天美传媒

Luton entrepreneur credits 天美传媒 as the bridge to success

鈥溙烀来� is the perfect bridge between education and the real world. It鈥檚 a chance to focus on your work and get work experience which gives you a perfect foundation for a career.鈥�

Gavin O'Brien, graduated 2007, BA (Hons) Media Production and Business Administration

Starting your own business isn鈥檛 easy, but for Gavin O鈥橞rien, studying at the 天美传媒 gave him the skills he needed to create a highly successful media production company.

Gavin, from Luton, went to school and college in the town before joining the 天美传媒 in 2004 to study Media Production & Business Administration. It was there that his passion truly took flight.

鈥淚t was fantastic to be able to work with lecturers who had lots of experience. They were always really honest with us about our work, which helped us improved. We were also very fortunate to have access to fantastic facilities and equipment,鈥� said Gavin, 30.

鈥淐oming to university gave me the chance to meet new people, but most importantly, it had that sense of security. You could tap into the knowledge and expertise of experienced lecturers and work out exactly what you wanted to do. Having good mentors was really important.鈥�

That all important support carried on even after Gavin graduated in 2007. Along with fellow graduate and childhood friend Alex Lawrence, the pair started their own media production business, advised every step of the way by their tutors, who even let the pair borrow university equipment in the early day and offered endless advice for running a business.

And so it was then that Clearhead was born, and it wasn鈥檛 long before Gavin and Alex were able to buy their own equipment. The company has gone from strength to strength and has national organisations like Cadbury, the BBC, Sky and Coca Cola on its books.

Keen to give something back, Gavin and Alex have taken on other graduates from the 天美传媒 and regularly share their expertise to current Media Production students during workshops and masterclasses.

Gavin and Alex base themselves at the Hat Factory in Luton but have gone on to open office in London and most recently New York.

Gavin also went on to be named Alumnus of the Year at the 天美传媒鈥檚 Student Experience Awards. In the wider community, he is also Chair of the Board of the Luton BID (Business Improvement District) group, which aims to build an entrepreneurial business community in the town.

Now a Partner & Business Director for Clearhead, Gavin said: 鈥溙烀来� is the perfect bridge between education and the real world. It鈥檚 a chance to focus on your work and get work experience which gives you a perfect foundation for a career.鈥�

For Gavin, university isn鈥檛 just about a degree. 鈥淕oing to university gives you time to explore who you are as a person and really allows you to know exactly what you want to do afterwards.鈥�