Ryan Michael - Looking Back, Moving Forward

What were your reasons for choosing SRC?

I knew from a young age that I wanted to work in the media industry. From being out and about and gaining placement experience, I realised that university was not the setting for me as students leaving university did not have the latest industry technology knowledge. It also helped that I had friends at the College, who only had positive things to say. This made the decision a ‘no brainer for me’.

Have you gained any skills and knowledge from the College?

A lot of the tools/technology used in College some are still used today, from Final Cut (video editing), what is now the Adobe Creative Cloud (create graphics, flyers, brochures, websites, photo-editing, video-editing), to Blender and Cinema 4D (think animation and visual effects). The range of technologies and application, passed along by tutors has stood to me and got me where I am today. There is real innovation and inspiration from the College tutors which is motivating. We also learnt together (the students and tutors), nobody has all of the answers when it comes to creativity, and so we grew that creative muscle collectively in a non-restrictive way.

Coming together with people of all different backgrounds and working on projects was a great experience. At the time in Northern Ireland, you could be segregated from people of different backgrounds, but none of that mattered at the College. Everyone came together and worked as a team.

Did your time at college help you?

The College provided me with access to support and knowledge. Just before starting the HND I began a placement with a business, who subsequently took me on as a full-time employee. If I had a query on a work project, I could speak with any of the tutors who would propose solutions. Tutors also helped by incorporating work I was doing to meet assignment criteria.

How would you sum up your time at SRC?

Some of the best years of my life. Making content with my friends, with no clients, expectations, analysis, or statistics to consider was brilliant. I got four years to create content for fun, instead of having to be mindful of other considerations. Everyone who took the course came out better for undertaking it.

What advice would you give for creating content when the subject isn’t interesting?

a) Find a way to fall in love with something about the project. Find the person who really loves whatever it is, listen to them and be inspired from what they take joy in; or

b) View it as a challenge to learn from. Look at your target audience and figure out what they want to see or create a new experience they don’t expect to see and use that insight to produce valuable and interesting content.

How did you end up working at Manchester United?

In my first job I gained a wide experience in different skillsets. By gaining this wide experience I became considered as multitalented. This opened opportunities for me, but without the HND and SRC I don’t know if I would have got that experience.

About ten years ago I decided I wanted to see the world outside of Portadown (my hometown). I thought about big businesses I wanted to work with and began looking at available opportunities. Manchester United was the first organisation I looked at; I got a job opportunity, took a substantial initial pay cut and have never looked back, it was a surreal experience, as I took a big leap of fate. Is also helps that I’m an avid United fan!

Since joining Manchester United I’ve worked in multiple roles and ticked a lot of boxes. It’s an interesting place, and not like anywhere else I’ve worked. United is a village of people; there are teams of people with different outlooks and experiences who come together to be the best at what they do.

Can you describe your role?

I’m less focused on the hands-on editing process and am more involved in producing concepts and the storytelling process. No two weeks are the same. I’m always collaborating with and working with other people to create campaigns or developing projects. This all comes about from building relationships with other people.

Working in the football industry is like being on a rollercoaster. It’s very unpredictable, one week you could be winning, the next losing. It’s hard to make plans as content will always need to be reconfigured. For example, a footballer can move teams and content recorded no longer useable, so it needs to be reproduced. Or you will get a random call at 6am saying you need to go to the airport and greet a returning Cristiano Ronaldo!

Since joining, I’ve grown and developed as a person. Initially I was an introvert, a real techy guy. However, over the decade I have been here I’ve become an extrovert with moving into the leadership side of things.

What do you enjoy about your current role?

The role is multidisciplined - I’ve been involved in disciplines I never thought I would be involved in, from helping the legal team with signings, to leading conferences and leading the brand vision. Other positives include:

• This year alone I’ve travelled to many locations (e.g. Barcelona, Paris, New York) to meet with players and work on transfer signings. Due to the unpredictability of football, anything can happen in a minute, so it’s all about being positive and looking for opportunities as they present themselves.

• Winning awards for our work. One of the proudest awards we’ve won includes the Drum marketing award. The campaign itself was completed within a very short time period and we were up against other big industry names. To win the award was a great achievement for the team and testament to the collaboration within the team.

• Working with young creatives and people from around Manchester and getting to develop them. I’m fortunate to meet with the best people and learn from their experiences.

What inspires you?

The people you meet will be the most interesting part of your day, and the impression you leave them with is important. As the world changes, the content you produce also changes. So, you need to think of the ways you can reach new people. While I can’t control what happens on the pitch, I can to a certain extent control what works well off the pitch. So just because you’ve done something once, does not mean it will work again. In this industry you can never settle for ‘that’ll do’. You need to keep creating and imaging possibilities.

If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?

Those who don’t do, don’t’ get. You have to make mistakes to learn. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, otherwise you will never move forward.

Last thoughts?

A heartful message of thanks. Through the College, I got the opportunity to learn new skills to expand my horizons. Without the College I wouldn’t be in the role I am in now.

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