Kayleigh is a Senior Schedule Executive at ITV and a member of the Student Television Alumni Network (STAN) committee.
What University did you go to and what subject did you study?
I went to Cardiff University to study English Literature
What Student TV Station were you a part of?
Cardiff Union TV - I joined in my first year, gained the title “Head of Music” in my second year and Station Manager in my final. Over the three years we grew from a handful of people who had access to some camcorders, to a proper society creating some great opportunities for our members.
Why did you choose to get involved with Student TV?
It was one of the things I knew I wanted to get involved in before I went to university. My childhood dream was to work on Doctor Who, so what better way to try and achieve that than to go to the city where it’s filmed and join a TV station?!
What was the highlight of your time involved with Student TV?
There are so many highlights! I met some of my best friends through student TV, but if I was to choose a single event it would be our Freshers Fortnight. Our station hadn’t really live-streamed before, and we decided to broadcast a live show every day from Freshers, including VTs from the club night the night before - needless to say it was an exhausting but incredibly rewarding two weeks.
How has Student TV helped you in your professional life?
Student TV equips you with loads of transferable skills - things like working to deadlines, under pressure and thinking creatively. It certainly gives you some great examples to bring up in interviews.
What did you do after graduating?
I stayed in Cardiff and got a couple of runner roles, then decided that the long hours and freelance lifestyle wasn’t for me. I had volunteered at the Edinburgh TV Festival a couple of times and one year I caught a talk about scheduling which seemed pretty interesting - when a role for a Schedule Coordinator came up at ITV, I applied and ended up moving to Leeds for it.
What do you do now?
I’m a Senior Schedule Executive at ITV. Essentially, I help plan what goes out on ITV1 and am part of the team who ensure that the right programme is on ITV1 at the right time and am on call for any issues that might come up with our linear output, including urgent schedule changes or over/ underruns with live sport.
What's been a highlight of your career so far?
It takes a huge team to get television to your screens, and there’s a lot more to it than just production. Every year there’s a new highlight - being a part of big sporting events like the Euros, and Rugby World Cup or big news events and seeing all that go to air, knowing that millions of people will be watching.
What would you say to someone who is currently part of a NaSTA Station and is due to graduate soon?
Make the most of everything you’re currently doing! Once you graduate it’s unlikely you’ll have the same amount of kit and opportunities available to you - go to that sports conference, film that music interview, figure out how to fix the live stream. And also keep in touch with your fellow students, both at your station and any friends you make through NaSTA!
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