Final CV
Final Cover Letter
Final Personal Statement
I have had a passion for media and film studies for as long as I can remember, and it began the first time I watched a film: Little Miss Sunshine. It opened my eyes to how a story can be expressed visually, and I began to imagine creating similar work myself. While STEM subjects never matched my strengths, I was naturally captivated by graphic design and visual editing, especially in my early development. I have since put this into practice by editing videos for social media and spending over three years as a marketing specialist and intern, designing content for real audiences. These experiences have enabled me to articulate ideas, explore conceptual approaches and translate imagination into outcomes. Over time, this engagement with creativity has become integral to my identity as a student and continues to inform my academic and professional aspirations. My BTEC in Creative Media allowed me to explore a wide range of roles within the creative process, building both my skills and my understanding of the subject. I gained hands-on experience across every stage of production, from planning concepts and directing to filming and post-production editing, which gave me a strong foundation in storytelling, visual composition and technical media skills. Working through each stage also taught me to research ideas, plan carefully before filming, and reflect critically on my own work so that I could improve it with every project. During sixth form, I became more confident collaborating with others, particularly when working as part of a team on creative projects, where I learned to listen to different ideas, share responsibility and adapt to feedback. Balancing multiple stages of production also made meeting deadlines and managing my time effectively essential, as every project depended on each stage being completed on schedule. Together, these experiences have strengthened my readiness to study media and film studies at university, where I want to build on my practical foundation with deeper theoretical and critical understanding. I have developed practical experience in media through both professional and independent work. As a junior marketing specialist for a cafe, I manage social media, engage with customers and contribute to content strategy. I have also spent eight years as a self-taught video editor, building a strong technical foundation, and served as Creative Director of my school’s MUN Instagram account, where I shaped its visual identity. Externally, attending the 1 Billion Summit exposed me to industry-level discussions on digital media and global communication, and being selected for a Meta Instagram campaign gave me first-hand experience of large-scale content production, including audience targeting. Together, these experiences have given me a well-rounded understanding of how media is created, managed and distributed, and strengthened my ability to balance creative and strategic thinking. At university, I want to move from creating media instinctively to understanding the theory and critical thinking behind it, while collaborating with other creatives and building a stronger portfolio. After graduating, I would like to pursue a career in creative direction combining visual storytelling with an understanding of audiences. University will help me get there by giving me the academic grounding, industry connections and placement opportunities that practical experience alone cannot.
Final Video CV
"If you could redesign the colour of the sky for a day, what would you pick and why?"
Unexpected interview video:
You framed yourself well: centered, close to the camera, sitting upright and steady, in a clean dark polo against a tidy background with decent lighting, which comes across as composed and professional. To improve, let more expression show (a brief smile or nod, since your face stays quite serious throughout), look at the camera lens rather than the screen at key moments, move the camera so the bed in the corner is out of frame, and put a light source in front of you so your face isn’t slightly shadowed.
"Walk me through how you’d plan a social media campaign for a product launch with a small budget."
Realistic Interview Video:
I did not have enough time to get feedback on my practice interview before submitting it, so the video does not reflect the level I can reach with proper preparation. For my resubmission, I would apply feedback and show real growth, since the purpose of this exercise is to learn and improve.
Creative Portfolio
Reflection
I think i successfully branded myself as i intended to because i talked a lot about what i stand for (fair representation, standing for unity, speaking up) and also mostly talked about my inspiration (having a curated collection so it can fuel a specific creative project or if I'm looking to do one, consuming content about art directors / creative directors + influencers who work in the creative industry). With my B1.3 portfolio I think I do brand myself as I intended to. The front page states that I am “passionate about storytelling, video production, and visual creativity” and when it came to my ideas and inspiration one of my main points was that lots of the media I consume are inspirations to me and that my branding ideas focus on identity, message, and audience while also reflecting values like creativity, confidence, and fairness. I feel like creating my video CV, written CV and personal statement. It helped me present myself authentically to employers and admissions officers. My CV highlighted a lot of my skills and experience and information about myself which I think already says a lot. My video CV showcased more of my editing skills, talking skills and showed my personality and passion for media as a whole and I was able to express it creatively as well. When it came to my personal statement, it explained my motivations and future goals while also simultaneously explaining why I chose the subject I did. By pouring myself in all of these aspects I tried hard to deliver the message and “myself” as best as possible. It was obviously hard to do that as I still don’t know myself creatively to that extent yet but all I had in mind was what I stood for, my ideas, my inspiration and how my drive has motivated me in the long run especially as a student who is about to graduate soon. When creating my B1.3 portfolio, I had to make several decisions about its overall aesthetic, particularly the colour scheme and layout. This involved a lot of trial and error to achieve the vision I had in mind, as I consider myself a perfectionist. It was also important to establish most of my branding before designing the portfolio, as this helped me generate stronger ideas and keep the final outcome visually consistent. I feel like it really prepared me to handle questions with quick swiftness and prepared me for how it will be when I do get to go on interviews with a specific job. For B4, I think my priorities would be to just learn from my mistakes and do my best as this is the last BTEC unit and will be remembered for when it’s time to grow out of it and support me during my university/career aspirations. I feel like I want to look back on what I've done so far these past two years and truly just soak in all the feedback I wanted to give myself. To secure a job, work experience opportunity or university place, I plan to apply what I have learnt throughout this unit. It has helped me understand real-world expectations and feel more confident about taking my next steps independently. Having the chance to practise this process before applying for actual opportunities has been valuable, as I now have a clearer understanding of what to expect and how to prepare. Moving forward, I will be more aware of the requirements of different opportunities and the areas I need to develop.