Former photography student now filming mainstream British TV shows
May 20, 2020

Former photography student now filming mainstream British TV shows

Please note: This article was published on May 20, 2020 and may contain information that is no longer current or up to date.
Will Harris

A former Coventry College student who is now filming mainstream British TV shows has delivered some advice for those seeking to follow in his footsteps.

Will Harris , from Rugby, joined Coventry College in 2010 to study Level 3 and 4 Photography, and is now a camera man and editing assistant at North One Television, where he works on popular terrestrial TV shows such as the Gadget Show, Travel Man and the Great British Menu.

He also had a hand in the recent ITV show celebrating Captain Tom Moore – the former British Army veteran who raised millions of pounds for the NHS in the lead up to his 100th birthday.

And ahead of Coventry College’s first ever online open event, the 36-year-old is urging prospective students to pursue a stint at college.

Will said: “I joined college when I was 26-years-old after working in the insurance sector, but wanted to turn my photography hobby into a career, and the course at Coventry College really helped me on my way to achieving that.

“If anything, my time at Coventry College proved to me that it is never too late to change your career if your heart is in it.

“I went on to university afterwards to study photography and visual communication, but it was at college where I really learned the most, as I was able to pick up the technical skills from the teachers to operate high-end, professional equipment.

“Above all, the one sentence that will stick with me from college is what my course tutor said to me: ‘if someone asks you to do something, say yes, and learn how to do it later.’ It sounds daunting, but it’s a great way of making yourself indispensable!”.

Since leaving college eight years ago, Will spent four years working at a TV shopping channel, before joining North One Television.

He added: “I love my job – it’s incredibly varied.

“Working on Travel Man has seen me travel to places such as Belgium and Cyprus where I have been working the second camera, capturing general view shots.

“The Coronavirus pandemic has had a big impact because we can’t go out and film, so a lot of my time at the minute is spent working from home editing together the best bits from each show until we can get going again.”

If you’re interested in pursuing Photography like Will, find photography programmes available at Coventry College.