Get Top Tips From Karen P at Radio Festival’s Foot In The Door Masterclass!

Our very own Karen P will once again be one of the industry insiders at the Foot In The Door event at this year’s Radio Festival in Salford.

The Masterclass acts just like speed-dating – ten tables packed with industry professionals sit ready to give advice on how to get your foot in the door and make a mark on the industry. Delegates get 15 minutes at each table before the klaxon sounds and they have to move on.

Karen will be on a table called ‘Who Chooses The Music?’ together with Bauer’s Trevor Jordan.

Last year’s Masterclass was the highlight of the festival for many radio hopefuls and new careers are even known to have been launched through the connections made at the event!

It all takes place at The Lowry at Salford Quays on Wednesday 14th November. Tickets are £24 (+VAT) for Radio Academy members and £48 (+VAT) for non-members.

So, if you want to work in radio, make sure you find out more and get a ticket from the Radio Academy’s website.

Aisling Creedon: The Right Place at the Right Time – BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra’s Hackney Academy

It is a very rare thing to be in the right place at the right time. I know this because when you’re trying to get into the radio industry, as I am, the right place and the right time so rarely coincide, no matter how many times people tell you they should.

But in June, it finally happened. The right place was Folded Wing, an independent production company in London who were kind enough to take me on for two weeks’ work experience. The right time was when I had been there almost a week, researching, editing and learning. Caroline from the Radio Academy called the Folded Wing office looking for a young presenter. My ears tingled but I kept my eyes on my screen.

Then,

“Ever done any presenting Aisling?”

I had. Lots. Folded Wing’s Jim sat me down and talked me through the job – I was to host the Radio Academy’s ‘Getting Into Radio‘ session as part of BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra’s Hackney Academy. I would introduce the day and each of the speakers. Jim sounded confident in me and I knew I could do it.

The next day I arrived in Hackney, rattling with the nerves of knowing that I would soon be introducing Ben Cooper, Radio 1′s controller and the man everyone wants to work for, to a group of people I would usually be sitting amongst.

My voice and my fingers shook through my introduction, but I took deep breaths, remembered Ben’s name and from then on the links got easier and I relaxed into what was a great day of advice and knowledge delivered by some of the industry’s most successful people. Howard Hughes talked about the lucky breaks that made him a star, we heard how Radio 1′s Hackney weekend came into being, and Andrea Day proved to everyone that travel news is far from dull.

It was a chance for me to meet professionals in a professional capacity, and that is invaluable experience. I was able to practice my public speaking, something that does not come easily to anyone (does it?!) and best of all, hear all the talks and take on all the advice.

If it hadn’t been for Folded Wing, I would never have had the opportunity to even go to the event, let alone host it. Everyone was right, there is something special when the right place and time come together. I just wish Ben Cooper had been a little further down the bill!

Behind the scenes videos at International Radio Festival 2011

Check out Folded Wing and The Selector in an interview behind the scenes at the International Radio Festival in Zurich last year. There’s plenty of other videos on their YouTube from everyone involved in the event including Radio Nova from France, J-Wave from Japan, KCRW from LA and 5FM from South Africa.

We had a great time at the festival last year hearing inspiring radio from around the world and meeting radio stalwarts such as Normski, Tony Blackburn and Tony Prince. The Seletcor also won International Show Of The Year 2011. The festival will be back in 2012 with a special edition in London during the Summer 2012 Olympic Games and another event planned in October 2012. More info on their website.

Party time!

Join us for The Selector, Goldierocks and Folded Wing Xmas party knee’s up.

Featuring: Damon Martin (Disco Bloodbath), Goldierocks, Karen P, Jim Lister and many more. Check out the Facebook event here.

For guestlist requests please email john@foldedwing.co.uk by 2pm on Friday 16th December.

ReAnimate Late Shift Extra event at the National Portrait Gallery

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Back in the summer Martyn Ware, Illustrious, Karen P and Folded Wing curated a special Late Shift Extra event at the National Portrait Gallery. It offered a total sensory visitor experience where people could listen to sonic landscapes and DJ sets, see exhibitions and films, taste cocktails and even get intoxicated by a specially created perfume. Some of the artists involved included Andreya Triana, Illum Sphere, Tracey Moberly and Di Mainstone. We produced a podcast of just some of the highlights from the event, which you can listen to here.