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All posts tagged sound women

Posted:
October 16, 2012
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Shelagh Fogarty and Sam Walker kick off Sound Women in the North

By Kate Cocker and Jo Meek

The mood at Sound Women’s first Networking Event in the North was truly celebratory.

Head of BBC North Peter Salmon opened the evening’s events in Media City last Tuesday 2nd October by detailing the success of the women who have worked at BBC North. The night went on to feature networking bingo, networking strategies, not crying on air and the importance of playing Lady Gaga on the radio.

Only a few hours earlier 25 women from the North joined Trainer Christine Pyke, as she delivered a workshop on strategic networking, revealing some of the skills you need to be an effective networker. The workshop encouraged the delegates to think of networking as part of their business – a key skill in how to maximise a career.

The wine and networking was in full flow when BBC Radio 5 Live’s Shelagh Fogarty and Real Radio North West’s Breakfast anchor Sam Walker took to the stage and conversed about their careers.

The 90 attendees heard Shelagh and Sam talk about the intricacies of networking and the people that they could pin point who had helped them in their careers. They talked about their proudest moments on air, how they juggled work and home lives and the difference between reporting massive, emotionally charged news stories and playing music on the radio. They agreed both have a huge impact on listeners.

The evening finished with a game of Networking Bingo where the attendees were encouraged by the giant carrot of a bottle of champagne, to complete the 16 squares in the time allocated (we are still not sure who in the room loved Scandinavian thrillers – but they were in attendance at the event!).

Thank you to all the people who came on the night it was a lot of fun. And thank you to the BBC for being so hospitable to the Sound Women in the North!

Posted:
May 10, 2012
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North West Drinks and World Domination

By Producer and Talent Coach Kate Cocker

Two weeks ago we started Sound Women North West’s monthly get togethers in Manchester. We have started as a small affair. A venue in the city, that will let us have a bar for a couple of hours the last Thursday of every month for the foreseeable.  The plan… world domination?  Not quite.  But we should aim high right?

The plan is to create a space for women in radio in the North West to meet, create, support, find each other, inspire, have fun, and celebrate our achievements. The vision is that you can come here and share – which is what we ladies do best – and not be judged.

Watch a film about the first NW meet here

Sound Women North West started a few months ago inspired by the amazing work that was happening in London. Me, Jo Meek, Andrea Day, Jo Good and Vicky Warham found ourselves meeting in tea shops in Manchester’s Northern Quarter sharing experiences of radio and comparing the contents of our handbags (lipsticks, USB sticks and random cable adaptors covered in mascara!) over milkshake and cake. And after some deliberation, decided it was time to get the ball rolling in the North West by setting a time to meet regularly.

And so there we were on Thursday April 26th, sticking up posters and slicing up something that looked like cake in 2022s on Dale Street in Manchester. The venue is a real find. A lovely creative space that exhibits art, puts on films and has a bar. What more do you need?

Nothing it seemed. There was a strong turn out of women from all levels of the industry travelling from as far as Liverpool and Chester to meet up. The magic of bringing brilliant people together has already begun, sparking off ideas and collaborations and radio training and radio programmes. It is nothing but positive.

As the months go by and with the guidance of the people that come, we plan to create breakout workshops, invite speakers, organise formal discussion and have events that people who can’t make it at 6pm, can (eg Radio Ladies Wot Lunch). But we’ll do it like this for a few months first. The task of the ladies that came this month is to bring a friend next month… Maybe we are after world domination?

We’ll meet again 6pm on Thursday May 24th at 2022s, Dale Street, Manchester. Please come along, and if you can’t make it this month – come the next month!

If anyone would like to start a Sound Women group in their area please email regions@soundwomen.co.uk

Posted:
March 7, 2012
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Sound Women Hit the North for International Women’s Day

A blog by Executive Producer Jo Meek

 

Thousands of events happen around the world every year on in early March to include, connect and celebrate females everywhere.

This year’s International Women’s Day came early for me, and I was just one of hundreds of ladies turning up at the magnificent Manchester Town Hall.

It’s a place that has seen many women from the Suffragettes to Annie Horniman, to Meryl Streep in full Thatcher costume, walk its grand corridors.  Manchester has a proud history of strong women and their presence was all around at ‘Inspiring Futures’ – Manchester’s International Women’s Day celebrations on Sunday 4th March.

The theme binding the event together was ‘inspiring futures’, from walking into the great hall to the vibrant sound of Hip-hop collective, Re:Verb’s welcoming boom, to wandering around rooms where a powerful barrister, an inspiring astronomer, the communications director for Bentley motors, a nuclear physicist and BBC DJs and newsreaders shared their experience and stories of incredible careers – you couldn’t get much more inspiring than this.

I watched several Dads wandering around the rooms hand in hand with their toddler daughters and I have to admit I felt a fuzzy warm glow, as women from so many walks of life shared their stories.

Women from all over the North and beyond had the chance to develop skills relating to music production, photography, IT, science, construction, writing and engineering.

Sound Women brought together a panel of women in radio, including BBC 6 Music’s Liz Kershaw, Skillset’s Jo Welch, Amazing radio’s newest voice, Shell Zenner and me.

We discussed the women (and gay men) who’ve given us opportunities both in front and behind microphones, we shared our hopes, fears and ambitions for future sound women and we dreamt of the one thing we’d all change if we ruled the world of radio for just one day.

We all shared the best bits, the not so good bits and the reasons why we love working in our respective fields of sound.  I was asked for my advice of how to make it in the world of radio, but the words of the very Savvy Justine Potter were the ones I shared with some other women looking for inspiration like me:

 I do what I do because if I didn’t do this, I’d be trying to do it.  If you feel like that (or want to feel like that) then you have nothing to lose.

They rang in my ears as I left the elegant hallways of the Town Hall and will stay with me today.

Happy International Women’s Day.

Posted:
December 12, 2011
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Fancy a Gold Sony Award on your mantelpiece?

Then read this – a plea from a shy Sony-winner and former judge…

Dear Sound Women

Right now many of you will be working all the time given frantically getting your work done in time for Christmas, so you may be pushing the thought of Sony entries aside to the last minute. Please think again.

Sound Women are on a mission to get a higher proportion of female Sony winners in 2012 and that can’t happen if you don’t enter.

We can think of many reasons why Sony Awards have been predominantly won by men in the past, such as more male judges, women not pushing to get their shows entered, or women not being the named producer or presenter on the entry.  We have spoken to the awards organisers and have provided them with our list of 200 women in radio, so we are hopeful that this year women will be better represented amongst the judges, if not on the awards organising panel itself.

However women can’t win the awards if they don’t enter them, or indeed waste the entry they do put in. It’s down to you to you to ask your bosses to think about entering your work, or if you are your own boss – enter it yourself. It could be the best £102 -£180 you spent.  It’s also down to you to edit an entry which puts your work in the best possible light.

Here are some top tips to make the best of what you have got and ensure your entry is the best it can be.

1.   Put your best content at the start

You would be surprised how many award entries don’t do this. Imagine that the Sony judges only listen to the first 5 minutes (they may have 40 to get through) and make sure that those 5 minutes are the highest quality, most engaging, entertaining and downright special audio you have got.

2.  Follow the instructions clearly and to the letter

If they ask for a maximum of 30 minutes content, don’t enter any more, and don’t put 15 minutes either. Use the entire arsenal you have up your sleeve without cheating to make it the best it can be. Look at the rules for your entry clearly – If you put the wrong entry in you can be immediately disqualified.

3.  Clever tricks

Some stations make sure they include trails in their submissions, which have been beautifully edited with show highlights from across the month. These are valid as they went on air in that form. Do check the rules to make sure your tricks are within the guidelines though…

4.  Write an all-singing, all-dancing write-up of your programme

Needless to say, your written submission needs to be full of enticing and exciting reasons why your programme is outstanding.  The catch is that this needs to be 250 words or under (in 2011 – do check for 2012) so try to make every word count. Focus on what makes your entry outstanding, why is it unique in your category? Why should the judges pay special attention to this award? Don’t bombard them with stats and RAJARS and don’t assume the judges know your station history, the presenters or the area you broadcast in.

5. Finally just like a school essay, tailor your entry and the written material to the criteria outlined for that category  

Judging panels are made up of 3-5 people and they take each entry at face value and will simply decide what piece of audio is best for their category’s criteria.  Edit the entry so it gives the judges goose bumps, or shocks them, or simply makes them take notice. The audio must stand out from all the rest from the outset.

6. If you make a show on the internet or produce a podcast, don’t be put off by these awards, they’re for you too

If you can find a way to raise the funds, give it a go, as this category has a lot of variety in the entries and it might just be your turn in 2012.

Following these instructions isn’t a sure fire way to get a Sony Award nomination, you’ll also need a little bit of luck, but it will help…  Go for it.

There’s more advice on entering for a Sony here and here.  But you’ve got to be in it to win it…  BEST OF LUCK!

Posted:
September 25, 2011
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Let’s get this party started…

It’s been a busy Summer for Sound Women.  We’ve been approaching all the women on our Sound Women inspirational 200 List – welcome Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, Anita Anand, Zoe Ball and Jane Garvey!  Also Susan Marling, Kate Bland, Jane Ellison, Janet Graves, and a host of other brilliant programme-makers.  We’ll put the full list up soon.

We’ve been talking to the BBC, RadioCentre and the Radio Academy.  All have been supportive of our aims.

We’re in the process of making a short film to officially launch Sound Women at a major event very soon.

And we’re talking to a 25-girl choir, who we’re hoping will blow us out of the room at our first big networking event in November.

This website is up and running – although we plan to add more pages celebrating the work of women in audio…   Do send us a link to work you’re really proud of, or to recommend a piece of classic audio made by women, and we’ll showcase it here.

You can also now find us on facebook, LinkedIn and twitter.  Please post and get involved!

Finally, we are moving further along the road with our mentoring scheme – news coming soon -  and working hard to get funding for our leadership scheme, networking groups across the UK, tailored research, and a series of workshops.

But it’s becoming clear that we can’t do any of this without funding of some sort.  Which is where we now REALLY need your help.  We’re talking to some big companies, both in the radio industry and outside, and to some little ones too, but in the current economic climate we clearly also need to be a bit more inventive…

Could you help us raise some money?  Is there anyone in your organisation you could talk to?  Do you have a special skill that might help us out?  We’re not asking you to run sponsored marathons, more to use your skills and knowledge of the industry to think who might be prepared to support us – even a little – financially.  And to think of creative ways of running events – or something completely different – so that we can make this all happen. Could you have a think, talk to some people, get the ball rolling, and then get us on board?

There is a lot of excitement about Sound Women right now.  We have some high profile supporters, and the will to make a difference.

THANK-YOU for all your energy and enthusiasm so far.   Now it’s time to make our big ideas happen. Let’s channel a slightly scary, leotard-clad Pink, and get this party started…