Musical break in Leeds

So this weekend I ventured up to Leeds to relax and spend sometime with musicians. I haven’t been to Leeds since I was younger, so the breakaway done me good!

However during my stay I realised just how quick time flies by. Just as I left it felt like I had only just arrived, yet I had achieved so much. Those times when you can be on your own in your own space many of life’s beautiful treasures shine through, and the creativity is immense. Not only did I plan some more of my book but I had time to digest my life to this day, and be thankful for all the people around me that give me the strength to pull through the hard times. 

Along the way we certainly endure many challenges but in a weird way, I wouldn’t change it. Without the hard times I would never of grown to be a better person, learn from the mistakes and understand how to do things differently the next time. 

Being around musical individuals really pushed my creativity to new levels. Not only that but I found my knowledge rocket, as I asked questions about space and reverb for example. The talent of some people actually blows my mind, and it’s quite funny how people tend to not realise their own talent, thus limiting their confidence to reach their full potential. 

I love music. It’s that simple. It has a key to my heart and soul and takes me on a spiritual journey of some sort, depending on the genre of song and memories that come with it. It’s a magical experience and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Music+words=happiest girl in the world.

Royal Courts of Justice Day

On the 1 December 2014 I had the opportunity to visit the Royal Courts of London.  A relative of mine introduced me to an in-house journalist who works in the Press Association building in the Royal Courts.

I had the day to completely enjoy myself and take it all in as well as shadow a top UK working journalist around the courts. I got to ask lots of questions and network with other journalists in the office too.

We dominantly visited the Family Courts and I got to sit in the media section with the PA journalist and take notes on what I thought was relevant. Afterwards I visited the Rolls, across from the Royal Courts, where all of the barristers work from to investigate their cases.

I really enjoyed sitting in on Gordon Ramsay’s court case, which was about his business and the fraud that has been happening among other parties in relation to his authority. Eagerly, I took lots of notes and asked everything I have been curious about within the journalism industry and obtained a lot of qualitative information for personal use about court cases in general.

On the day, I was truly inspired and I could imagine myself as a journalist working in the Royal Courts, walking around all day jumping in and out of court rooms in bid to capture a story.

I am very grateful to have met people from Bloomberg News, Strand News and Press Association, so the whole day in itself was highly productive and extremely valuable as I have now built up a list of journalists that are happy to help and assist me on my journalistic journey.

Black Friday in the UK

On 28 November, the new, famous day arrived: Black Friday. Black Frida is the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the US and has been regarded as the Christmas shopping, festive time. Most retailers open early and offer their best promotional sales to customers, in bid to boost their sales and at the same time offering the public a chance to buy heavily reduced goods.

The day began in the US but now the UK follow the tradition too. British consumers were first introduced to the idea back in 2010 when Amazon began offering customers in the UK a range of special deals.

The effects on the day is astronomical. For example, big shops such as Asda and John Lewis see large percent increases on their sales, and it takes them just minutes to sell a month’s worth of products. Stock is being cleared at a rate that is quite literally unimaginable, unless you’re the person out on the day waiting for the shop to open, battling with hundreds of other people knowing that your opportunity to buy the cheapest stuff is precious, and a ‘once in a year’ chance.

Media companies eagerly wait on the streets of Black Friday ready to grab any dramatic story that comes their way. £7,000 was spent every second, according to BBC Radio. That is absolutely horrific when you think about it, and how the economy goes wild on the day to buy and consume whatever they can get their hands on.

This year there were many reported arrests and injuries, as people desperately act in a violent manner on the biggest retail day that exists. It is unbelievable when you consider the measures people go through, and the amount of money most people would have been saving for the big day itself. It makes sense though, to a certain degree. Why pay more?

And will the retailers in the UK be exploiting this day more frequently in the future? You’d wonder why not if they can generate that much revenue every second.

Urban Night – A&Rs, artists and managers

Urban Showcase Event 25^th November 2014

The Urban Showcase was a spectacular music event held in Area 51 at the Harrow Media Arts and Design Campus, University of Westminster. All students had the opportunity to pitch their song ideas to the organiser of the event, Stephen Rossiter, in bid to perform in front of industry guests. A selection of artists was chosen and had this fantastic opportunity to expose their talents and gain some professional feedback too.

On the evening there was a selection of artists who all had an even time-slot to perform to their audience. To say that the voices were remarkable is an understatement; it was evident that shivers ran down many people’s spines in the room as everyone watched in amazement.

The set-up of the event was very impressive and highly professional. The stage lights shone down eloquently on the artist on stage, and the venue itself proved to be a fantastic space for the event and for the audience.

There were free drinks and food available for close guests to the organiser on the night, as well as multiple rows of chairs for students to sit down, relax and to enjoy the show.

Stephen Rossiter introduced the evening, which was welcoming, full of clarity and provided comfort to the audience that the night was a well-structured, multi-talented show. The presence of the industry professionals made the evening that little bit more prestige, and added pressure to the artists as they knew they were being watched, and it was their ‘time to shine’.

From an audience’s perspective the night was thoroughly organised, specialised and had prolific talent embedded throughout. The sound engineers even stood out in the room, centred at the back but looked very much in control of the whole process too.

So congratulations to the organiser of the event – Stephen Rossiter – who put on a fantastic event that was very much enjoyed by Westminster students. We can only look forward to many more events of this kind to come during 2015!

Some insightful information:

Stephen Rossiter had scouted his acts as part of his A&R work at FMM Management, which is run through the university. Sally Gross is in the lead of FMM, who is the course leader of MA Music Business Management course at the university.

The aim of the night was to show off talented musicians and at the same time potentially get them a record deal. The organiser of the event had the chance to scout internally and externally, but he said: “My focus has been internally as I know we have so much talent at Westminster.”

The premise for the students on the night was to showcase the acts and then gather the feedback from the industry guests to then relay back to the artists/bands. They gave some advice on how the performances could be improved and other relevant information that can heighten their success in the music industry.

Stephen Rossiter said: “We will be putting on more live events for the other genres and possibly a final showcase of the overall best talent. My guests this time were very influential in the urban genre and very much involved in bringing through new talent.”

He continues “Area 51 is a great venue and should be used more by musicians at the university and FMM hope to build in this success and keep up the momentum!”

Here is a list of the industry professionals who were present on the evening:

• Aniff Akinola: is an artist/producer and is best known for his single Baddest Ruffed
• Jess Hamilton: is an A&R for Imargem publishing
• Tumai Salih aka Turkish: owns independent record label with the artist Sway. She has also worked at Sony and Universal and is an urban producer
• Jamie Reddington: is a young producer/songwriter, and is very well connected and current within the industry
• Alastair Finlayson: is a modern music manager looking to scout new talent

Ebola tragedy continues – funding desperately needed

As the Ebola crisis continues to outbreak in Africa killing hundreds of people, the cases continue to rise exceeding over 10,000, which is a worrying and heightening figure. The UK government has spoken out and said that they will match the first £5 million of public donations made in bid to provide adequate aid for those affected by Ebola.

This will enable the first £5m donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee go twice the speed than it normally would if they public were to appeal alone.

The global response is necessary as lives continue to be lost, and who knows what the future holds for the people in the UK. As globalisation continues to be so prominent, so does the likelihood of diseases spreading incredibly quick in multiple directions.

This is the first time the DEC organisation has wished to provide funds over a disease out-breaking into the world. The situation is worsening, so this is a time now for the world to stick together and provide as much help for the victims of Ebola at such a poignant time in history.

The education system

Speaking to an inspirational natural remedy doctor the other day, we were discussing a very interesting topic – the education system. Is education today what it should be? Are students being treated fairly or are they being exploited? Are we pressurised to succeed through academic achievement?

It’s a tricky and a sensitive topic when we begin to depict the reasoning why we are spending so much nowadays to go to university, when you compare this to the past and my parents generation, for example, didn’t have to pay a penny. It’s quite frustrating actually, but of course times change and the scale of things differ so  we have to adapt and understand and see things for what they are.

The fact that any student pretty much, is able to apply for student finance through the government makes it somewhat achievable for most to go to university. Through UCAS students are able to pick out five universities according to their grades, which gives them a reasonably good chance of being accepted. Once graduation is over we NOW left with an excess debt of £45,000 – how are we able to cope with this burden over our shoulders? It’s traumatising for most, and can be quite off-putting just to have the thought of going to university in this day in age.

I still can’t grasp the idea of paying for something which is bettering the citizens of the United Kingdom. We – as the younger generation – are the future of what is to come, so shouldn’t the government be encouraging us to perform in an outstanding way via our academic success to strengthen the British economy?

As the years go on the amount of teaching hours are decreasing, and the party-life of university continues to appeal to future university students. Many are forced to go through parental pressures but many choose to go just for the party and because it’s an escapism away from working life. But those who genuinely want to go to achieve a 2:1 or a first – isn’t the fact that we have to pay for our university now and obtain funds from the government quite conveniently taking away the qualitative idea of a university degree?

For example, in most other countries students have to may for university themselves without the help of the government, or in some cases it’s free to go. However the grade boundaries are set so high that only those that are performing way above average are entitled to study for a degree.

However, to a certain point it is good that the UK function in the way that they do as it gives equal opportunities to students no matter their class, ethnicity or any other differentiating trait that may segregate them from society. It’s just about dealing with the huge debt after leaving university, we can only hope and pray that the government comes up with an action plan to make this pressure less worrying!

Visibility of Online Users on the Internet in the Modern Age

It’s quite scary really, when you sit back and think about how many people actually log online every single day, all throughout the year, and navigate their way through the web. According to a website demonstrating Internet Trends, approximately 2.4 billion people use the Internet for their own specific needs. Do we even consider the amount of people who could be looking at our profiles, reading our online media content or ‘looking us up’. As part of human nature we are very nosey species: we search, we investigate and we analyse things based on our own perspective of things. We make ourselves visible to the external world: the world outside our window. But do we ever know at any one given moment just who might be looking through our stuff? I don’t think we do.

This raises the question about how we should represent ourselves within the online platform, and how we want others to perceive us, see us and judge us as an individual. It is a valid point when people say you shouldn’t really care about what others think, but when you look at it from a different angle: would you care if it was the employer from you biggest dream job that was reading through your profile and you had numerous amounts of inappropriate images, negative comments and showing a contradictory side to your personality, one that you haven’t excelled on in your original CV? I think then, just then we might care that little bit more.

Over the recent year I would say, I have definitely been more conscious about what I share on my social media sites, especially Facebook and Twitter. I use those two the most, as I generally have my main circle of friends on Facebook where I feel that I can easily communicate with them within the virtual arena, allowing that feeling of them never being a part of your life to run free. Twitter is a fantastic social networking site, in my opinion, as it offers short and sweet punchy news-hooked tweets to speculate everywhere, as well as acting as a basis for professional conversation and a way to build up your contacts.

I believe that brand awareness is a primary tool that each and every one of us needs to consider; when echoing our image into the universe. If we believe that we want others to vision us as a happy hard worker, then why would we post statuses about how depressed we are, and how we cannot wait to finish work because it has been such a boring day? The two just don’t match up. Nor do they replicate a very attractive appearance about whom you are trying to portray to the world. The bottom line is, you never know who is searching online and who may come across your page, but a lot of it is not what you know but who you know, so keeping that in mind should rigidly put us into shape when thinking twice about our next Tweet or Facebook update.

Personally, I monitor who I accept on my friend requests, and if I don’t recognise them or know them personally, I reject them. I think it’s about being aware and always questioning the true identity behind the virtual profile: people are not always who they say they are. We can control our privacy to some extent, but we cannot always be 100% accurate, as we may not know all of the required skills to fully protect ourselves from unwanted intruders.

When you look at the profound reason why most of us join these social networking sites, it is because we want to socialise and we want to connect with new, like-minded people, as well as staying in touch with our friends and loved ones. This can then make us question how far do we actually go with fabricating the truth? I think we need to remain true to ourselves and network as much as we can, because building up that circle is so important, but just bear the thought in the back of your mind at all times you never know who is reading: so represent yourself in the way you want to be seen.

China’s Family Regulations – Policies and Structures – Radio Feature 2’30”

My final 2’30” feature package about China’s family regulations, specifically looking at the use of baby hatches in China, and the newly introduced two-child policy. I have produced my radio feature package based on working for BBC Radio 4 – so for the older listeners – but it will have a younger twist as part of my package too, so for an appeal to university students as an example.

It includes one expert interview with an alumni who is a Political theorist and studied Chinese Social Policies, 4 vox-pops and finishes off with a softer interview with a girl who has lived in China all her life.

Feature Plan 2’30”

Headline: China’s Family Regulations – Policies and Effects

Feature Story/Script: My feature is based on ‘A baby hatch in southern China has been forcefully suspended, after hundreds of infants were abandoned. Since January this year, over 260 children have been abandoned at the welfare home.’  Family regulation in China is a big issue, and the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress has now passed a resolution allowing couples to have two children if either parent is an only child. What do these policies signify, and what do they mean to the Western culture? I took a particular interest to this topic, as I have a huge interest in International Affairs and in the way that other cultures and societies operate. I used the following links as inspiration towards my feature ideas.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-26607505 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-25533339 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-26219171 

Guests: I will interview an expert in China’s Social Policies. He is a Political Theorist – alumni – who graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London in 2012. I will also interview a girl who was living in China so will have a strong insight into the effects and constraints on family building in China. I will also vox-pop a few people and collaborate responses to give my feature an all rounded informative edge.

Further Content: My feature package will consist of interviews and vox-pops. Interviews allow you to depict a topic in a strong way, offering expert knowledge, whilst vox-pops are contrastingly punchy and opinionated.

Music: With the political standpoint of my idea, I don’t think music is relevant but just a clear audible feature package.

Structure: I will introduce my interviewees, ask my questions and it will follow with the responses for both in-depth interviews. My vox-pops will be softer and then I will sum up my audio feature with a conclusion on the topic of China’s Family Regulations – Policies and Effects.

My Original Notes Taken Before Carrying Out My 2’30” Assessment:

My feature idea is based on ‘A baby hatch in southern China being forced to suspend work after hundreds of infants were abandoned.’

Since Jan this year, over 260 children have been abandoned at the welfare home. All babies suffer from severe illnesses – such as Down’s syndrome and congenital heart disease – and the centres were introduced so parents could abandon infants safely rather than leaving them on the streets. The centre is overwhelmed; so further take-ins have been temporarily suspended. They have an influx, and it is thought many parents abandon ill babies because they fear costs of medical treatment.

In China there has been a preference for healthy baby boys since the one child policy was introduced at the end of the 1970s, and overall, a total of 25 baby hatches have been established in 10 provincial regions in China.

I will interview 2 people about the topic, asking them whether they agree or not with the whole idea of introducing baby hatches and then terminating them, were they not prepared, or do you think the China population need to regulate family building and policies in a more structured way?

More Posed Questions:

Would this happen in the Western world? Do you think baby hatches are a positive or a negative escapism for parents? Now that the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress has passed a resolution allowing couples to have two children if either parent is an only child, what does the change mean? Will the new policies do any good? Do you think the government could have done more to regulate families in China, as the one child policy has been so criticised in the past?

Journalism – working around the clock

Reading the book Flat Earth News by Nick Davies has been really inspirational; as well as opening up my eyes to the world of journalism and what journalists are facing in today’s world.

Falsehood and distortion – both two ways of describing the media of today. ‘Churnalism’ is often used to describe the process that occurs regularly in the newsroom and copying from news wires such as the Press Association and Reuters.

The heart and core foundation of journalism has slowly deteriorated. The premise of truth-telling makes it merely impossible to guarantee as society has moved forward so dramatically over the coming years.

Journalists are now subject to time as their worst enemy and deadlines increasing the pressure to get things written. Breaking a story first and preparing alternative pieces ready to post is the common trend now; meaning journalists are now tied to their desks more than ever and not out in the real world where they should really be. Communicating, networking and building contacts are all key concepts of a journalists day to day activities.

Will it ever go back to how it used to be? I doubt it a lot.

It has been mind-blowing to understand the media sphere from a journalist who has worked in so many different outlets before. The majority have been swamped by the churnalism ideal of reporting and them formatting one pieces across multiple platforms – online, radio, print and TV script.

We are now relying on PRs more than ever before for their press releases and news agencies to hand over “truthful” accounts of the worlds happenings.

As a journalist entering this sphere I would love to take it back. I want to put the care back into the profession, give the industry in which I work a sense of reliability, authenticity and a trust-built rapport with my readers.

Whether I achieve this through my own publication or through the way in which I work I will think outside the box and give my full energy on making a difference: informing the world on what they deserve to know.