Our 18th Industry Week was a hit! Over five days, stars from the stage and screen came to Confetti to share the secrets of their success with our students. From Vicky McClure’s inspiring talk at Confetti X and Guy Chambers’ songwriting masterclass at Metronome, to Trevor Nelson’s star-studded panel discussion at our new London campus, each event was packed with unforgettable moments.
“Industry Week has an amazing line-up. I was looking at the poster and it could have been a festival. I think that connection between industry and universities is the difference maker.” – Jordan Schwarzenberger, manager to The Sidemen
From Monday 4 to Friday 8 March, we were pleased to welcome over 100 industry experts for an incredible line-up of sessions. Industry Week 2024 showcased stars from various fields including music, events, gaming, sport, YouTube, esports, and television, all of them eager to pass on their expertise and insights to Confetti students looking to follow in their footsteps. In total, the week provided over 150 hours of industry-led content – check out our Industry Week highlights.
Better than ever before
Celebrating 30 years of creative technology education and almost two decades of Industry Week – not to mention the first to feature our new London campus – our dedicated Education team pulled out all the stops and it’s reflected in the incredible feedback we’ve received from students:
“All the students that I’ve spoken to have absolutely loved every minute of it and it’s been really insightful!” – Reece Kemp, BA (Hons) Content Creation
“The week’s been fantastic in terms of the way I’ve been able to interact with people from the international esports scene, the networking opportunities have been great, and I’ve had an overall fantastic time with some of the workshops we’ve been able to run in collaboration with leading industry experts. My favourite’s been Adam Savage, his energy is unmatched!” – George Townson, BSc (Hons) Esports Production
Unrivalled student opportunities
As is the way at Confetti, our students got plenty of opportunities to gain hands-on experience throughout the week. Content Creation, Film Production, Television Production, Event Production and Esports Production degree students undertook various roles, including content creators, videographers and photographers, and a number of students supported with event set-ups, production, and live broadcasts.
Our Student Ambassadors in particular did a terrific job! Over the course of the week, they welcomed guests, assisted with interviews, guided students around, and supported evening events across our commercial venues, Metronome and Confetti X. Their professionalism and dedication were clear. They’ve been like shining stars, helping their peers, and many have been sharing their favourite sessions enthusiastically:
“The week’s been really busy and very rewarding. I’ve had such fun being part of the interview team. All of the guests have been so friendly and down to earth with the students. I’ve definitely grown in confidence. Before this week, I’d have never been able to approach them, introduce myself and engage them in conversation. My standout was getting to meet Phil Mealey and hold his BAFTA.” – Rhys Bentley, MSc Creative Technologies
“I’ve enjoyed Industry Week a lot. Neil Davidge told us this great story about a time he was in a limo with Baz Luhrmann, who is one of my favourite directors. I was chosen to ask Vicky McClure a question during her session which was amazing and I really enjoyed interacting with Leanne Davies – I listened to her talk and told her how I’m making a short film. I asked her if I could send it to her and she gave me her email. She didn’t have to say yes!” – Sarah Walsh, BSc (Hons) Film Production
In total, Industry Week saw students engage in more than 135 ‘Do It For Real’ opportunities, contributing an incredible 1,600 hours of hands-on work experience across Nottingham and London!
Interviews with the stars
In addition to the sessions themselves, our student film crew interviewed a number of high-profile guests backstage, including BAFTA-winning writer and producer, Phil Mealey, top UK sound engineer, Fumez, and Vice-President of Music Intelligence at SoundCloud, Hazel Savage.
“I think Industry Week can be an amazing reality check and motivator for young people.
“I remember a similar experience years ago when I was working at a youth club. They had a record label director come over from Atlantic Records. At that time, I was looking for someone to motivate me. I remember thinking, push me, help me. I ended up having a conversation with the guy and saying: bro, one day, you’re gonna sign me.
“That was the highlight of my whole week and I was like: I’m going to be there every day. I’m going to put the hours in. For me, it was amazing, a real driver. Two years later, that same record label signed me.
“And so, I’m hoping Confetti students can take away that same kind of motivation and go on and become who they are destined to become. Thank you for having me.” – Fumez the Engineer
Our friends at local television channel, Notts TV, also participated in Industry Week, joining forces with our film crew to champion local talent, including genre-splicing sister duo, ALT BLK ERA, electronic artist, Cassetteboy, and Notts-born creative director and video producer, Zander Brown. Check out our compilation of soundbites from Notts TV’s Industry Week coverage.
Exciting events at Metronome
BBC Music Introducing in the East Midlands also returned to Metronome during Industry Week attracting a huge audience. The line-up included Confetti student act, Steven Willis, who enjoyed performing to a packed auditorium alongside his friends and fellow musicians, Oz, Harvey, and Morgan. After the gig, Steven said:
“Wow! That was wild, the biggest performance I’ve ever done! Thank you to Confetti for giving us this incredible opportunity to perform at BBC Introducing. It’s such a fantastic place for young aspiring musicians. We all study here and really love the environment, the creativity, and the spirit of collaboration you feel on campus.”
One of our Music Business degree students, Annabelle Gascoigne, covered the gig for our social media and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We caught up with Annabelle shortly after the event to hear her reflections on the week. She shared:
“I really enjoyed going to the gig and thought it was really interesting how all the acts had different styles of music but fitted together really well on the night. I’m really looking forward to seeing Hayley Code and Emma Van Duyts this afternoon and learning about their careers. Industry Week has been really enjoyable for me this year and I am looking forward to next year already!”
When education meets industry
In collaboration with our squad of content creators, we also secured strong endorsements from the likes of ShxtsNGigs, ranked in the top three podcasts on Spotify, as well as Jordan Schwarzenberger, manager to some of Europe’s most prominent creators!
Our Esports Production degree student, Rahul Sunil, showcased his skills by delivering an elevator pitch to Jordan while on route from our Nottingham live events venue, Metronome, to our media production centre, Antenna, using an iPad. Jordan was highly impressed by Rahul’s pitch, prompting him to exchange contact details and express interest in connecting further. Check out our interview with Jordan to find out all about his career with the Sidemen, his advice for aspiring creators, and his thoughts on Industry Week.
A familiar face returns to Industry Week
We were pleased to welcome back our long-time friend and ambassador, Vicky McClure MBE, to campus for a masterclass in Confetti X. Our relationship goes back to the early 2000s, when McClure starred in This Is England. The highly acclaimed Shane Meadows film was shot with the support of Spool, our award-winning production studios in Nottingham. Since that time, we’ve collaborated on a number of projects, including British mockumentary web series, Charity Shop Sue (2019), also produced by Spool, and McClure’s 2022 ITV drama, Without Sin. The psychological thriller, largely filmed in Nottingham, received support from Confetti students, with its production office located at our media production centre, Antenna. Just last year, we were proud to host Vicky and her husband Jonny Owen’s wedding reception at Metronome. It was a real privilege to have the BAFTA-winning actress return to campus for her third Industry Week.
For the Line of Duty and Trigger Point star, it was a chance to give our students an insight into the secrets of her successful career so far and voice her support for our vocational courses, she said:
“You don’t really know where to turn in this industry. It’s not like going to university and getting a degree to become a doctor or a teacher where there’s a really clear path,” she said.
“Creative industries don’t work on formulas, they work on the nuances that run throughout and everybody does things differently. You speak to any sound technician or director, actor, musician, gamer, they’ve all got their own theories. They’ve all got their own ways. So, having Confetti, and being lucky enough to have gone through their courses, puts its students in a brilliant position to have an open enough mind to get them prepared for that.”
In demand and OnDemand
The valuable insights and opportunities our students gain into real careers truly showcase why Confetti is such a great place to study. The majority of events were sold out this year and to ensure everyone benefitted, many of the sessions were live streamed. We’re currently preparing the recordings for upload and they’ll be shortly available to watch OnDemand on our Industry Week website.
Are you interested in attending events like Industry Week as part of your studies? Book onto an Open Day to find out more about our offer at Confetti.
