What a night! Last night was the night when two became one… digital media company Rightster and matchmaking machine WEXO, teamed together to form a perfect bond for jobseekers – WEXO, a company that matches talent with opportunities was present alongside the snowballing Rightster, offering jobs and paid internships for those deemed worthy.

Fifty of whom we believe to be the savviest candidates on the job market, made their way to our prim, proper and yet totally unpretentious neighbour, Adam Street’s Private Members Club just off the Strand.

The evening began with lashings of elderflower cordial, pocketfuls of popcorn and excited nattering from all those invited. Not your ordinary careers event it is fair to say, gone were the lecture room, the speakers with their monocles and the overhead projector. Instead, we welcomed an enthusiastic buzz surrounding our #HowIMadeitinDigitalMedia event, with both the path-finding grads and interns and the fantastic team at Rightster looking forward to what the evening had in store for them.

At 7pm sharp, all bums were on seats and the room was chock-a-block – Charlie Muirhead, CEO of Rightster gave his introduction before Robin proceeded to welcome our more than highly esteemed panel:

• Richard Williams – Former director of multiplatform programmes at ITV and the BBC
• Danny Wadeson – Hi Fly Nest, thefourohfive.com, The Line of Best Fit (Biz Dev / Film Editor)
• Belinda Parmar – CEO of Lady Geek and Lady Geek TV
• Tabitha Goldstaub – Founder of the Rightster Academy (Head of Client Success)
• Duncan Hammond – Business Development Manager for Guardian Select

The following hour and a half was led around the questions referring to the digital media industry which the candidates submitted with their applications – whether it was asking advice on how to make it in the industry or if someone wanted an opinion on whether Africa, in the near future, could become fully digital.
For those looking for a career in this industry – it is definitely worth a read on for some interesting advice and thoughts from those in the know…

Primarily, it is clear that those present believed the future is inevitably heading towards a wholly digitalised world. In fact, it was decided that in as little as 5 years time – the industry we now refer to as ‘Digital Media’ will be known solely as ‘Media’ alongside a generation that won’t see digital as being anything different – a mobile phone will become a phone etc.

Many of the questions that were put to the panel surrounded the concept of whether a digital world would destroy the tangible mediums that we currently use in society. Duncan Hammond justified the success of the digital newspaper takeover because people no longer buy a paper to see the morning’s breaking news, 50% of their readers read the Guardian around 9pm! Nowadays, the world receives its breaking news online – only this week, Obama’s election win was released to twitter and email before any other medium – therefore they want their newspaper to have rolling news which is only possibly through a digital platform.

Another reason for the expected rise in the digital newspaper came about in response to the potential business possibilities within a ‘Digital Africa’. Duncan Hammond informed us that The Guardian’s online audience is made up of a third from the UK, a third from the US and a third from the rest of the world. Hammond then highlighted that The Guardian would not be able afford the creation for the infrastructure for traditional print media outside the UK, therefore the only opportunity would be to create a start-up digitally.
Leaving behind the panel’s thoughts on a digital future, we then moved on to how they made it in digital media and any advice that they could give to our aspiring savvy candidates.

Belinda Parmar thinks that ‘women drive the digital revolution’, and her personal mission is to “end the stereotyping and patronising of women within technology” – (backed up with some gleaming digibabe statistics – 57% of the twitter audience are women and women over 55 is the fastest growing segment on Facebook). However, getting back to helping graduates, Belinda, herself a Twitter fiend, gives her thoughts on the importance of social media. She encourages everyone to be on Twitter and Facebook because she, like many employers, use these as accessible forums to reference a candidate as soon as they apply. The general consensus for job seekers is that you NEED an active online presence in order to go into any industry, not only to go into digital media. Belinda stated that twitter is now a revered platform and has become a circle of trust when it comes to reviews and a referential database.

Moving away from social media, Tabitha Goldstaub understands that not everyone can afford to do work experience, however she is determined that this shouldn’t stop anyone from entering into their desired industry. She believes that you should make your story and make it worthwhile – whether it is working for ANY company that desires an extra pair of hands or be it behind a bar – you can tailor the experience to make it worthwhile. Even behind a bar, you can improve your communication skills and sales experience for example – not everything has to be gained through work experience.

This is the same for a Master’s degree – Tabitha does not feel that a master’s is the be-all-and-end-all of starting one’s career as she relates her experience at Rightster to having completed 15 Master’s degrees. She has experienced and battled through the tough times which she says is very important rather than just learning about what could go wrong sitting on the back bench of a lecture hall.

Some snippets of advice for any ambitious students is to do as many extra curricular activities as possible, if there is a careers fair with a low subscribed activity then sign up so you have the possibility of becoming a big part of something small! Richard Williams’ suggestion was to do something that you love to make you stand out, such as the college radio, television or magazine. This ties into Danny Wadeson’s fantastic guidance to think about who you are, not the industry that you want – as long as you stay true to yourself, you will do your best and find your way that suits you best.

Finally, some advice for anyone wanting to go specifically into Digital Media is to study computer sciences, not languages, to join a debating society or similar where you have the chance to present yourself and to build your personal profile by signing up to tumblr, YouTube and any other channels that are available to you and to your potential employers.

To find out more about what was said on the night and to hear tips from some of these esteemed industry players, keep your eyes posted for the event footage going live on WEXO TV…

Our thanks to Adam Street Private Members Club and the brilliant representatives at Rightster for their cooperation.

Continuing the digital theme, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to remain in the loop about future exciting events and opportunities!

Ailsa Renton – Marketing Intern at WEXO, & Leeds University graduate

How I Made It In Digital Media

We are very excited here at WEXO Towers about our next WEXO TV event on Tuesday 6th November, “How I Made It In Digital Media” and are pleased to see so many applications coming in (please be patient while we proces them all). For those of you that have been reading our recent blogs, we strongly believe that the internet economy holds the solution to both UK Plc’s economic impasse and youth unemployment. According to BCG the internet accounts for 8.3% if the UK economy (£121Bn in 2010). 76% of people would consider giving up chocolate for an entire year in order to maintain their Internet access (see recent blog)! For those of you that want are still attracted to the traditional employment options like PR, marketing, advertising, fashion, music, investment banking, etc Rightster and other digital media companies offer opportunities in all these areas and as these multiply so the more traditional roles will decline. Make sure you are on the right side of the fence…

This event takes a slightly different format to our previous showings (How I Made It in Fashion 1 & 2, How I Made It In Advertising and How I Made It in Food!). This time round, we have a sponsor in innovative new digital media company, Rightster, who are using the event as part of their Recruitment campaign to find the some of the UK’s sharpest and savviest graduates and undergrads. There will be opportunities for 10 or so Graduate Jobs starting in January and also internships and further roles starting in the Summer of 2013. See here to find out more about the roles on offer and to apply to come along.

The event will feature key players from some of the biggest names in Digital Media including The Guardian, ITV and cricinfo.com. Successful applicants will be able to hear them talk briefly about how they ‘made it’ and then ask pre-polled questions followed by drinks at the renowned Adam Street Private Members Club.

So what is Rightster?

Rightster is a cloud-based software and services company that simplifies the distribution, marketing and monetisation of live and on demand video content. They work with a whole host of exciting names including The British Fashion Council, The Guardian, ITN and ELLE. Here’s Founder and CEO, Charlie Muirhead talking about it at a recent MIPCOM industry event in Cannes:

Here’s Founder and CEO, Charlie Muirhead talking about it at a recent MIPCOM industry event in Cannes:

Next week we will be publishing the biographies of the 5 confirmed panel members…

By Tom Clark

I never know what to expect of our evenings. Last night’s talks with WEXO about “Recipes for Success” were no exception: four passionate professionals from different corners of the food world gathered in a Palladian church by Centre Point, on the first true autumn evening of the year.

Marco Pierre White, in particular, subverted our expectations. It began when we met him for lunch at his new pub, The Hansom Cab. He held up his hand to illustrate opportunism. ‘See this hand’ he had said, ‘You see it one way, but there are many ways to see it. You see a palm, I see four knuckles. You need awareness of mind to recognise your luck.’

Marco knows how to tell a story. He leant in close to the microphone and spoke as if a mariner over a table in a pub, with deliberate, authoritative pauses; he took us from his dream of achieving three Michelin stars and five red knives and forks to the realisation of that dream, presenting his path as the upshot of many good twists of fate. He told of how, by pure chance, he had come across Le Gavroche as he wandered through London after missing his bus. The next day, he walked in and asked for an interview. Albert Roux took him on.

The moral? Recognise your luck, then strive for perfection and be gutsy as hell.

Niamh Shield’s Eat Like a Girl blog, with its vivid photography and affable tone, gives such a strong impression of her character that I felt I had met her before. She was every bit as affable in the flesh, totally at ease with the ad-hoc format and chatting willingly in her gentle Irish lilt.

She began her blog after a foul day at work, and soon realised it was a natural progression: ‘I’d always loved cooking food for friends, and sharing my recipes with them (too forcefully sometimes!), so with my blog, I just carried on doing that, except now I was sharing with an online community.’ The spirit of the blog is to make recipes simple and accessible.

So why don’t more people cook at home, I asked. It is partly a matter of education: ‘Children aren’t taught to cook in school any more’ she complained. ‘They’re taught English and Maths and History, but not how to prepare food.’

We need to re-acquaint ourselves with the joy of preparation, she argues. I suggest Eat Like a Girl as a first port of call.

Daren Spence, the co-founder of We Are Tea, ‘really, really, really LOVES tea’. He hardly had to say it, such was his dynamic delivery. Would-be entrepreneurs are often advised to begin with a problem, and Spence had delineated his very clearly:

‘Tea had been forgotten. There was an influx – well, I mean an invasion – of the American-style coffee shop. My colleagues were returning to the office with more and more vulgar coffee-based drinks, with sprinkles on top and cream on the top – it was like watching someone going to the cinema with a pop-corn bucket. And all I could get was a tepid cup of crumby tea in a polystyrene cup. I felt left out. I wanted to be part of their gang […] And I was frustrated that the tea industry was just sitting there, resting on its 350-year-old laurels, not doing anything about it.’

Well, Spence isn’t sitting around, and We Are Tea are fighting the tea battle, winning Great Taste Awards (‘The Oscars of fine food’) and supplying such humble outfits as Harrods and Harvey Nichols.

Simon Prockter has just launched one of the most innovative things in food. He is co-founder of Housebites, ‘gourmet take-away, delivered to your door, cooked by a local, top chef.’ (an alternative to pizzas which taste like the boxes they came in). So, which niggling frustrations engendered this great idea?

‘When you think of take-away, do you think of it as a great experience? Do you know who is cooking your meal? [...] Wouldn’t it be great if you could see your chef on the high street, and say “Hey, that’s my chef, you cooked me a great meal the other day!” And that really doesn’t happen.’ Well, for what it’s worth a big thank you to the Housebites chef Andy Oliver (Masterchef finalist), who prepared those delicious nibbles for the interval.

Simon brought speed-dating into Europe with his company SpeedDater; fingers-crossed the matchmaking will continue in the world of food.

For the full story and more inspiring events visit: www.tomaxtalks.com

I was most appreciative to have been invited in to No. 10 today to air WEXO’s views on youth unemployment…

1) What it’s like going to No. 10?
2) What was discussed?
3) What can be acheived?

1. WHAT’S IT LIKE GOING TO NO. 10?

If truth be told, I was a little apprehensive (a fair reminder of how many of you feel, when invited in for interviews). On arrival at Westminster, I manoeuvred my way through a throng of people alongside the Cenotaph and crisply announced that I was ‘here for a meeting at No. 10′. My credentials and bags checked, I strode on down Downing Street half expecting to bump into David (PM’s Question Time and a defence of GDP growth beckoned) or at least Nick Robinson (presumably contemplating whether Obama was born in America) but calm was all around.

Not sure what the protocol was, I rang the bell alongside the door which was instantly opened by an official looking gentleman who asked me to leave my phone in one of the cubby holes (Slot ’007′ was inauspiciously unoccupied but I plumped for it). I then obligingly took a seat below a long and winding staircase which conjured up visions of an seemingly ‘home-alone’ PM/Hugh Grant dancing down it.

2. WHAT WAS DISCUSSED?

My host, an assertive yet accommodating senior policy adviser with a testing mandate (Education, Welfare and Pensions), shortly emerged and there followed a concise yet considered exchange of views which hinged on ‘supply versus demand’, budgetary pressures and the role of government. Youth unemployment it seems is shortly to be moved up the agenda and it was encouraging that players like ourselves were to be consulted in plotting its demise.

One of the key concerns seemed not to be the apparent difference of opinion between DC and NC on access to work experience (understandably – I believe the two can be aligned: sharp elbows are fine so long as everyone knows where the starting line is); rather it was the current reluctance of companies to back ‘first timers’ in lieu of ‘tried and tested’ recruits. Youth unemployment is hovering around the 1m mark. We reflected on how depressing this was when recent figures suggest that graduates (at least) offer a 500% Return On Investment (ROI) over 3 years – adding over £1Bn of value to the UK economy last year.

On the disclosure that we had previously tried to form an ‘Internships Alliance’, it was inferred that if we wanted to assemble some of the key players in this space, government advisers and representatives from BIS would be happy to invite us in to consider our suggestions. This I see as the ‘Big Society’ in action. I sensed that although the government does not see merit in state intervention, it could see value in working WITH select partners in the public and private sector to INSPIRE and INCENTIVISE (corporate) society at large to effect change (investing in an otherwise ‘lost generation’). It does not want to be seen as a ‘bully pulpit’ but it does perhaps acknowledge that it is best placed to showcase good practice and then ‘spread the word’?

Otherwise, the key issues that we touched on were:

* NETWORKING v NEPOTISM: WEXO doesn’t believe there’s anything wrong with using your network to get a job / work experience (it’s a useful skill for the working world) so long as other people are presented with the means to be considered too (and the opportunity goes to the most suitable candidate based on merit). Our technology encourages this by ranking and matching candidates to opportunities.

* SMEs: Many large companies already offer structured work experience and internship programs, but we believe the government should focus on enthusing / incentivising small and medium-sized businesses to take young people on (we have historically suggested recouping costs from VAT hike?). It is these SMEs that represent the backbone of the British economy (60% of GDP?) and which we (and other potential Internships Alliance lobby members) particularly represent. WEXO offers companies a platform to promote opportunities democratically and low maintenance cost, efficient schemes (via STEP and endorsed by Boris Johnson) to pay interns fairly.

* WORK EXPERIENCE V INTERNSHIPS: There is a clear distinction between ‘work experience’ and ‘internships‘ and this is critical in the ‘unpaid’ debate. We encourage companies to offer work experience (unpaid but preferably with expenses covered) for periods of up to 2 weeks. Thereafter (when the value generated exceeds that which is which is earned), we suggest companies offer paid internships for anything up to 3 months. For us, this is more a moral issue than a legal one (Blog here). After 3 months we suggest companies either offer people a job or let them get on with their job search. Otherwise they get stuck in the ‘internship trap’. Although WEXO is clear that work experience, apprenticeships and internships are totally different entities (based on duration, who applies, and remuneration or who derives value), the public at large might not be and so consideration needs to be given to this. Furthermore, we see the need for clarity on interns being entitled to National Minimum Wage, apprentices being entitled to £2.50 an hour and job seekers being allowed to do work experience for up to 2 months on JSA (Job Seekers Allowance).

* CAREERS ADVICE: Against a backdrop of record youth unemployment, a recent Ofsted survey suggested that one in three schools are failing to give good advice to students about future career prospects. A report by Deloitte said that 95% of young people want employers to be more involved in providing guidance about careers citing that they feel ‘bewildered’ and ‘uninformed’ by the career choices on offer. We would encourage government to back inspirational careers guidance to the like of the ‘How I Made It in…’ Events involving executives from the front line of their industries as featured on WEXO tv.

* FUNDING: As per our blog at the time, in the budget, George Osborne committed to investing in 4 times as many 8 week work experience placements as previously for 18-21 year olds. The scheme, administered by Job Centre Plus allows those doing so to collect JSA (Job Searchers Allowance). It’s a reasonably well conceived initiative but it doesn’t address the issue of finding rewarding work experience. “As George pointed out, the problem is that only 1 in 10 companies in the UK offer work experience as opposed to 1 in 4 in Germany. If George wants to see a return on his recent investment he needs to address both sides of the equation”. So funding for this and the £180m ‘Apprenticeships’ packages should address supply of opportunities as well as demand.

3) WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED?

With the above in mind, WEXO is excited about the prospect of working with the powers-that-be to help educate companies and incentivise them to recruit and invest in young people who are better informed.

* PROBABLE OUTCOME: At the very least, we feel sure that the government will honour its offer to listen to, acknowledge and where possible, address, the consensus suggestions of the key players in this space. We trust that this will not be a repeat of the unfulfilled promises of 3 years ago when we met the Panel for Fair Access to the Professions and offered to help with The Graduate Talent Pool.

* POSSIBLE OUTCOME: Even if say just SMEs (and especially ‘STEM’ [Science, Technology Engineering and Maths] companies – the future?) could recoup the costs of one 3 month internship each from VAT at National Minimum Wage (~£220 a week), it would help them show commitment to the managers of tomorrow? Instead of giving £15m worth of funding directly to the Higher Education Authorities – HEFCE (which was largely left unspent?) – we would suggest that the government ‘atones’ itself for the recent tuition fee hikes (which we actually support) and invests some of the proceeds in subsidies that public-private sector partnerships (including HEFCE) can promote to companies that are desperate to take on young people. Perhaps funding could come from the new £50m ‘Growth and Innovation Fund’? We believe that given the ROI generated by graduates any such initiative would be cost-neutral at worst.

* PREFERRED OUTCOME: WEXO was recently a member of two syndicates that spent a considerable amount of time, money and energy submitting tenders (and being shortlisted) for grants to supply work experience and Internships across London. With the funding then being clawed back from the LDA, the projects were subsequently abandoned. We acknowledge that the government would rather let the market decide who the winners are (and we are happy to operate on this basis) but what IF this government decided that it would like to back responsible corporate and social enterprises (as well as banks) and actually INVEST in the next generation through performance related, service provision grants to the like of the ones discussed above? A little could go a long way to get the motor running and generating decent GDP growth.

My thanks for the opportunity.

Robin Kennedy. Co-Founder, WEXO