John Hyland

I studied Television Production Management at Edge Hill University. I decided to go with this course was because it was something slightly different to a traditional media degree, with the focus on the management side of TV and Film, as opposed to the practical filmmaking process. From the other prospective universities I looked at, I didn’t see another course like this.

I was drawn to Edge Hill due to it matching my ideologies about campus universities, with majority of students on campus and being very much ingrained in their studies. There is a real sense of community when you’re there. I engaged with various students through the Students’ Union, the LGBTQ+ Society and from welcome week, so was able to build a network across various disciplines.

As part of my degree, I had the chance to partake in a two-week work experience within the industry. I was able to obtain one at Lime Pictures through my own network, and I started working there regularly as a freelancer during my third year. Something I, more than likely, wouldn’t have looked to do if I hadn’t been on the course.

Our main TV Production Management lecturer, Anita Walsh, was an absolute saviour. With plenty of industry knowledge and experience, she was always our go-to about everything. She remained on-hand following our graduation and was always willing to give feedback or provide contacts.

I went on to work my way from a Runner to Second Assistant Director on Hollyoaks, before leaving to focus on my freelance videography work. I found myself working with some great local clients in the North West, including Pride, The Vivienne, Danny Beard, as well as various LGBTQ+ community groups and events. During this time, I started volunteering with Liverpool Pride in 2016, as social media manager, eventually being invited to be on the trustee board in 2017, then co-chair in 2018. Following the 2018 event, we started the process to evolve Liverpool Pride as an organisation, and I co-founded LCR Pride Foundation, which aimed to position the Liverpool City Region as the most LGBTQ+ friendly region in the UK.

Through my work with Pride, I was offered a full-time position in Barclays to support with internal communications, which I snapped up, I went on to become a content creator within the Digital Eagle team, supporting digital education as part of Barclays social value propositions. I stepped away from LCRPF, and relocated to Northern Ireland with my then partner ‘for a quieter life’, which very quickly got loud again when I fell into local politics, wanting to give back to my new home; where I supported the historical election victory of the Alliance Party’s first MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) in North Antrim, as well as the region’s first female MLA in its history. This led to me being co-opted into the vacant seat in Mid & East Antrim Borough Council, which I campaigned for and was elected to in May 2023. However, due to personal reasons, I returned to Liverpool, where I have been continuing my LGBTQ+ activism in supporting Sahir House, Liverpool City Region’s oldest LGBTQ+ charity, and continuing my political work as the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Liverpool Garston. On returning home, I found myself being given compulsory redundancy from Barclays, and have since take up the role of PR Account Manager with Moore Media.

I used to do background work for TV, which led to me wanting to do more behind the scenes work within TV and influenced my higher educational studies. I believe my love of telling stories, no matter the medium, has dictated a lot of what I do, as well as the experiences in my various roles. Whilst I’m not working directly in TV any longer, my current role does involve engagement in that world. Only recently I was supporting a Granada report filming for a campaign of a client.

My advice to current students would be to have an open mind.

While we choose a degree for what we want in life at that moment; life is full of moments and it is a constantly bending river, with many twists and turns. Whilst you continue to follow the current, you may end up in a very different body of water, or indeed a similar one in a different area. Edge Hill will definitely set you up for success and has so many resources at your fingertips to be used long after you have graduated.