Film making, animation, podcasting and all things creative were on show this week as Newark College’s media lounge was officially opened.
Part of the College’s wider offering, the Media Lounge offers students the chance to explore creative and innovative approaches to the profession on its Creative Media Course.
To open the facility, the Media team welcomed back a former student, Josh Rai, who first attended the College back in 1996. Now part of Met Film, the largest provider of filmmaking courses in Europe, Josh helps deliver university degree programmes.
Josh studied at Newark College 25 years ago and is now a course leader at Met Film as well as the owner of his own production company.
His journey began with a Creative Media course at Newark College, where he gained valuable paid work experience that sparked his passion for filmmaking. This foundation led Josh to study filmmaking, honing his skills with film stock and camera development techniques.
He later progressed to the University of Derby before taking on several roles in London to gain on-set experience. During this time, Josh worked on high-profile music videos and adverts for artists such as Billie Piper and Robbie Williams.
In 2008, Josh transitioned into education, using his skills to support young people in community projects through filmmaking. In 2021, he attended the National Film and Television School, focusing on narrative-based projects. Today, Josh is actively pitching ideas to BBC Three and Channel 4 while continuing his role as a course leader.
Josh had a tour of the new facility, as well as giving a speech to current learners and providing an interactive workshop on camera blocking. The students were invited to share their favourite film scenes to discuss, before being given a practical task, setting up and filming some set scripts.
Josh said: “It’s amazing to be back at the College after 25 years and I really do have unbelievable memories of being here. Reflecting, it’s great to think about my lecturers from the time, which includes Justin Day, who was one of my tutors at the time. Him and others really helped me develop my vocabulary and theoretical knowledge and therefore were instrumental in me finding my creative spark.”
Lecturer in Media, Justin Day, said: “It’s great to have our facility fully open and to have an alumni student attending is special. Josh was on our BTEC National Diploma back in the late 90s and to see how far he has come is inspirational for us all. As Josh has said, it’s great to have things come full circle sometimes.
“The suite we have up here is special. Students on the Creative Media course are encouraged to treat this like a workplace, we have them clock in, knowing what they are working on and what they are aiming for.
“In their first year here, they can focus on experimenting with different media platforms and then in the second year they specialise in a project. We have students here that are creative and keen and are exploring some really varied topics.
“For example, we have one student who is recording podcasts and broadcast audio, whereas alongside that, we have students working on graphic novels, animation, making films and working on photography projects. The pathways to careers or further studies is very much open to students and we’re here to guide them.”
In addition to the creative course options on offer, students are also able to contribute to Radio Newark, a local station that is now broadcasting live from the Media Lounge’s studio.
Radio Newark’s Chairman, Tony Roberts, said: “We have a great relationship with Newark College and it’s amazing to see how far the organisation has come over the years, this is an excellent facility.”
Newark College Head of Campus, Penny Taylor MBE, said: “These facilities are really setting our students up for the future. The opportunities we are able to offer might mean that like Josh, our students might be able to return and tell us all about what they have gone on to achive.”
