A hub of creativity

Recent graduate Jessica Hill has always been fascinated by the impact of pairing film and music. After completing her Master of Fine Arts (Creative Practice)—Film (MFA (CP)) at Victoria University of Wellington, she has now landed her dream job as a Creative Services Manager at Universal Music Group.

The projects she worked on during her MFA (CP) allowed her to apply the skills she’d learnt during her undergraduate degree (a Bachelor of Design Innovation majoring in Media Design and minoring in Film), and taught her a lot about the process of managing people and teams.

“My favourite project has to be my thesis, where I explored an in-depth analysis of music videos and their ability to communicate societal ideologies and messages through creating my own music video. From directing and producing the video, to managing a crew, to seeing the vision come to life from idea to finished product, I learnt so much about the industry and myself during this process. The video had recognition by a few music video festivals internationally and locally which was awesome news and made it all worthwhile.”

Work-ready qualifications
Jessica’s role as a Creative Services Manager involves working with musicians on creative projects to promote their music, which can include anything from music videos, to audio advertisements, to artist awards.

“My time at University taught me how to work to briefs and to tight deadlines—and gave me the knowledge and experience to know what style of content and creative choices will benefit the varying artists.

“I use both my degrees on a day-to-day basis, which I’m really grateful for.”

Capital advice
Jessica has a wealth of advice for those looking to get a job in the creative industries and one of her key pieces of advice—study in Wellington.

“For those studying anything creative Wellington is such a hub for inspiration and creativity. It’s a very forward-thinking and innovative city.”

She also says that the small community atmosphere in Wellington made it much easier to network and make a name for herself. Undertaking an internship at Capital Magazine was a turning point for her, and gave her the confidence to believe in herself creatively, as well as hands-on experience.

Build that portfolio
Her final piece of advice? Make the most of your time at University, especially the contacts you make during your studies.

“Partner with local brands, your friends, and show that you know how to work to briefs in ‘the real world’. Build that portfolio. The amount of personal and professional growth I had during my time at University was insane—embrace it. Listen to yourself, if you really enjoyed a particular paper, talk to your lecturers, see if there are ways you can get further involved in the subjects that speak to you on that deeper level—you’ll thank yourself for it later.”