Graduate stories: Harry McKenzie

I chose the University of Brighton because I’ve always enjoyed Brighton as a place and I chose the Geography BA(Hons) course because I’ve always enjoyed learning about the world and its inhabitants.

The course was a good mix of everything, and I really enjoyed the media modules in my final year. I didn’t enjoy my work placement much, but I learned a lot and the experience drove me to up my game in final year and really get stuck into the course. Some of the best times of my life were spent studying (and partying) in Brighton – no doubt. The highlights of my course were the field trip to Morocco, the final year media crossover module and the study of discourse and power.

Student wearing a hat, sitting in a chair pointing a camera at the photographer taking the picture

My first job after graduation was as Digital Sales Executive at Crash Media Group, one of the largest motorsport websites in the world, then I went on to become a Digital Content and Video Executive at the same company. I then became a Marketing Coordinator with Yamaha Motor NV followed by a role as Content Producer and Videographer for the Department for Business and Trade. I’ve recently started my own business focusing on photography, videography and marketing consultancy.

Whilst I wouldn’t say I’ve got my dream job yet, I would definitely say that my jobs have all had elements of what I love doing in them. Whether that is riding and reviewing motorcycles at Crash Media, or leading press events at Yamaha – I followed what I enjoyed doing and to an extent, it paid off. I’m now more into film-making, and producing which is another one of my passions.

I like variation, get bored easily and I’m always up for a challenge, so this line of work suits me as no one day is the same. I like the day-to-day variation, collaboration and the fact that creativity is applauded.  I’m diagnosed dyslexic I’ve faced challenges and so I’m proud that I got over my fear of writing publicly and posting on social media to hundreds of thousands of people!

I found studying Geography BA(Hons) at Brighton was very flexible in terms of module choice, although the study of physical geography modules wasn’t really my thing, it’s good practice and interesting stuff. Plus, understanding discourse, power, demographics, data, and media were all relevant to my marketing and comms jobs. 

Having a grasp on data helped to sharpen campaign performance. And a bit like work, the more you put in, the more you get out of the course – it gave me the confidence to self-teach and take control of my learning path. The course allows you to take control of your learning path, and this is very cool.

My plan for the future is to keep on learning and striving to improve my skills in filmmaking and marketing – and sustainably grow my business. Maybe one day I’ll do a masters in something different, studying Geography BA(Hons) at Brighton has given me plenty of options.

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