My course and current role

My name is Thembi, and I studied BA (Hons) Film Studies and English Literature, graduating in 2025.

My most recent role is Production and Operations Graduate Intern at Universal Pictures Content Group, from June 2025 to July 2026. Prior to this, I worked as a Bank Clerical Officer at the NHS for 4 years and a Student Ambassador for the Drama Department at The University of Manchester. 

In this role I supported the Operation and Production teams on the production and distribution of UPCG’s film/docs slate. This included co-ordinating the logistics, travel, scheduling and research for upcoming in-house productions and working as a production assistant/runner on the filming of three shoots. I also managed payments, databases and online screener systems for the Operations team, while supporting the technical delivery of their films. In this role I also had the opportunity to liaise and support other teams, such as reading scripts for the acquisitions team and creating info packs for the content team. 

Future career aspirations

My future career aspirations are to continue to build a career and learn more about production and acquisitions. Over the past year, I have built a passion for the pre-production/production side of the industry and would love to build a career in any role that involves this. 

How my course prepared me for this role

There are many ways that my course prepared me for this job. Studying literature and film was immensely helpful in terms of critical thinking, analysis and general reading comprehension and this was really useful when I was involved in script reading this year. In addition, skills attained from being involved in the Manchester tab, drama society and FuseFM boosted my confidence and was helpful within the workplace, as I developed skills that are extremely helpful in the creative industry. Finally, embarking on a degree that required so much research was one of the most significant ways that my course prepared me for this role, as I have spent a lot of time researching various aspects of production and having three years of experience under my belt was incredibly beneficial. 

The support I had from lecturers in my degree and my academic advisor were integral to me securing my role at Universal Pictures. I had the support of two lecturers who were happy to share their experiences, give me ideas to research about the company and useful questions to ask during the interview, as well as an environment to turn to whenever I needed support. 

Advice/tips for future students

Make the most of it! University is a rare opportunity to become a specialist in a range of topics that interest you, you do yourself a disservice by not applying yourself. At the same time, allow yourself to have fun, get involved in societies and don’t be afraid to try new things. I am unbelievably grateful for the extracurriculars I was involved in at university and many of them have been more useful than I anticipated as a graduate.

Written by Thembelihle Ngwenya, a BA Film Studies and English Literature (2025) graduate. 

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