Dealing With Rejection

Getting your foot in the door in the TV Industry is notoriously no easy task, so when I was fresh out of school, trying to make my very first baby steps into this world, I was put on my arse in a pretty major way, and I’m glad I was.

Every masterclass and panel event and talk I’ve ever attended on breaking into TV has highlighted the necessity of resilience, especially at the start of your career.

In March 2017, I spent more time working on my BBC Production Apprentice application than I did studying for my A Levels (this would later come back to bite me in a MAJOR way). I was given lots of help and advice from the very generous Julie Anne Bailie (my first and only industry contact at that time) and I progressed through the initial online form/essay questions, through the online video interview, and made it all the way to the assessment day.

After getting the email that I wasn’t going to progress any further, I was devastated. I climbed straight into my bed and didn’t get out of it until late the next day.

Reading the glowing feedback I was given was no comfort to me at the time, all it did was add to my upset as to not being taken further because I had no indication why.

After calming down and making peace with the fact that my next step towards my career would be with a degree, results day came around. With grades BBC (the irony is not lost on me), I was one grade off making my first choice course at Queen’s University, and my backup plan crumbled around me too.

This time, it was just a morning spent in bed before I was up and running around and working my way through the chaos of clearing. I was devastated but determined not to let it beat me, I decided that I had hit my rock bottom and my only other option was to claw my way back up again.

Whilst that summer was really hard, it massively shaped me as a person as it made me more resilient and determined to succeed than ever. Having considered my other Uni offers, I decided on the Belfast Met course because I knew that’s where I wanted to study, work and build my career. I felt the course offered at BMC was definitely the right fit for me, and had I known more about it, it would have been my first choice, but more on that in my next post.

I threw myself into my coursework, and kept a keen eye out for any and every masterclass/networking event/ scheme and attended everything I could, determined to learn and network and build my career in spite of everything.

I decided that no matter who else decided not to hire me, I knew what I wanted my career to be and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I was set on my goal and willing to work my ass off for it.

This paid off. I started my blog and, with a pink plastic folder full of CV printouts, attended the Women in Film and TV NI launch (of which I am now a committee member) where I met Sarah McCaffrey, who I’ve previously credited as my ‘Media Mum. She was very encouraging about my blog (I had a link on my CV) and introduced me to Georgia Parkinson (RTS Futures NI Chair) and encouraged me to join the committee with her. RTS Futures has been an amazing way for me to network, attend events and make contacts that went on to give me paid work. Within a few weeks of joining the committee, I was co-hosting the keynote panel discussion with Georgia. Sarah gave me my first paid work in media within the month, and I was given work by Stellify Media the next.

That evening I also met Christine Morrow (New & Emerging Talent Executive at NI Screen), who was also very encouraging and kindly forwarded my CV to local producers and arranged the NI Screen Factual Networkshops which I was selected to attend. 

Sarah went on to introduce me to Vikkie Taggart and Kieran Doherty (Head of Operations and Joint Managing Director, respectively) who have also been very generous with their time and advice, and have given me paid work and opportunities on several occasions. Vikkie has also very kindly met with me twice and given me lots of advice and encouragement on my career in TV and amazing insight on working in factual TV (my career goal)

I’m extremely proud of how much I’ve achieved and how far I’ve come. I can trace every opportunity and experience I’ve had and documented this year back to attending that one event, and if I had been hired by BBC or accepted into Queens, I probably wouldn’t have had the drive or determination to learn/network and most likely wouldn’t have attended.

With the benefit of hindsight, I know now that those 2 major rejections were the best things that happened to me. I love my course at the Met, and I love being on the RTS Futures NI and Women in Film & TV NI committees and can see now that those two other paths just weren’t right for me. 

I should have listened to my ex Moving Image Arts A level teacher (shout out to Mr Cleland) who told me on results day, whilst I was practically crying and feeling like the biggest failure in the world, that he wasn’t worried about me, and that he knew I was going to be fine. Thanks DCle, you were right.

I’m so grateful to know now that I’m on the right track and extremely excited to see what the future holds.