Larnie Moles graduated with her Masters degree – and walked straight into a job with one of the most prestigious names in broadcasting.
Larnie, 26, graduated with MA Radio from the University of Sunderland in November and immediately landed a post at the BBC Creative Agency in London. BBC Creative is the BBC’s in-house creative agency. They produce work that supports all of the BBC’s brands and platforms.
She studied her first degree in Media and Culture at Southampton Solent University, but Larnie felt she wasn’t achieving what she wanted in her career, and decided that studying for a Masters degree in Radio at Sunderland was the best path for her.
“I had developed on the student station Radio Sonar, was producing and presenting every week on Voice FM, and interned at a local commercial station, but I still felt far off getting a job in a creative, and paid, production role in radio. I think knowledge of the industry was a big factor, and I knew that although I had some skills, I didn't really have what I needed to put me ahead in the game.
“I hoped that the MA from Sunderland would really fill the gaps I had in both knowledge and experience.”
In the year that Larnie studied at the University of Sunderland she was shortlisted for The Charles Parker Prize (with an extract of her work played out on Radio 4Xtra); was shortlisted for two I Love Student Radio Awards; was put forward for the Kevin Greeney Creativity Award and won Silver in the Specialist Music Category in at the Student Radio Awards.
As if that wasn’t enough Larnie won funding from the University’s Silver Fund Scholarship to buy industry standard DJ mixing decks, and set up the University's first DJ Society.
Larnie’s successful application to the Fund had identified a new area of training at the centre using the DJ equipment, which would support students across all media degrees in areas such as learning, live editing and playlisting.
In addition, the introduction of the equipment has led to the creation of a DJ Society Group within the student community, with the intention of providing a platform for networking opportunities and workshops, creating contacts and building links to the wider DJing communities, strengthening relationships between students and local area.
Larnie said: “Our successful bid has really had a positive impact on students and I want to thank the donors of the Silver Fund for giving our students this amazing opportunity. From previous study experience, I understand how integral a relationship between the student radio and the DJs at a university can be and cannot wait for the DJ communities to flourish from here!”
Now Larnie is based in London at the BBC’s Broadcast Centre, and is looking forward to making an impact on one of the company’s newest initiatives. “I’m working as a Developing Creative, working to create radio trials of BBC TV shows, so it’s very special!
“At the moment radio and audio are evolving in so many non-traditional areas, like events, audio books, festival, podcasts and binaural sounds, that it’s only offering more opportunities.”