After graduating with a degree in French and Spanish, like many young people, Fayida Jailler found it difficult to find a job. She took on several internships to gain experience in the media sector and try to get a foot in the door. Then, someone she met at Brixton Job Centre told her about an exciting scheme called London360, run by Media Trust. It would prove to be life-changing!
My story with Media Trust began when I joined the London360 scheme back in 2016. In six short months, with expert guidance and training from the Media Trust team, as well as a host of guest speakers, I learnt a huge amount of media skills. This included scriptwriting, shooting, editing and producing. As part of the programme, I was able to visit newsrooms, attend red-carpet events and so much more. Most importantly I had the opportunity to participate in creating, producing and promoting five episodes of the current affairs TV show London360, which was aired on the Community Channel and London Live.
From intern to documentary researcher
Thanks to the expert training I received, I was then skilled up enough to work as a documentary researcher for the next two years, before transitioning into the travel industry where I curated black history tours in Latin America.
My media training really came in handy in 2020 when I created the ‘Freedom Is Mine’ YouTube channel, where I began making videos about black history and black communities around the world, across Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. I used the same skills and processes that I’d learnt from London360 to produce my own videos. Within just one year I had over 3k subscribers and officially registered my platform as a business.
Building on my skills
Recently I made the decision to transition back into the screen industries and was offered the opportunity to join the Media Trust and ScreenSkills mentoring programme. During the six months, I was able to participate in top-quality workshops from industry experts as well as receiving one-to-one, bespoke mentoring from the renowned TV producer Donna Taberer, whom Media Trust paired me with.
Just one week after graduating from the Media Trust & ScreenSkills mentoring programme, I have found work in the TV industry as a junior researcher on the esteemed show ‘Who Do You Think You Are’, which I hope will be a fantastic stepping-stone and the beginning of an exciting career in factual TV and documentary making.
My story is just one of the hundreds, if not thousands, of success stories that have been made possible thanks to the extraordinary opportunities Media Trust extends to young people across the country.
Going above and beyond
What Media Trust provides for their alumni goes far beyond practical skills and professional opportunities. Media Trust wholeheartedly works to champion young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, whom others might ignore or under-estimate, and pushes them to excel.
That kind of support and encouragement can be transformative in a person’s life. I know I speak for many others when I say that we are truly grateful for everything Media Trust has done for us and we are incredibly proud to be a part of Media Trust’s legacy.
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