
Sophie Reynolds is a photography undergrad taking a year out to learn more about the fast-paced media and communications industry in a real-life, working environment. As we’ve welcomed Sophie into the 44 family, she reflects on her time here so far…
Hi Sophie! Can you tell us a bit about you?
I’m a third-year undergraduate photography student currently taking a year out of my course. I wanted to gain some valuable experience before I finish university and have to make the big decision on what I want to do next… *gulp*! I’ve been using this time to help support 44.
You’ve been with us for six months now – what have you been up to so far?
I’ve spent time creating content with 44 for different platforms, including various social media sites. I’ve worked on short videos and stills, and developed concepts for these based on the briefs provided, which was great as I’ve had lots of creative freedom.
As well as shooting the videos, I also edited them and made decisions on what music to use. They had to be short and snappy pieces as they were for TikTok and Instagram, so this gave me experience of how to target a specific audience and get messages across quickly. I’ve also had the opportunity to do admin tasks such as invoices and emails – it’s been helpful getting real-life experience of this.
How are you finding the 44 experience?
It’s enabled me to not only build my portfolio, but work on my people skills, too. It’s made me realise how I want to use my degree in the future, and potentially go on to do a Masters in this field. It’s been interesting to see how the team works together and to find out more about the different areas of the company.
Can you share anything you’ve learned along the way?
I’ve found Instagram reels worked best for the audience I was targeting, as this was the platform with the most successful engagement. I used video editing apps that helped me trim all of these videos to a short and snappy length to keep the audience’s focus.
Do you have a message for the 44 team?
I’m very grateful to everyone at 44 for being so kind and welcoming. It’s really increased my confidence in talking to new people in the workplace, as well as enabling me to gain more confidence in my own work after receiving positive feedback. Previously, I felt nervous about going into the working world when leaving university, but after my time at 44, I feel much more prepared.
So what’s next?
I’m excited to share my experiences with my university lecturers once I return to complete my third year in September.
And finally, can you share some of what you’ve been working on?
This is some of the work I’ve produced during my time here. The work has been specifically created for social media, focusing on occasions such as Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, which have involved coming up with suitable concepts for those. I used social media to gain inspiration, as well as current video trends and trending sounds to get onto the algorithm, which will hopefully push these videos further. Here’s a selection of reels I made for TikTok and Instagram for different occasions.
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