Daniel Orton is a senior video journalist at the Wall Street Journal, where he produces politics, business and markets stories for the paper's Twitter audience. He graduated from the University of Exeter, where he where he was involved with the student paper, radio station and TV station.
Daniel is a senior video journalist at the Wall Street Journal, based in the London bureau, where he produces politics, business and markets stories for the paper's Twitter audience. Before that he was at Newsweek where he helped the publication increase video views and social media engagement. He began his career in journalism when he joined the London Evening Standard's as the paper's first video editor, shaping its early video strategy. Prior to journalism, he worked briefly in television as a runner and production assistant. He has a degree in psychology from the University of Exeter, where he first developed an interest in journalism through writing for his student paper, presenting a student radio show, and producing content for Exeter's student television station.
What University did you go to and what subject did you study?
I went to Exeter and studied psychology, which turned out to be a nice distraction from student media.
What Student TV Station were you a part of?
Exeter’s station is called XTV. I joined in my first year - just after Freshers’ Week I think - and ended up being station manager alongside my friend Mike in third year. We ran uncontested and I like to think we simply scared the rest of the competition off.
Why did you choose to get involved with Student TV?
I came to university already with a passion for creative writing (which isn’t something you really need a talent for in psychology necessarily) and went along to the student media introductory session in Freshers’ Week. There were a bunch of them I think, for the radio station and the newspaper too. I ended up joining XTV and Exeposé (the student paper) and joined XpressionFM in my second year when I co-hosted a film review show. But I digress. I was hoping to write some scripts for XTV to satisfy my creative-writing itch...and I did! But none of them got made. Instead I discovered I very much enjoyed producing and directing, so I did that, turning other peoples’ scripts into television masterpieces. Yes, masterpieces.
What was the highlight of your time involved with Student TV?
It’s difficult to choose one. The obvious and very sincere-but-cheesy answer is that I made friends for life in XTV and in the wider student media community. My main project in second year was producing a sitcom called Uni-Verse with my friend Christopher, who had written all the scripts. He’s very funny and I’m immensely grateful I met him. I’m not sure my university experience would have been quite the same. He’s a teacher now and none of the episodes of Uni-Verse are available to the public lest his students see him making a tit of himself on camera for laughs. The “prestige answer” would be winning a NaSTA Highly Commended Award for Best Documentary (do they still have that category now?) for a really ambitious project (by our standards back then): filming the Freshers’ Week volunteers as they ushered in a new generation of Exeter students. The crew was huge, mad logistics, the edit took weeks and I got very little sleep. We were all very proud of the finished product and I was chuffed that the university was worried it might damage their reputation. I’m not sure it did. It remained one of the most watched programs on our YouTube channel until someone made a promo for the Safer Sex Ball a few months later. But it was in making that documentary that my interests began to turn from comedy to factual storytelling.
How has Student TV helped you in your professional life?
I wouldn’t be where I am now without student television. I learned how to use a camera and edit as a member of XTV, and met lots of interesting people who introduced me to other interesting people. I got a lot of invaluable advice from them which came in handy when applying for TV jobs after graduating. Student TV teaches you how to be creative on a small budget, and it promotes camaraderie.
What did you do after graduating?
After graduating I was unemployed for several months and lived at home with my parents. I received unemployment benefits (£50 a week maybe?) and spent most of my time researching production companies and sending out my CV to basically everyone. I applied for several work experience schemes at all the big broadcasters and joined Twitter to keep an eye on opportunities. It was doing that that got me production assistant gig at the Community Channel (my boss there had also been part of NaSTA), and I struck gold eventually with the scheme applications, given placements on the BBC’s Film 2012 and The One Show as a runner. My time doing the film review radio show on Xpression caught the Film 2012 production manager’s eye and I reached out to the One Show director (a friend of a BBC contact who’d visited Exeter for a talk once) for advice on the application process. I should note that the director had nothing to do with the hiring process and our conversation covered show demographics and related topics.
What do you do now?
I am a senior video journalist at the Wall Street Journal, which is a U.S. based newspaper with a focus on business, markets and finance. I produce daily news videos for the paper’s Twitter platform.
What's been a highlight of your career so far?
The one that immediately springs to mind is getting to interview actor Andy Serkis, who has been in three of my favourite film franchises and is generally a very decent bloke. I have also been involved in the coverage of some of the west’s major news events over the past five years, from U.S. elections to London terror attacks. It’s a big responsibility and there’s a great sense of purpose, getting the news to people, and I try very hard not to forget that. Our audience relies on us for accuracy and objectivity, always.
What would you say to someone who is currently part of a NaSTA Station and is due to graduate soon?
I would hope the main takeaways from any students or recent graduates reading this is to remain determined, be persistent and network, network network. Two pieces of advice I like to give out, because they were given to me and they helped me: don’t be afraid to email someone out of the blue asking for advice. Most people are flattered by the attention and if they can’t give you a job or go for a coffee they should be able to email back at least. And also don’t forget that a contact is only as good as the last time you spoke to them. Stay in touch with people, you never know when it might come in handy. Finally, good luck; the reality is it’s a tough, competitive market out there, but keep at it.
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