Saskia Almond
Current Employer/Organisation Name
Dramadan
What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?
After graduating during lockdown, I tried out a couple of different industries to figure out what I wanted to do. I took internships at a contemporary arts venue, a theatre start-up, and a PR company before finalising my decision to work in TV. I am now working as a Researcher for a start-up TV production company, where I brainstorm ideas for factual entertainment, conduct research and interviews, and create treatments to be pitched to commissioners.
Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?
There are so many roles and different avenues in TV and that really excites me. I love the creativity of my job; my day-to-day involves developing ideas for shows and creating treatments to pass on to commissioners with the hope that my ideas will make it on to our TV screens.
Please tell us if you were a member of any societies, groups or sports clubs?
At Exeter I was Social Secretary for Cheerleading & Gymnastics Club and Social Secretary for Lightbox Creative Collective.
What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?
I enjoyed being able to learn about vastly different topics in my combined degree. My biggest highlight in Drama was performing Lungs for my third year Acting module. And my highlight in AHVC was the fantastic professors who led incredibly engaging and fascinating modules (Fiona Allen, Sabrina Rahman, Joao Florencio and David Jones, to name a few).
What did you enjoy most about studying here?
I enjoyed being able to make the most out of the resources at university. There were many opportunities that I could take advantage of: I was a member/committee member of a sports club (Cheerleading & Gymnastics) and society (Lightbox), I acted in T3 Drama Festival shows each year, I volunteered (at the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum), I was mentored (by Kaleider Studios producer), I work shadowed (at The Edge, Bath) and I got an internship through Professional Pathways (at the Fish Factory, Penryn).
Why did you choose to study at Exeter?
It was the one university where I could study Art History with Drama equally. I loved the module choices for both – particularly the practical side of Drama and the contemporary/visual culture modules in AHVC.
What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?
Being able to shadow people and get insight into my relevant industries was useful in being able to picture where I could fit in as an employee. Exeter has great career resources and I really appreciated being able to undertake an internship and other career-related events at university.
What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?
Don’t be afraid to reach out to people you don’t know for advice – there are a lot of people (even Exeter alumni) who are always happy to chat and help, which is something I’ve found really helpful. Try things out; it’s had to understand an industry without having experience in it, so even if you don’t know what you want to do, say yes to as much as possible.
What are your plans for the future?
I plan to keep trying out different roles in the TV industry and build up my credits. I don’t have an end goal but hope to grab each opportunity as it comes and see where it takes me.
