After graduating from ACM, Will entered the big wide world determined to kick-start his career in sound design and engineering – no easy feat. But Will has broken through and landed on his feet with The Jungle Group – a specialist sound design agency based in Soho.
Will has kindly taken some time out to talk us through his new role and offer some advice to current ACM students and alumni.
How did you get the job with The Jungle Group?
I tried loads of different tactics from e-shots to cold calling studios. I ended up hand delivering portfolios and CVs around post-prod – places in Soho. Only Jungle got back to me, offered me an interview and then subsequently the position of runner.
Tell us about The Jungle Group?
The Jungle Group split up into 3 facilities; Marmalade, Zoo and Jungle. Each work in a different way, providing services for a certain type of client’s promo or advertisement. Each facility is geared primarily towards voiceover (VO) work.
What does a ‘Runner’ do?
The job itself is incredibly varied. The kitchen is the runner’s main hub along with most of the catering responsibilities (tea, coffee, toast, cereal, etc.) but on occasion, runners are asked to pick up or drop off documents, removable media or just pass on messages around the building. In addition, runners are expected to open up and close down the receptions, studios and facilities at the beginning and end of each working day.
The best way of thinking about the role is as the glue that holds the companies departments together; if you’re not feeding and watering them (them being engineers, clients, bookers, finance, etc.), you’re communicating information and files between them.
Do you have any advice for any students considering starting out as a runner?
Develop an eye for detail and to really dedicate yourself to the work. The clients that come in and out of the doors every day are real day-to-day media moguls; they expect nothing short of perfection and the company expects you to deliver on target every time. Sometimes, you’ll just need to bring in a glass of water or tea to a studio. Other times, you’re expected to collect lunch from 3 different cafes, run paperwork to buildings miles apart and pick up the client’s washing on the same run; all of this quickly and, of course, courteously.
Where can a runner…run to?
Most runners who keep their heads down get a chance to work in Transfer for a few weeks, the department that deals with converting and transferring assets around the studio’s internal network. That forms the first step towards working as a fully-fledged engineer in the long run.
Our thanks to Will for taking the time out to share his experiences and ACM wish him all the very best for the future. Creative Sound Design doesn’t just teach our students about the application of music and sound to many types of media, it allows them to embrace the ever-changing world of online and new media.
ACM’s Creative Sound Design course is rung number one on the music industry ladder and Will has clearly made it on to rung number two. If you’d like more information about ACM’s Creative Sound Design and Music Production courses, why not contact our Admissions Team or call 01483 500 800.
