My time at Reigate College really built the foundations for the career I have today. I felt very empowered as a student and nurtured by the enrichment programme, which all helped me secure a place at my dream Russell Group University – York.

Encouraging me to be more independent and improve my time management skills prepared me well for university and my professional career. And because College was such an inclusive environment, I also grew into myself as an individual.

Graduating just before the pandemic was unexpectedly a very tough time to look for employment, especially in the production industry. It took a lot of drive and commitment to wait for the industry to be fully up and running again, but since landing my first internship at Trinny London, my growth into the Producer I am today has been exponential.

Trinny London is one of the fastest growing UK beauty and skincare brands and my job is to manage the production of studio and location-based video/photography shoots for product campaigns, entertainment shows and premium social media content.

I love the different teams I work with and feel very lucky to play my part in creating innovative content every day. Now I’m looking to specialise my production skills further to include long-form content and eventually I’d love to move into producing for the arts and culture sector.

As a woman in a vastly male-dominated industry, I hope my experience encourages other young woman to pursue this avenue. There is a whole network of creatives looking to empower under-represented groups, and through hard work and personal resilience, anything is achievable.

In terms of top tips, I’d recommend starting to build your network now and to create stories whenever you get the chance – it will be invaluable in your further studies and career.

Charlie Cowap

Reigate College: 2014-2016

Higher Education: BSc Film and Television Production, University of York

Currently: Producer, Trinny London