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Theresa ;

Postgraduate alumni: Theresa's story

25 January 2021

Theresa (Digital Asset & Media Management MA) grew up in Denmark where she achieved her BA Performance Design & Communication. But like many King’s alumni she had big goals for the future including working in the music industry. She realised she needed to continue her education to achieve her goals.

Discovering the right course

Theresa had been looking at courses in the area of media and event management. But King’s offered something the others didn’t – a focus on the digital side of the media industry. The course allowed her to explore the new challenges organisations face as they manage digital assets.

 

I think students need to have a game plan. You need to work out what you want to get out of your course. There are so many opportunities to make it your own – like I did with tailoring my course to the music industry. Just don’t hold back.– Theresa

For her Digital Asset & Media Management MA, there is one core module. The rest of the programme is tailored to the student’s interests. Theresa picked specialist modules exploring internet culture, digital marketing, consumption of cultural heritage and more. The flexibility the course offered meant she could gear all of her assignments specifically towards the music industry.

Inspired by the teaching team

Theresa enjoyed the style of teaching – listening to lectures then joining seminars where students debate different topics. Her lecturer and thesis supervisor Dr Brian Kavanagh really inspired her.

Like many postgraduate programmes at King’s, her study led up to writing a thesis. Dr Kavanagh helped her arrange interviews with experts in the music industry, including a Grammy award-winning producer, a contact she would have never found by herself.

I knew I wanted to work in music, and I had the chance to make all my assignments at King’s relevant to this goal. For my thesis, I worked with Dr Kavanagh to find a topic that would help me understand how this industry works. I interviewed industry experts including a Grammy award winning producer – I wouldn’t have found this contact without his support.– Theresa

She asked big questions about the different ways of working and the future of the industry with technology in mind. Would people still be going to live events? Or would they experience gigs through augmented reality in their own homes?

More than a student

For Theresa, there was more to postgraduate life than studying. Before starting King’s, new students have lots of questions. Having been in the same position herself, she wanted to help, so Theresa took on the challenge of becoming a student ambassador.

In this role, she worked closely with different departments at King’s, including marketing, to make sure the student voice was coming across in communications. As well as giving her something to do outside of her studies, it’s given her an edge when applying for jobs.

Finding her first role

As a student, Theresa spent time exploring opportunities in the media industry. She attended events hosted by King’s which delved into different topics, often supported by a carefully selected panel of experts.

Theresa knew she wanted to stay in London after graduating. She set out with the goal of working at a record label and reached out to different professionals on LinkedIn. She soon discovered Cantine, a global creative collective based in Holborn. She sent her CV to the creative director, who was impressed by her enthusiasm and education from King’s. Theresa was offered an intern position. After a whirlwind of a month, she became their apprentice, then soon after was offered a full-time position.

King’s gave a me a foundation of knowledge I needed, including understanding how big and small organisations operate. I also met amazing people that I’m still in contact with, and of course every time I mention King’s, people are impressed.– Theresa

Life after King’s

Working for Cantine, Theresa managed the social media accounts of different artists, covering everything from strategy to content creation.

But what’s really impressive is what she achieved so early on in her career. Theresa flew out to LA to work on Niall Horan’s album that later rocketed to number 1 in the UK. She also supported the launch of Mumford and Sons’ album. This included creating a Facebook group for super fans connecting music lovers worldwide – and even led to people getting engaged.

My career hasn’t been that long, but there have definitely been some huge highlights. The first two campaigns I worked on were an insane learning curve. Mumford and Sons included a lot of fan events which I loved. Working with Niall Horan and Capital Records was incredible too – I actually went to LA for three weeks to work with the US team.– Theresa

New challenges ahead

With Cantine going in a different direction, she decided it was time for a new challenge in 2020. Theresa is now at Be-Hookd Digital working in a similar role managing social media for artists and brands. However, as an account manager she now has more responsibility managing a small team.

In the future, I’d love to apply my experience to working in live music, perhaps seeing if a role in tour management would be a good fit. Until then, I plan to learn as much as I can and continue to build my network in the music industry.– Theresa

Making an impact through music

King’s alumni community help make the world a better place in many ways.

Through music, I help people feel happy. I know what it’s like to be a teenager and having music as the one thing that makes you smile. For me being able to give that feeling to someone else through the artist I’m working with is incredible.– Theresa

For Theresa, she knows that through promoting the artists’ music she can help make others feel good. She also plays a fundamental role helping the fans create communities and using social media to connect them with the artists. Theresa’s studies at King’s were just the beginning of her story. But her postgraduate degree set her up for success and gave her the tools she needed to launch her dream career in the music industry.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Interested in studying a postgraduate course? Join us online from 22 – 26 February at our Postgraduate Virtual Open Week and discover what it’s like to study at King’s and how to apply.

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