It ’ s a jungle out there – but that hasn ’ t stopped Adam Park rising up the ranks to create and manage content for some of the biggest brands on social . His work as Head of Social Programming & Production at Jungle Creations , a social first publisher based in London , has seen his ideas and creations followed by millions and seen by billions .
A self-confessed theatre kid , Adam studied BA ( Hons ) Theatre and Film at QMU between 2011 and 2015 . He now uses his theatrical talents and his passion for social media to create ideas that help people thrive online and in the real world . Rather than just studying the current trends , Adam ’ s agency is shaping , creating and breaking them .
From amateur dramatics in Rosyth , to working with Red Bull , Sony Music , Burger King and Oreo , Adam takes us through his journey .
What sparked your interest in the creative arts ?
I was very much a theatre kid at high school and studied drama at an Advanced Higher level . I acted in local am dram productions and performed in shows at the Edinburgh Fringe .
I was also really engaged in digital media from a young age with a keen interest in photography and design . I grew up when social media was just taking off and spent most nights on my computer , learning how to design Bebo backgrounds and getting stuck into other internet legends gone by .
My oldest sister was studying animation at university so I had access to Adobe products and became confident using things like Photoshop and Premiere Pro , which fuelled my learning .
Why did you choose to apply to QMU and what attracted you to the Theatre and Film course ?
Drama was the school subject I got most from and my teachers were keen for me to study acting but I was eager to find a course that combined film production with the aspects of acting I loved .
It was also important that the course offered practice-based learning and wasn ’ t purely theoretical , as one of my biggest goals was to be hands-on and learn practical filmmaking skills .
I liked that the halls were only two minutes away from the University , a dream for 9am lectures !
What did you enjoy most about your course ?
Definitely , the breadth of subjects the course offered , covering everything from contemporary British theatre to videography and screenwriting . As someone who wanted to experience all of what the creative arts had to offer , this was ideal for me . I discovered my strengths and potential career paths .
I also enjoyed the flexibility of being able to choose from a wide range of modules in year three and four , and build specialist skills . This was critical for the media production part of the course as the digital world was changing in real-time . When I started studying , online video was barely existent beyond a few blurry clips on YouTube , so it was exciting to see how my skills were transferable and relevant for many different industries .
What are your most memorable experiences of QMU ? I loved living in Edinburgh ; it ’ s the perfect city to be a student .
At the end of my third year , during the summer of 2014 , I secured a place on the Santander Universities Internship Programme . For 12 weeks , I worked as a Media Intern with the Lothian Autistic Society . It was a brilliant opportunity to gain valuable work experience and was very rewarding to see my work help the charity communicate and promote the amazing work they do .
What did you do after graduation ?
I freelanced for a while , filming football games , creating video ads for local businesses and editing jobs . The job market can be a bit slow after graduation and building a professional portfolio is sometimes tricky but you need to persevere .
At the beginning of 2017 , I made the leap to London in search of full-time roles . I joined Jungle Creations as a Junior Video Editor and loved it from day one . I ’ ve worked in different positions within the company and I ’ m now Head of Social Programming & Production .
I ’ m fortunate to have worked with loads of big brands including Red Bull , Universal , Sony Music , Burger King and Oreo . I ’ ve also produced interviews with well-known celebrities including Gary Lineker , Tom Holland , Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Moss .
The biggest highlight has been working with the charity CALM , to produce a four-part series around exercise and its relationship with mental health . I ’ ve long admired the work they do and creating content with them , which received millions of views , was hugely fulfilling .
What does your role at Jungle Creations involve ?
My main task is to optimise everything we do for social video , overseeing the content that goes out on our six media brands across different platforms to over 130 million followers .
From creative inception and editing to live posting for editorial and commercial content . I approve almost everything you see on a Jungle Creations brand .
What advice would you give to students ?
Make the most of your free time with creative ventures . It may help you after graduation .
You ’ re in a very cool spot in life where you have access to great resources and surrounded by talented people who want to create . ❒
QMYOU / Made at QMU 25