Nil’s experience at Radio 2 in the Park

Last week I had the chance to shadow the fantastic production team on Jeremy Vine’s Radio 2 show at Radio 2’s In The Park festival this year in Stirling hosting.  The event had every local I spoke to buzzing about the acts coming to their hometown and the scale of the operations taking place there. 

Having been an audio/radio fanatic for a few years now, I’ve been lucky enough to visit the Radio 2 team in their home-base in London’s Broadcasting House- where it seemed a chorus of angels sang anytime a mic turned on, as the best of the biz waltzed in and out of the studios. Last week however, Jeremy and his team were on our turf- taking over Stirling Castle for an epic Outside Broadcast- or OB (industry terminology- look mum, I’ve made it!).

The production team was a well oiled machine, with the precision of a train conductor’s pocket watch. Down to the second, every element of the show was accounted for- including my role as Pipe Band Liaison Officer (yes, where I essentially made pals and chatted away with the Kincardine and District pipe band for an afternoon.) It was definitely daunting being dropped into a programme like that with such a rapid-fire procession of events- even my role of getting the pipers and the drummers into position at the right time seemed a task straight out of a Christmas carol.

However, the experience I’ve had with Feel Good so far helped me find my feet- from knowing how to engage with guests and cater to their needs to keeping in mind a strict schedule while they practiced and tuned up ahead of their time in the spotlight. Once I felt a bit more confident in my tasks, the rest of the day consisted of cracking up with the pipe band watching Jeremy try the drums to getting to know the other fascinating guests and their backstories- did you know that there are sleeping bags you can wear like a onesie, and that all the founders of Channel 4 were all Leos?

The past week has placed me truly at the intersection of the media industry- trying my hand at production work for a national audience, while relying on my growing skillset as a trainee in the PR industry. Turns out, at the core of both of these roles is the ability to connect with people and produce great content that engages with the right demographic. I feel beyond lucky to have such varied and incredible experiences at this stage in my career, and I am excited to see how these skillsets continue to lend themselves to each other.