Ever since I was a kid it was my dream to make fun things for Radio 1. And then I did.
I actually did my first proper shift for the BBC at the age of 15 (which technically wasn’t allowed), working for BBC Radio Lincolnshire.
Eventually, via a travel reporting job in Oxford and then BBC Radio 2, I worked my way up to the heady heights of the nation’s favourite youth broadcaster.
I was responsible for social content across shows including Annie Mac and Danny Howard, as well leading on the social strategy for BBC Audio’s specialist music output.
It was a really interesting time to be working in audio and social media – and incredible to think how much has changed since.
When I first moved to the BBC’s national radio stations, a large part of the strategy was pushing people towards listening live, and creating content around things as they happened on the radio.
These days, it’s widely acknowledged that plastering your socials with links to your website doesn’t really work. Plus, with the emergence of TikTok and reels, most of the content is inspired by culture and trends, rather actual radio output.
But back in 2015, this was still fairly radical thinking.
As the person responsible for the strategy around specialist music, and much of the content that went out from Radio 1, being able to help gently steer the network’s social channels in this new direction was probably one of my biggest accomplishments.
I led the social efforts around some of the station’s biggest events and activations including, memorably, the time we kidnapped Greg James after the BRITs.
And, while I was lucky enough to create content with some of the UK’s favourite TV & radio presenters, as well as some of the biggest names in entertainment in the world, I also enjoyed working with some exciting new talent.
The relatively unknown Billie Eilish and Sam Fender were particular highlights.
(you can tell it’s my laptop being used in this video because of the #content sticker 👆😇)
In total I spent six years working across the BBC’s national radio networks, including four years at Radio 1.
I left the BBC in 2021, after I was offered a job at Jellyfish, so it feels slightly strange writing up a highlights post four years later – especially as many of the links to my favourite pieces of content have been lost to the annals of social media history.
However, it’s probably the career achievement I’m most proud of (so far), so I wanted to acknowledge it.
These days, I enjoy keeping up with my friends at the BBC as a freelance special correspondent on Radio 2’s The Jeremy Vine show.