Since September, I have committed to over 170 hours of placement where I have undertaken roles in all forms of media, including visual, audio and written content. Through Professional Practice as part of my university course, I have focused heavily on getting as much professional experience in the industry as possible, as real life experience is crucial, especially in journalism and the media.

My work experience which you will read more about on this website, includes the BBC, Bro Radio, Radio Platfform and YYFM.

All four and others have been massively important in giving me an insight into what real life newsrooms and radio stations are like, but also the skills required to work in them.  I am also a part of two radio stations nominated for best community radio station at the Audio and Radio Industry Awards this year. 

Below is a portfolio of all elements of professional practice experience. A selection of my work generated through volunteering and work experience  is displayed in this portfolio which demonstrates my ability as a broadcaster and journalist.

At Radio Platfform I present my own show which is two hours long where I play the best new music from a range of different genres. Heard it Here First is a weekly show dedicated to championing grassroots artists within the music industry. I usually play about 28 different songs and have different segments where I discuss my favourite track/artist of the week, I also provide information about the artists and strive to play songs that listeners will hear for the first time on my show. This role includes planning, scripting, playlist curating, producing, driving the system, mixing, and presenting. This show has been live for six weeks now and my voice is trained to sound professional and enthusiastic throughout the show which keeps listeners engaged. It is also the most listened to show on the station and I am promoting it through social media to help build that audience further. Episodes also link well with work I am doing for other placement roles. My shows are played live in the Millennium Centre where I broadcast to hundreds of people.

My experience as a live radio presenter sets me up for a career in radio or audio production as the skills that I have learned through this voluntary position meet the criteria for any top job. I am well versed in presenting, audio editing and driving decks because of this role and have impeccable organisational, planning and problem solving skills because of the nature of live radio. I spend a whole day planning each show and building a complex playlist to help ensure that every radio show runs smoothly. My commitment and passion resonates with the listeners and this translates into performing well in a future career. This role has been perfect for my professional development in a sector I want to work in and I have built up a number of contacts including networking with musical artists and people who freelance at the BBC.

A selection of my shows can be found here:

I have also generated professional branding and promotional material for my show which is eye-catching and helps gain a wider audience for the show. This material is shared on my social platforms and through this professional practice I have learnt how to design posters using software such as Canva and Adobe Photoshop. Through hours of work in this role, I have developed new skills which have helped me to become a better broadcaster which prepares me for any position in the future. 

I was presented with the opportunity back in December 2023 to volunteer for Newport City Radio and I instantly emailed back with interest. I then became a volunteer in the middle of December and I am still a volunteer for them, where I travel to their studio every Thursday and spend six hours helping with the overall running of the station. Newport City Radio is a community radio station run by mostly volunteers and  provides the city with huge anthems every day and are soon to launch on DAB, fun on social media, hyper local podcasts and broadcasting from events. This role has many elements to it and makes me suitable for roles in the future. I have also gained knowledge about the Myriad Radio Software and have quickly become an expert with it which benefits my other volunteering roles. This professional practice has been beneficial in building confidence and knowledge. I have been described as an asset and very knowledgeable by the Managing Director at Newport City Radio. Through this experience I have undertaken production and presentation of radio shows and tracking songs in the system.  

https://player.autopod.xyz/572...

The above picture demonstrates what I do every week within six hours, I always complete these tasks and it helps with the smooth operation of the radio station. This role covers a lot of different elements in radio and I am improving every week because of my knowledge and commitment. 

Every Thursday morning I produce a show for Ali Drew who is a big name within the broadcast industry. Before this show goes live, I Segue Edit to make sure that the transitions from songs are seamless, I pride myself on being precise and leaving a 'breath' in between the jingle and the song. Through this experience, I have learnt how to do this and picked it up very quickly which means that the hour is built before going live. This prepares me for future roles as most radio stations use the same software.

This sheet presents a rundown of what the live hour that I produce looks like, I always aim to have an extra song at the end just incase the presenter is running under time. The work I do ensures that each show is running to the precise second, every one so far has been perfectly timed and I do this for multiple shows weekly, radio runs smoothly with a good producer and I have everything done before the presenter comes in so that they can focus on their role without having to do any of this work themselves. This demonstrates my ability to work professionally with other professionals with years of experience in the industry.

Another big part of my role is Tracking which is where I spend time importing songs into the system to be played. When a song is imported, I have to put it into a category, note the highest chart position, what month and year it first charted in, and mark where the intro ends to help the presenter. Tracking also includes marking a hook, which is a snippet of a song for listeners to preview. This is a lengthy process and when I first started it was a challenge but as time has gone on, I have also become well equipped to be able to do this quickly so that a wider variety of songs can be broadcast. Learning how to do all of this production has prepared me for future employment in a radio or audio production role. 

I have been a digital communications volunteer with Cardiff Third Sector Council for six months now. I create digital content that goes out on social media platforms, this includes interviews and video. This role fits perfectly with the University of South Wales 2030 Curriculum and community engagement goals because I have engaged with the community and created professional videos to highlight different organisations. 

Volunteering for C3SC started with conducting interviews for a whole evening with winners of the Cardiff Volunteer Awards 2023. Throughout the night, I asked questions in a professional manner to each recipient of an award and then live tweeted throughout the evening so that people could see the interviews on social media. My questions were well thought out and the work I produced through this professional practice was of a high standard despite the fast paced nature of the interviews. 

After the volunteer awards, I combined all of the interviews together and used the editing software CapCut to caption them all and put subtitles on the video. This was a 15 minute video that showcased my ability to edit and generate video content. Some of the questions could have been better worded but I was happy considering I conducted over 10 interviews within the space of five hours. My ability to do multiple types of journalism is what makes me stands out and this experience has helped develop skills for future employment.  

Along with creating this video as part of my experience with C3SC, I wrote an article that was featured in the December 2023 Newsletter which was all about the awards. This was a two-page spread that I constructed myself which was a good part of professional practice and has enhanced my levels of employability through the fact that I can create videos but also write articles. 

As part of my professional practice experience, I have also created short 'A Day in the Life' videos where I film at organisations across Cardiff, this includes capturing interviews and b-roll. I then edit these to industry standard which helps me prepare for future employment as I can do all of these things straight away without needing any training. 

At Bro Radio, I produce and present news bulletins. I am a news reader with professional intonation to help engage the listeners. This includes researching and gathering news for different length bulletins that go out throughout the day. These bulletins have improved every week and prepare me for future employment as many other people who have volunteered for Bro Radio are now employees at BBC and ITV. I have networked with several of these people and many believe that I posses the skills necessary, it is an asset that I am talented in all areas of broadcasting and have hours of experience in professional practice.  Below are the bulletins that I have produced so far. 

As a broadcast journalist and news reader for Bro Radio, the work I have produced is all part of professional practice which will enhance my levels of employability as I will be able to produce this level of work at any radio station. I have also written for the online site. https://www.broradio.fm/welsh-...

I have spent six months as the content and social media manager of Ysbyty Ystrad FM. YYFM is completely free, and accessible to patients using tablets - which are available on wards - or by using their own devices and connecting to the hospital's free WiFi network. The service is also available externally.

Rather than being a traditional hospital radio station, YYFM content  is regularly updated and made available on-demand, 24/7, via itsyyfm.com - this site will direct users to both speech-based and music-based content. Patients can also give their feedback on the service, or request specific content, by clicking the feedback button. All of which I manage. My key responsibilities include:
- Creating and curating multimedia content, including music playlists, interviews, and.
- Collaborating with the project lead and other volunteers to plan and produce engaging and relevant content.
- Editing audio and video content to ensure quality and consistency.
- Managing the scheduling and delivery of multimedia content on the platform.
- Assisting in promoting the radio service and growing the audience.
-Reviewing insights of how social media is developing
-Producing a quarterly newsletter.

Through this role I have developed editing and production skills which are valuable for my future career. I have also collaborated with other volunteers, people in the community and healthcare professionals which has helped expand my professional network. It has helped me gain real-world experience in the field of multimedia content management. I have also participated in community engagement by becoming an active member of my local community, making a positive impact.

A big part of this role is creating episodes to upload through podcaster for listeners on a daily basis.

Social media content creation and managing is also a key aspect of this role in which I post on the main social media channels to promote content and drive engagement. This also includes monitoring followers and comments. I have gained experience in how to create posts that draw attention. I now know how to get more listeners on the platform and my design skills have got better which would make me suitable for a job as a content manager as well. 

Audio editing is something that I have got better through the work produced via professional practice which sets me up for a career in production and helps with all elements of journalism. It is one aspect that I was not confident about but I have become an expert on Adobe Audition and other types of editing software through my hours of experience. I am now proficient in many aspects of journalism and broadcasting. 

Volunteering for YYFM has enabled me to produce my own podcast which I have done before and enjoy doing. My voice is professionally trained and I have experience in audio broadcasting. 

My project work also includes writing blogs for the radio website. I have years of writing experience and have improved vastly since first starting. I have an ability to research and craft original stories that I produce in different forms of broadcasting. All of my blogs can be found via the blog page on this website. 

https://www.yyfm.org/post/laur...

https://www.yyfm.org/post/ystr...

I spent a week in November of 2023 undertaking a placement at BBC Wales working with the digital team and gaining professional work experience. The BBC is the biggest media corporation in the world and digital stories contribute to over four million viewers per week. Throughout the week, I spent most of my time researching and writing stories. On the first day, I went out onto the streets of Cardiff to help conduct vox pops which are now something I have got better at doing. 

Within just two days of being at the BBC, I got a byline published which is one of my proudest achievements as a journalist. After a day of being published, the article had received 100,000 views which contributed to 10% of overall hits on the site.  

The rest of the week was spent shadowing experienced journalists which gave me an insight into how a newsroom works and I networked with others who thought my work was impressive. This sets me up perfectly for a future role in broadcast journalism.