Media & Creative Industries

After finishing my bachelor’s in international Relations and European Studies and taking some time off to travel, volunteer and work, I realized that I wanted to pursue my Master in a slightly different field. Although I loved what I studied before, I wanted something that would finally allow me to be more creative and connected to the subjects I was interested in. I wanted to pursue a career that was not going to be monotonous and predictable; I wanted something that would challenge me, allow me to be innovative, flexible and in a field that calls for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.

Tailored to your liking

Erasmus University was a clear choice to me, but the master specialisation Media and Creative Industries exceeded my expectations. Not only do our professors happen to be brilliant and knowledgeable individuals but also the content of the programme can be tailored to your liking. The teaching model asks for us students to be active and assertive, contributing with ideas and discussions. The classroom is as international as you can imagine, and therefore our classes are always intriguing, reflecting the diverse points of view.

Practice makes perfect

There is a lot of writing included, which might seem overwhelming at first, but the reason is clear: practice makes perfect. I can feel that this master specialisation is helping me to improve my skills, whether it is clear and concise writing, critical thinking, mastering the research methods and analysis, or public speaking and teamwork.

Theoretical framework and practical application

Although every course brought me some valuable knowledge, courses like Audience Engagement or Innovation in the Creative Industries present a great combination of a theoretical framework and practical application. We are very free in choosing our topics of interest while working on a research paper or any other project, but we always have rubrics to follow and further guidance from our professors. This programme is already teaching me more than I expected, and I am curious about what is in store for the next months to come.

Solid knowledge base for the future

The ultimate goal after the master specialisation is to have my own online business within the creative field. However, I would love to acquire more practical knowledge in companies dealing with creative processes, design, social matters or the combination of…well, everything. It feels that our options are going to be broad, which fits with a personality like mine that does not want to settle for one path only. I think that Media & Creative Industries is laying down a solid knowledge base for my future work, so I am very much looking forward to seeing what the Netherlands (or the world) has to offer afterwards!

Name: Emily Tang
Position: PhD Candidate
Company: Erasmus University Rotterdam
 

Why did you choose the Master programme Media & Creative Industries? Was it a conscious choice for a specific career path? What other factors contributed to your decision?

Before I started this master programme, I studied Pedagogical Sciences and completed a pre-master programme called ‘Art, Media and Society’. I enjoyed the philosophical approach of this pre-master programme, but I wanted to pursue a master that would prepare me to put scientific knowledge into practice. I appreciated how the courses in the Media & Creative Industries programmes had a good balance between using literature and practical research skills to tackle todays issues in the field of media and communication. In my opinion, the courses are very well related to the practice in creative industry. For instance, for one essay I interviewed the theatre programme director of a youth theatre in Rotterdam, after which they asked me to conduct research among their youth theatre players and the theatre visitors, in order to improve their programme.

Has the Media & Creative Industries programme lived up to your expectations?

When I started this programme, I noticed that there were some topics that were new to me, such as marketing or management related issues, and sometimes I worried whether I would have enough prior knowledge. However, I experienced that during my bachelor and pre-master programme I obtained enough general academic skills that also could be applied here. Thereby, it was helpful that you could always choose your own topic in your essays. For instance, I am personally mostly interested in cultural participation of youth and how media influences child development. In every course I was able to relate these topics to my research question, so I could always learn more about specific topics I was most interested in, which made me more motivated to put in the extra work.

Could you tell us more about the start of your professional career? How long did it take you to find a job after graduation? How did you find your first job? And which components of your Master programme are useful in your current position or career trajectory

After graduation, I decided I wanted to complete a master in the field of Child and Family Studies as well. Before I graduated from that Master, I was asked to stay during the summer as a research assistant at the ESSB faculty, and later I was asked to be involved as a co-coordinator for the master’s course called ‘Child and Media’. In the meantime, I was hired for a PhD position at the department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies. The topic of my current PhD research is not related to media, but I do still use the qualitative research skills I specifically learned during the master Media and Creative Industries, such as thematic analyses of interview data. More generally, I feel that this master programme has made me a more well-rounded person. Media and globalization affect our lives every day, and I experience that I use the critical skills I learned at Media and Creative industries in both my professional and my private life.

Any advice for new graduates?

I would advise new students to think thoroughly about where they would want to work after their master programme. I experienced that my personal focus helped me to get most out of this master programme and to build a network in my field of interest.

Why did you choose the Master programme Media & Creatieve Industries? Was it a conscious choice for a specific career path? What other factors contributed to your decision?

Coming from a very practice-oriented bachelor programme in Journalism, I was looking for a theoretical deep dive to complement my skills and experience. I completed my study at the age of 21 and knew I wasn’t ready to start working yet. Also, I had no clear idea yet of what kind of career I wanted to pursue. All I knew was that I was interested in many things, and that being a journalist all my life would not satisfy me. In my search on ‘what to do next’, I stumbled upon the Media & Creative Industries pre-master program. It was perfect for me, to both gain more theoretical knowledge as well as to find out what other job opportunities in the media sector would suit me.

Has the Media & Creative Industries programme lived up to your expectations?

It surely did. What I liked most, is that even though it was of course a master program and therefore had a strong theoretical component, the courses were also linked to the daily practice of media professionals. It taught me how to use theory to solve real problems. It was a lot of hard work, but I felt that the programme was the right choice for me.

How long did it take you to find a job after graduation?

Not long at all. I already found a job while I was still completing my master programme.

For which organisation or company do you currently work, and what is your position?

For 1,5 years now I have been working at Bijl PR as a consultant. Bijl PR is a public relations agency, based in the heart of Rotterdam. We build, guard and strengthen reputations for brands, companies and organisations. From corporates to non-profits, and everything in between. We help our clients to tell their story, reach the right audiences and really make an impact with their communications.

How did you find your first job?

By simply applying to an open vacancy I found online. I extended my master programme with an exchange semester at a university in Italy (which I’d totally recommend, by the way). From there, I started my job hunt. Successfully. I found a job in online communications at the University of Utrecht. However, a few months in an opportunity at Bijl PR came by that I could not ignore. For this position, I actually did not have enough experience. I decided to just try and send the director of the agency a message on LinkedIn. He was charmed by this and invited me for a job interview. The rest is history.

What are your most prominent tasks?

My tasks are best summarized as advising our clients on everything related to public relations and communications. I do both strategic and executive work. From creating PR plans and strategies to drafting up press releases, coordinating influencer campaigns, being a spokesperson for media questions and supporting clients with crisis communications. My work is very diverse, and so is the range of clients I work for. This makes it dynamic. My days never look the same. But the diversity and complexity makes it challenging from time to time as well. Luckily, I have a great team and boss, supporting and guiding me when necessary. And having been in this job for some time now, I have learned that those challenges are necessary in order to grow.

Which components of your Master programme are useful in your current position or career trajectory?

My master program helped me in developing a critical attitude, which you definitely need to have when working as a consultant. It is my job to stay calm, analyze the situation thoroughly and guide my clients into the direction that helps them to reach their goals best. On a more practical level, the program has taught me a lot about how media work, how audiences might perceive certain messages and what role digitalization plays in all this. Working in public relations and trying to reach certain audiences via both online and offline media, this knowledge comes in very useful.

Any advice for new graduates?

Do not put too much pressure on yourself to find your dream job right away. Sometimes, a not so great match can be just what you need to push you into the right direction and learn a thing or two about yourself. Most importantly: do never let your fear guide you. And consider starting off at an agency like I did. For me, working at an agency is the perfect stepping stone to gain a lot of valuable experience in the field and learn about my own strengths and interests at the same time.