Caroline McEvoy on working for the BBC
We spoke to Caroline about her experiences living away and working at the BBC.
I’m originally from Bangor in Co. Down. I spent three years in Dublin studying for a BA in English Literature at University College Dublin before returning to Northern Ireland to complete an MA in Broadcast Literacy at Queen’s University, Belfast. While completing my MA I worked in the QUB Careers department part-time, which is how I first found out about the US-NI Mentorship Program and was inspired to apply.
Benefits of the US-NI Mentorship Program and working with HBO, New York
I was part of the 2017 class for the US-NI Mentorship Program. I was one of eleven participants selected to spend a year living and working in the USA. My placement was at HBO in New York City, where as part of their Consumer Marketing and Global Licencing team I worked towards the development, marketing and sales of consumer products (mainly Game of Thrones T-Shirts and mugs!) via their online retail store, the Official HBO Shop.
The benefits of the USNI Mentorship Program were two-fold for me. On one hand, I got to live in New York City for a year which was an incredible experience; on the other hand, it was also my first step into a marketing role within the entertainment and media industry, which is the area I’m working in presently.
Working at the BBC
Today I’m based in London and work in marketing at the BBC. In my current role I’m responsible for creating and leading marketing campaigns that promote new and returning TV shows on the BBC’s flagship channel, BBC One. Some of the campaigns I’ve worked on since I started working here include Poldark, Doctor Who, A Very English Scandal and The Woman in White.
Living in New York and London
I find that living in both New York City and London are quite similar experiences; both are big cities with a lot of buzz and 24/7 activity. I like living in this kind of environment, but I appreciate that London is that little bit closer to home so it’s easier for me to keep in touch with friends and family.
Missing Northern Ireland
I try to come home as often as possible, although how often I visit depends on the time of year and how busy I am at work. I probably manage to go home at least once every two to three months.
Every time I come home, I find there are new developments and things are changing. I think the main things I notice are when new restaurants, bars or experiences open in Belfast – to me, these things are markers of change and development, and I’m always interested to hear about new things that are happening at home.
For the most part, I miss my family and friends, but I also miss the beautiful scenery and living near the sea in Bangor (it’s much nicer to go for a run by the coast in Crawfordsburn and Helen’s Bay than it is to run through London city!).
Plans for the future
It’s hard to say what the future holds, but my current plan would be to continue to specialise in marketing within the media and entertainment industry and build my career in this space.
I could definitely see myself moving back to Northern Ireland at some point in the future. There is a growing TV/film industry at home and I’ve already had the chance to work on marketing campaigns for several BBC series that were filmed or are still filming there. It will be interesting to see what kind of opportunities may develop at home over the next several years.
