Babatunde Onabajo joined Media Trust’s Transforming Hidden Talent in 2016. The 12-month programme, funded by Comic Relief, matches mentors from the creative media industry with young people who are interested in getting into the industry but may not have come across the right opportunities yet. Babatunde talks about his experience of the programme.
Prior to signing up for the Transforming Hidden Talent programme, I was a postgraduate student at King’s College London. I was interested in working in the area of financial journalism but with no practical experience under my belt, I felt I needed something that would make me stand out to potential employers. The Transforming Hidden Talent programme appealed because it offered an opportunity to get first-hand experience of the media industry, something few people are fortunate enough to gain access to.
During the programme we were given the opportunity to visit a number of media and creative organisations, to discover what goes on behind the scenes. One particular highlight for me, was our visit to the Google and YouTube headquarters. We heard from employees about what it was like to work there. The words of one gentleman struck me in particular: he told us how he was initially rejected by Google but rather than giving up, he spent some working elsewhere to build up his experience, then, when another opportunity came up he applied again and was successful. It really reiterated the age-old maxim of, “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again”.
One of the most valuable aspects of the programme was my media mentor. I was matched with Hugo Winn, an Executive Researcher to the CEO UK and EMEA at Weber Shandwick – a global PR firm.
Hugo gave me an introduction into the work of Weber Shandwick, as well as the public relations industry in general.
Being part of the Transforming Hidden Talent programme really opened my eyes to the world of the media and creative industries. The advice and guidance I received from my mentor has been invaluable. Hugo really boosted my confidence, as I am quite critical of myself.
I have come out of it with a real sense that I really can accomplish my goals when I set my mind to it. To that point, I am now building my first app. So stay tuned and watch this space!’
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