Théodore | Master in communications, media and Creative industries

COULD YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF IN A FEW WORDS AND DESCRIBE YOUR ACADEMIC BACKGROUND?

My name is Théodore, I am 22 years old, and I am originally from the city of Mulhouse in Alsace. I started my studies at Sciences Po in 2017 on the Franco-German European campus in Nancy, having followed a bilingual German curriculum throughout primary and secondary school. At the end of two great years in Nancy, I flew to Vancouver, Canada, for my exchange year abroad. Today I am in a gap year between my first and second year of the master's program.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE MASTER'S DEGREE IN COMMUNICATIONs, MEDIA AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AT THE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION?

At the end of my year in Vancouver, I was undecided about my choice of a master’s degree. One thing was certain, I wanted to follow a more professional university education, oriented towards the media while keeping a contribution in social sciences. That's how I decided to go to the School of Management and Innovation (EMI) and the "comm" master's degree.

Today, I don't regret this choice at all. The master's degree is very well known both within Sciences Po and on the job market for the teaching it provides, and I had the opportunity to meet some great people in my class. The great strength of this master's degree is that it gives us the keys to a better understanding of today's creative industries. It covers almost all the strategic, financial, marketing, legal and sectoral issues of these industries. The big plus is that professionals come and talk to us about all this; I was inspired by many of them!

YOU CHOSE TO TAKE A GAP YEAR BETWEEN YOUR FIRST AND SECOND YEAR OF YOUR MASTER'S DEGREE. COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT THE POSITIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS YOU HAD?

During my first year of the master’s program, I quickly felt the need to acquire more professional skills. The gap year was an ideal opportunity for me to get out in the field and familiarize myself with the audiovisual production sector. I started with my first internship as a monitoring and international development assistant at Newen Studios, TF1's production and distribution subsidiary. My missions were very diversified, and I had the chance to accompany many European producers in the implementation of their projects of series creation. At the beginning of January, I started my second internship at Fremantle France where I am now working alongside the artistic coordination and casting teams. My missions are more operational as I am helping to prepare a shooting of a talent show for a French channel. This allows me to see another link in the production value chain and to see firsthand how projects on paper come to life in reality.

WHAT DID THIS YEAR OF GAP YEAR BRING YOU?

So far, the gap year has helped me to gain confidence in myself and to improve my skills. I have noticed that I am more at ease and more comfortable in managing my daily tasks. After only a few weeks in my second internship, I notice that the more I progress, discover new jobs, and discuss with new people, the more I can project myself in the short and medium-term in my professional career. In the end, I'm impatient to see where I'll be in six months, certainly with an even greater desire to move forward and project myself into working life.

IF YOU HAD TO GIVE SOME ADVICE?

My most valuable advice is to always remain open, let yourself be tempted, and not be afraid to follow your instincts, because the business world is much more accessible than we think.