians at Work ’ event , inviting alumni to speak about their careers . The focus this year was on careers in media , with organiser Vera Castiglione reiterating her hope that insight into broadcasting , radio and production would allow “ some seeds to be planted ”.
The first speaker of the afternoon was Hannah Armstrong , who currently works as a producer for the BBC . Armstrong graduated in 2016 with a degree in French and Italian and her passion for radio began at Bristol , when she started producing radio programmes for Burst Radio . That experience gave Armstrong the skills she needed to work at the BBC , but her initial journey was far from straightforward . Armstrong remembered how , when working at BBC Radio Cambridge , the station did not allow female producers into the mixing room . With a passion for radio and the determination to break down barriers , Armstrong has since become audio production ’ s force to be reckoned with .
She has been involved in script writing for radio programmes , the production of audio trails and music mixes , and the packaging of live events like festivals and concerts . Armstrong now uses her “ spare time ” to work on podcasts , which included the BBC ’ s 2023 podcast series Eras , exploring the impact of The Beatles on the music industry .
Source : Paola Celant
Be proactive and persistent , [...] and you can ’ t go wrong .
Armstrong ’ s work has subsequently won two ARIA Gold Awards and a New York Festival Gold Award , marking her meteoric rise which started in Bristol .
It is a similar story for Ivana Scatola , who now works as a Digital Video Producer at CNN London . Scatola graduated in 2015 with a degree in French and Italian and , during her time at Bristol , she contributed to university broadsheet Epigram and La Civetta . Her work now entails presenting and producing English-language social media content for CNN , which she stressed was vital for anyone in media to “ futureproof ” their skills .
But how have languages helped Scatola in her career ? She pointed out that languages “ are really , really useful ” – in fact , her journey might not have been possible without them . Scatola started at French news channels AFP and later France 24 , working as a reporter and producer . That led to her four-year stint at the BBC , where she worked as a broadcast journalist for the World Service , using her degree to collaborate with the BBC ’ s international language teams . In May 2023 , Scatola took up her current role with CNN .
Scatola ’ s work with languages has predominantly relied on her knowledge of French and Francophone culture , as underlined by her coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics . But she noted that Italian has helped her stand out in a newsroom where few people speak the language , holding the key to covering news in Italy , including last summer ’ s Bayesian yacht sinking off the coast of Sicily and the 2018 collapse of Genoa ’ s Morandi bridge .
While the seeds of Scatola ’ s career were planted in Bristol , Sofia Lewis ’ s journey into news journalism was entirely different . Lewis is currently a journalist for ITV Wales who graduated in Italian and Spanish in 2018 , but she initially had no plans to go into media .
While living at home in Wales , Lewis started exploring ways into the industry , and she began cold pitching story ideas to media outlets . Lewis admits she was disheartened by rejections but eventually made a breakthrough pitching an article idea about a Banksy mural in her hometown , Port Talbot . A succession of bylines in The Independent , Vice and The Guardian all followed and , in 2022 , Lewis received a place on ITV ’ s News Trainee scheme in Cardiff . She has stayed at ITV since , working as a Regional Liaison News Editor and Output Producer .
So what is the secret to her success ? “ Be proactive and persistent ,” she said , “ and you can ’ t go wrong .”
While Lewis and Scatola have forged their careers in front of camera , Emily Stoker has developed her pedigree behind it . Stoker is a video producer who has filmed and created content for the BBC , Channel 4 and National Geographic . But her work has been so varied that , “ when people ask me what I do , I never know how to respond .”
Stoker graduated with a degree in French and Italian in 2016 and moved to Italy after university . She started working with charities as a freelance video producer and , in 2018 , co-founded Social Lens Studio , an awardwinning documentary production company . Since then , Stoker has worked on both Channel 4 ’ s A Place in the Sun and Channel 5 ’ s series World ’ s Most Scenic River Journeys . Her language skills have played a key part in her early career progression : her work with Channel 4 and Channel 5 involved liaising with French and Italian contributors and , in 2021 , she worked with National Geographic on the documentary Lost Treasures of Ancient Rome .
All four speakers have had success in the media industry since leaving Bristol , so how can the next generation of multilingual students follow suit ? For Stoker , language skills are already a major advantage but building your own personal brand is key to making it into media . Lewis offered a similar view : “ Find ways to stand out ,” she said . “ What experience do you have ? What is your USP ?”
The ‘ Bristalians at Work ’ event is fastbecoming one of the Italian department ’ s annual successes and the illustrious careers of Armstrong , Scatola , Lewis and Stoker showcased how a degree in Italian opens up a world of prospects .
By Bruno Quinney ( He / Him ) // Final Year ; French , Italian and Portuguese
Source : Paola Celant Page 84