Category: Professionl Futures 25

Networking is vital for a successful career within the arts. Unfortunately, gaining experience is not dependent upon what you know but who you know. Not only does it help provide you with work, but it keeps you in the loop about where the industry is heading and relevant information you may need to know from an insider’s point of view. Finally, it gives you opportunities to discuss and learn from other successful individuals. 

My current networking community consists of my work colleagues and AMPS (Association of Motion Picture Sound). This professional body allows me the chance to meet and liaise with other professionals within my sector of work. They put on workshops, Q&As, alongside other social events where I can expand my knowledge around sound for film and TV. I can post about this on my LinkedIn and other social media platforms; having AMPS to talk about on social media puts plausibility and legitimacy next to my name to any other professionals. Finally, having AMPS next to my artistic profile. It shows that I am a young working professional who can be trusted by a renowned professional body. 

However, upon reflection, I would like to further my networking connections in other areas of film and TV. Although AMPS is a great vessel for researching sound professionals, I realise that having professional connections to individuals not in sound can be more beneficial for finding me work. In the future, I hope to join memberships such as (British Academy for Film and Television. This exposes me professionally to people like directors, actors, producers or other film and television individuals. It can become a direct line for expanding my work experience as well as an inside link to learning more about film production. 

Looking forward, I also hope to move my network across seas. Whether this be through film festivals or award shows, having a global network can be crucial for growing your career. Europe have an invaluable art scene within the film and TV world. I aspire to connect with individuals within this area of film;m and work on more creative pieces of film. 

Overall, having a vast and global network of connections is crucial to a successful career in film and TV. Media platforms like LinkedIn are important for documenting and talking about these experiences. They can become vital for solidifying connections and finding out about potential opportunities. 

Sustaining a creative workflow can be challenging, especially under high-pressure and demanding deadlines. Over time, I have come to understand the importance of finding a balance between my work life and home life. Alongside tips and tricks that personally help keep me creatively productive. 

When I began my role as a runner at Sound Disposition, this strengthened my ability to multitask while obstaing company standards and good clientele. Now I am an assistant sound designer I can manage multiple projects at once. While curating high-quality results. However, over time, it became clear to me that overstimulating yourself with a big workload could dull your creative flair. I recently experienced this on a project sound designing for a gallery piece with the National Portrait Gallery and Frameless collaboration. This project required us to produce 15 individual short immersive soundscapes based on different celebrities over time. With a tight deadline and an ongoing process of sending between directors, mixers and on-site producers, there was no time to go over the given deadline for each piece. After a few weeks of pumping out sound design work, I felt that I had run out of creative ideas and inspiration; and with no time to stop and search for this it ultimately effected my work. My work began to sound stale and mundane. Learning to cope with this is something I have yet to master, but I strive to do. Upon reflection, I hope to be able to get to a place in my career where I have built up a creative team. I believe this comes with time and commitment, something that is increased over time. I will continue working on projects to hopefully achieve the level of constant creative workflow that I hope for. 

Something that I find valuable for developing my creativity is variation. Moving forward into the future, I hope to continue working on a vast range of genres and different styles of work. This broadens my creative skills and teaches me new techniques which can be carried throughout my career in our company. Pidgeon wholeheartedly believing yourself as a creative can lead to a limited career, leaving your creativity unchallenged. A plateau in creative development can lead to a lack of stimulation, ultimately no longer making art feel unenjoyable. However, despite challenging yourself with various tasks, it is crucial to keep a structured workflow to prevent yourself from becoming overwhelmed. In the future, I aspire to have an organised, structured workflow which consists of various work, genres and styles. 

To maintain and upkeep a creative career, it is crucial to network beyond your normal 9-5. Keeping professionalism and connections beyond your normal day job is a key fundamental part of maintaining a place within the creative field. However, despite this, maintaining a balanced work-life balance is significant in upkeeping artistic expression. As artists, we are made up by our external influences and stories. Having an outside life to our career helps form us as artists. Additionally, it keeps you mentally at peace as well as physically. Engagements with the world enrich artistic development and ensure a tough with a long, successful career.

Cresative roles often do not mirror other industries in their workflow balance. Individuals tend to work long hours and have individual creative stress rather than the stress reflecting on the company as a whole. Not taking work can leave you in the dark and mean that you are isolated from other future work opportunities. Having spoken to various individuals, many have told me to never say “no” to a job as this can leave you pushed aside when others may want to ask you in future. In an article by the University of Technology Sydney, they explain the challenges that this can be discriminatory for women… 

And there is active discrimination, too. If you can’t do a job at a certain time for a particular reason, then the feeling is that people are overlooked or are actively kept out. Hopefully, that will change, but it is still very gendered. Caregiving roles still tend to fall to women, meaning that women also tend to be overlooked, overtaken or left out because of those requirements. Women simply leave or are unable to secure long-term leadership positions.  

Many women in their early career feel that they are forced into an industry that is catered for men. I believe this to be true; having spoken to many women, no one has expressed any different opinion. Many have told me that the reason they do not have children is down to the chance that the industry could isolate them afterwards. This upset me and made me question my career path at first. It felt like having a career or becoming a mother were two choices that could not exist in the same universe. However, recently I discovered a “women in sound” support group that tries to challenge this barrier to inclusion. The group works closely with professional bodies to create awareness around the matter while ultimately celebrating individual females and minorities within the sound industry. It is groups like women in sound that I believe create a healthier and sustainable work lifestyle. I intend to go frequently to their meetings and keep close with any similar groups that uplift females like they do. 

Overall, to upkeep a healthy work lifestyle, it takes structured creative diversity, alongside a healthy balance between your job and home life. Finally, following chaoitable groups who celebrate minorities and support you as an individual within a discriminatory industry is vital to maintaining a healthy and inclusive worklife. 

Bibliography:

Sydney (2023). Why is work/life balance a struggle for creative industries? [online] Uts.edu.au. Available at: https://www.uts.edu.au/news/2023/09/why-worklife-balance-struggle-creative-industries.

Attending industry-driven events is a vital and key part of keeping in the loop of the creative workspace. I made it my aim during my final year of university to attend as many as possible, provided they would be beneficial to both my education and career. 

After joining AMPS (Association for Motion Picture Sound), the membership has enabled me to participate in frequent industry events and screenings. Their monthly socials allow me to connect and curate relationships with professionals within the industry, where I can learn and reflect from more advanced individuals. Alongside this, during film awards season, AMPS provides regular invitations to private industry screenings with additional Q&As. These screenings give me a first-hand insight into successful filmmaking from the eyes of actors, directors and crew. A recent screening of Conclave with Ralph Fiennes alongside the crew taught me the value of capturing location in both production and post. Finally, these screenings are a chance to be placed in a room with several working professionals. I can use these opportunities to network and grow my connections within the industry.

Moving on, despite my eagerness to grow a career within post-production, I do believe that my time within the sound arts scene is not entirely over. During Steve Taylor’s recent lecture, he provided us with a helpful list of funding schemes for individual artists. Art Rabbit, Art Quest and curator space were just a few examples of leads towards gaining financial support when creating art projects. In the next year, I hope to reach out and approach these opportunity sources in the hope of supporting my work within the sound arts realm. 

Film Festivals are a crucial environment for networking within the film and television circles. I recently attended the London British Film Festival, where I was able to view up-and-coming movies, alongside chatting to individuals within the creative world. This was a perfect platform to advertise my skills and grow my connections within film. Finally, it provided me with the chance to view new work and gain inspiration for my own. 

Finally, award seasons have become a beneficial environment to meet and connect with individuals. After recently attending the AMPS Film Awards, I was able to talk and discuss with professional creatives who have been awarded for their work. This inspired me greatly and gave me the chance to ask the right questions with the aspiration of achieving the same level of success. 

Overall, I feel it necessary to attend meetings, Q&As and industry events frequently to keep myself in the loop of the industry cycle and keep familiarity with other working professionals. 

Presenting myself as a working individual is vital for gaining and maintaining professional relationships and work. I hope to achieve a wide digital coverage that contains consistent house styles across different platforms, social media and URL links. 

I began by creating a website. This gave me the perfect foundation to present my work, interests and reflect my artistic profile in one space. I was able to capture my creative persona as a whole while ultimately advertising my talents and skillsets. 

Digital Media Profiles:

WBESITE: eleanorandersonsound.squarespace.com 

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm15739129/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-anderson-5b9170255/

It was important to express my outside interests on this page – unlike other platforms, I felt I could show the viewer who I was on a more personal level. By doing this, I included passion projects and photography that I have worked on alongside my sound work. This shows my creative interests behind the pay cheque. Showing that art is my passion, not just a voccation.

My IMDb is also a valuable url link that I can advertise myself through – this provides plaudibiltiy to my proffessional work experience and acts as a portfolio for TV and Film curated work. I consistently update this based on projects I have worked on. Due to copyright and Non-Disclosure Agreements, I find that I am never able to present my work in the format of a showreel. This will either be due to the project not being released yet or other contract ties. My IMDb can act as a replacement showreel, guiding people to where they can listen to my professional sound work. 

Having a bio on my company’s website also affords plausibility to any outside industry professionals. This is a chance to advertise myself as a professional working individual, whilst ultimately having the name and company’s reputation aligned with my own. This paints me in a successful light to any directors or other relevant insurance individuals. 

Finally, I often use social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Instagram to advertise my career journey. These platforms provide me with a space to talk about outside activities, events or screenings I have attended. By posting specific relevant events I have been to on my page, it reinforces my credibility as an emerging professional within the sound arts industry. Companies or hiring managers can instantly recognise that I have a presence within the creative industry. 

Understanding My Audience:

When applying for jobs, I find it crucial to tailor my CV and cover letter around the role. To make this simple and easy, I have a canvas template in which I can easily alter and change my CV at any time. This saves time and enables me to quickly make my CV precise for the job application. 

For example, if I were to hire for a runner’s job applications I would play on my duties at sound disposition as a production assistant. Whereas if I were applying for a more audio editing-based role, I would make this centred around my sound design and FX editing tasks. 

After recently reaching the interview stage for an internship at Warner Bros Discovery, but shortly after being denied for the role, I was able to ask for some feedback regarding my CV and appearance during the application process. This advertisement was soon taken on board and applied to both my CV and interviewing skills. 

Overall, I hope to reach a wide digital coverage over the internet and social media platforms. This must keep consistency and house style throughout to prevent any confusion and preserve my artistic profile. 

The Financial Landscape: 

Earning a profession within the arts can be a daunting and confidence-knocking Process. As artists, we consider our work not as a vocation but a vacation. Art comes from an instinct within; when this is commercialised and squeezed into a capitalistic system, it can feel unnatural and unwarranted. 

In-House VS Freelance Work Experience:

My current vocation is a part-time sound assistant at an in-house post-production company. Despite earning a consistent and steady income, my wage is determined by the company’s achievements and success. This personally affects me as I am out of control of what I can achieve financially. Despite my accomplishments, my progress is bound down by team effort and company strategy. However, working in-house provides you with a sense of security to an extent. Having a steady income ensures that I will receive a paycheck at the end of every month and gives me a foundational understanding of what I can budget for each month. Expenses like memberships, rent and bills can be measured against a salary. 

Despite financial terms, working in-house as an artist provides me with a variety of work, where I can improve and expand my sonic knowledge. Working as a freelance artist means that your work is determined by your artistic identity. This can become limiting to the variety of work you receive. Directors and producers determine your sound abilities based upon recent work and styles you may have shown in your repertoire, rather than what you can do. Eventually, many freelance artists find themselves in a specific genre of film or a style of sound work. Although working in-house can reduce your artistic profile and identity, it can provide an undefined repetition of work. 

Freelance can provide financial gain despite its uncertainty. According to a Reddit forum where freelancers and in-house artists discussed, the outcome showed that freelance workers can gain 15-25% more money for the same work you would do in-house. As well as financial positives, the flexibility and control over scheduling can be highly beneficial to a lot of artists. To make art comes from a natural pulse within. Having freedom over your working hours can prove valuable results in the art you create. You can work individually, producing work that is true to yourself. Rather than forcing out creativity, where it does not always feel natural. Finally, this also helps with personal lifestyle. Holidays, childcare and personal relationships can become a priority rather than a 9-5!

Industry-Wider Challenges:

2025 has seen a huge economic and production downturn for the creative film and television industry. This has had a profound effect on the amount of work being made, which has left many unemployed despite their experience or previous work. A combination of actors’ strikes, the post-COVID-19 boom, and the rise of streaming sites has had a devastating effect on the lack of production across the industry. The economic observatory explains…

A crisis looms. Interconnected challenges, including the longer-run impacts of ‘disruptor’ streaming platforms, industrial action, and the spiralling costs of production (as well as the collapse of TV advertising revenues), have combined to create a ‘perfect storm’ for the sector. Total revenues earned by UK production companies fell by £392 million in 2023, and the amount spent on commissioning shrank by over 10%. Exports have contracted by 1.9% in the past year alone. (Economics Observatory 2025)

With a motivation for a career in post-production, I recognise that the lack of production is what has created this aftermath for post-production work. During a recent social at AMPS, I reached out to many individuals who have reached pinnacle points in their career, who, one would assume, would have professional work. I decided to ask 10 individuals, and 8 came back to tell me that they had not and currently do not have any professional work. For me, this painted a wider picture of the institution and where my future lies. It made me appreciate my time working for an in-house production company, however, it made me aware that having a backup career was always necessary.

Back-up Career:

London is one of the most expensive cities in Europe, with rent prices through the roof and a cost of living crisis looming in the background. It is hard to stay focused and set on location as an artist when it constantly eats you up and chews you out. However, I became quickly aware of the opportunities that London provides creatives. Job opportunities and connections often do not venture out of the city despite the collective view that it is “too expensive”. Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad explain this well in their text 2024: Excerpts from Poor Artists…

They kept going on about how London was too expensive, especially for an artist. I didn’t disagree, but the way they said it made me want to prove them wrong. It made me want to cling to London for dear life. Because, for better or worse, I was convinced that it was a place where enough creative things were happen- ing that if I hung around for long enough, I was bound to get swept up by one of them.

When entering any creative role, it is vital to be aware that our role is not at a high enough demand to have full employment security. Industries like oil, gas, banking or food production are sectors that for years and future years will always receive a high demand from society. The arts are a novelty, despite their beneficial effects on individuals and the society that surrounds them. With bills and outgoings, I soon recognised that having a backup option was vital as a security net for any mishaps or holes within my creative career. In response to this, I joined dog-walking apps, and underwent Nanny training; quick and easy accessible part-time work that can be picked up where nescaccry. 

Overall, being a creative within the cost of living crisis and a capitalist society can be soul-destroying – it often leaves you doubting the point of it all. However, it is our passion and strive to make art that keeps our hearts pumping and moving forward. 

Bibliography:

Economics Observatory. (2025). Why is the UK film and television sector struggling? – Economics Observatory. [online] Available at: https://www.economicsobservatory.com/why-is-the-uk-film-and-television-sector-strugglin

Throughout my time on the BA Sound Arts course, my aspirations have shifted from becoming a sound artist to focusing my career on post-production sound. My long-term goal is to become a successful hybrid sound designer. Since the beginning of my course, I have worked on gallery installation projects such as ‘It’s Not A Phase’ (2023, Gallery 46), alongside collaborating with both film and animation students also at London College of Communication (Where the Seas Doesn’t Follow). Although both required different approaches, they equally consolidated my love for sound design. The creativity in making a sonic palette for both projects excited me. Continuing, I underwent a Diploma In Professional Studies; where I became an intern for a post-production sound company called Sound Disposition. Here I was able to spread my wings in the post-production realm and gain hands-on experience in sound design – learning in a real industry setting. After working my way up within the company from intern to assistant sound designer – I felt that I had found the path I wanted to undertake within my future career. 

My work at Sound Disposition very much mirrored that of my sound arts course. With Sound Disposition I was lucky enough to have designed for multiple gallery projects as well as TV and film. This duality of post-production sound and gallery-driven projects has honed my experience as a hybrid sound designer. Both the student collaborations at LCC alongside my professional work experience have helped me improve my sonic storytelling. All projects have made me realise the valuable relationship between picture and sound, and its impact on narration.

My Artist Bio: I’m a sound designer and sound effects editor from the North of England, now an adopted Londoner – bringing my Northern grit and a bold, creative edge to the world of post-production. As a young female creative, my work is driven by a deep curiosity for emotionally resonant and impactful storytelling.

My professional journey spans feature films, television series, short films, and gallery installations. I’ve crafted sound for cinematic projects such as Marching Powder and Strangers 2 and designed immersive audio experiences for gallery works with Frameless and the National Portrait Gallery. Across all mediums, I bring a unique and experimental sonic flare to shape and support the story. My approach draws on compositional techniques to create a distinct and expressive audio palette.

Outside the studio, I’m drawn to documentary-style art and photography – quiet studies of the real world that influence the honesty in my sound work. To me, sound is more than a technical layer. It’s a creative force; an anchor of expression. My aim is always to find the heartbeat of a story and let it speak through sound.

Looking Forward:

Looking forward I realise the opportunities in which going freelance can provide you as an artistic professional. This would give me more creative freedom and space to flourish my experimental sound design flare. Unlike other sound designers, I hope to place myself in the world of avant-garde storytelling with an expeirtilised sonic approach. Unfortunately my current position; working at an in-house post-production company does not allow me to flex these skills. Instead, I bound to a team effort and company style of sound design to clientele. With the freedom of freelance I believe I could find my own genres and style of film as a sound designer; solidifying my artist identity in the industry. Former inspirations like Hildegard Westerkamp and Jana Winderen on me during my time as a sound artist – due to my deep appreciation for acoustic ecology. However, since my progression within post-production, recent sound work such as Season 3 of The White Lotus sonically inspired me toward a path I would love to follow. Mark Allen (sound fx editor for The White Lotus Season 3) skillfully blurred the lines between sound designer and the natural world. His use of instrumental noise to mimic animals, waves and earthly elements was a truly unique approach that I have not seen before. With my interest in the sonic elements of the natural work – this piece of work is one I aspire to similarly create. 

My Process Towards A Freelance Career:

To achieve the freelance workstyle I am aware I must extend my contacts within the industry. Since deciding I wanted to spread out into the freelance world of sound, I decided to recently join the Association of Motion Pictures for Sound (AMPS). This is a professional body that represents people who work in sound for film and TV within the United Kingdom. They host monthly “socials” where members can meet up and network. This has become a vital lifeline to expanding my professional contacts within the television industry. I have since met many professionals who I hope to work with in due course. Additionally, AMPS provide all members with the chance to join their mentoring scheme where you can be paired with a mentor free of charge. The mentors provided are often made up of working professionals who’ve reached the highest levels of their careers, including Oscar and BAFTA-winning individuals. With holes in my post-production sound knowledge like the ability to produce final mixes and dialogue editing – this program could help me reach the level of ability I need to be to forward myself as a freelance sound designer. 

Additional to AMPS I have also followed a variety of instagram pages who daily post storiesa advertising freelance paid work; @ukfilmwork and @loving.your.work. These pages celebrate young individuals trying to achieve within the indurty and have become a quick easy accessible way to gaining freelance projects.

Overall I hope to continue my journey in post-production by improving my sound skills and continuing to work on a range of different styles of work. Eventually, I hope to have the freedom of freelance work and solidify my artistic identity within the sound-for-film world. 

Throughout my time on the BA Sound Arts course, my aspirations have shifted from becoming a sound artist to focusing my career on post-production sound. My long-term goal is to become a successful hybrid sound designer. Since the beginning of my course, I have worked on gallery installation projects such as ‘It’s Not A Phase’ (2023, Gallery 46), alongside collaborating with both film and animation students also at London College of Communication (Where the Seas Doesn’t Follow). Although both required different approaches, they equally consolidated my love for sound design. The creativity in making a sonic palette for both projects excited me. Continuing, I underwent a Diploma In Professional Studies; where I became an intern for a post-production sound company called Sound Disposition. Here I was able to spread my wings in the post-production realm and gain hands-on experience in sound design – learning in a real industry setting. After working my way up within the company from intern to assistant sound designer – I felt that I had found the path I wanted to undertake within my future career. 

My work at Sound Disposition very much mirrored that of my sound arts course. With Sound Disposition I was lucky enough to have designed for multiple gallery projects as well as TV and film. This duality of post-production sound and gallery-driven projects has honed my experience as a hybrid sound designer. Both the student collaborations at LCC alongside my professional work experience have helped me improve my sonic storytelling. All projects have made me realise the valuable relationship between picture and sound, and its impact on narration.
My Artist Bio: I’m a sound designer and sound effects editor from the North of England, now an adopted Londoner – bringing my Northern grit and a bold, creative edge to the world of post-production. As a young female creative, my work is driven by a deep curiosity for emotionally resonant and impactful storytelling.

My professional journey spans feature films, television series, short films, and gallery installations. I’ve crafted sound for cinematic projects such as Marching Powder and Strangers 2 and designed immersive audio experiences for gallery works with Frameless and the National Portrait Gallery. Across all mediums, I bring a unique and experimental sonic flare to shape and support the story. My approach draws on compositional techniques to create a distinct and expressive audio palette.

Outside the studio, I’m drawn to documentary-style art and photography – quiet studies of the real world that influence the honesty in my sound work. To me, sound is more than a technical layer. It’s a creative force; an anchor of expression. My aim is always to find the heartbeat of a story and let it speak through sound.

Looking Forward:

Looking forward I realise the opportunities in which going freelance can provide you as an artistic professional. This would give me more creative freedom and space to flourish my experimental sound design flare. Unlike other sound designers, I hope to place myself in the world of avant-garde storytelling with an expeirtilised sonic approach. Unfortunately my current position; working at an in-house post-production company does not allow me to flex these skills. Instead, I bound to a team effort and company style of sound design to clientele. With the freedom of freelance I believe I could find my own genres and style of film as a sound designer; solidifying my artist identity in the industry. Former inspirations like Hildegard Westerkamp and Jana Winderen on me during my time as a sound artist – due to my deep appreciation for acoustic ecology. However, since my progression within post-production, recent sound work such as Season 3 of The White Lotus sonically inspired me toward a path I would love to follow. Mark Allen (sound fx editor for The White Lotus Season 3) skillfully blurred the lines between sound designer and the natural world. His use of instrumental noise to mimic animals, waves and earthly elements was a truly unique approach that I have not seen before. With my interest in the sonic elements of the natural work – this piece of work is one I aspire to similarly create. 

My Process Towards A Freelance Career:

To achieve the freelance workstyle I am aware I must extend my contacts within the industry. Since deciding I wanted to spread out into the freelance world of sound, I decided to recently join the Association of Motion Pictures for Sound (AMPS). This is a professional body that represents people who work in sound for film and TV within the United Kingdom. They host monthly “socials” where members can meet up and network. This has become a vital lifeline to expanding my professional contacts within the television industry. I have since met many professionals who I hope to work with in due course. Additionally, AMPS provide all members with the chance to join their mentoring scheme where you can be paired with a mentor free of charge. The mentors provided are often made up of working professionals who’ve reached the highest levels of their careers, including Oscar and BAFTA-winning individuals. With holes in my post-production sound knowledge like the ability to produce final mixes and dialogue editing – this program could help me reach the level of ability I need to be to forward myself as a freelance sound designer. 

Overall:

Overall I hope to continue my journey in post-production by improving my sound skills and continuing to work on a range of different styles of work. Eventually, I hope to have the freedom of freelance work and solidify my artistic identity within the sound-for-film world.