Future Focus with TV personality and Birmingham Alumni Ben Shephard…

From rolling around in tights with 16 other dance students to rolling around on a rugby pitch, Ben Shephard’s time in Birmingham was varied to say the least. In this month’s Future Focus, we hear from the television presenter about his memories as Birmingham alumni, his advice for the City’s students and graduates, and get to the heart of the matter – City or Villa?

1. As a Birmingham graduate, do you feel this helped or hindered you in your career?

I’m not sure I have ever actually been employed because I went to Birmingham and can now do a passable brummie accent, but there’s no question that my experiences at uni in Birmingham led me to the job that I now do

2. What is your favourite memory of Birmingham?

There are tons. The rugby, rolling around on the floor in leotard and tights doing my dance degree with 16 other girls has left me with loads of great memories, scoring a try on the 1st xv pitch during a big BUSA game with a large crowd was very special too, oh and I met the wife there too

3. What was your first big career break?

I did a show for C4 called control freaks

4. If you were not presenting, what do you think you would be doing instead?

I like to think I’d be travelling.

5. What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you on TV?

Amongst the wealth of embarrassing moments falling off the back of the GMTV sofa is up there

6. Have you tried the assault course on the Krypton Factor?

Unfortunately due to insurance issues I haven’t had a chance, but hopefully if we do it again I’ll sneak on

7. Have you ever been star-struck?

Not horrifically, although the first time I met Kate Beckinsale was a touch difficult once she admitted she rarely wears underwear

8. Do you return to Birmingham often and have you noticed any significant changes?

I haven’t been back for a very long time, although when I have returned I am aware how much more fashionable the students are and how much money they must spend on their hair now

9. What advice would you give to both students and graduates of Birmingham University?

You are at an incredible place, in one of the most underrated cities in the country. Soak up every moment it ends far too quickly and the beer will never be as cheap again!

10. Villa/City?

I am a west ham fan but all my family are from Brum and are big Villa fans so have to go with The Villa

This interview is thanks to Nadia Yaqub from Brewin Dolphin and Member of the Birmingham Future Marketing committee.

Future’s Got Talent

Graduates into Employment Committee re-brands and goes on the Talent hunt… 

One of Birmingham Future’s standing committees, Graduates into Employment Committee, has changed its name, and with it, its remit.  The newly formed Talent Retention & Development Committee will focus on graduates getting into work in Birmingham but also look at how, as a city, we can embed those graduates and young professionals into the Birmingham fabric. 

Talent doesn’t stop when a graduate gets the job they want, it’s about career and personal development.  As a city, we can sometimes be accused of not shouting loud and proud about what Birmingham has to offer every graduate, not just in the first few years of their chosen career, but right through to becoming business leaders.  This is what the Talent Retention & Development Committee is all about.  Anthony McCourt, current chair of the committee said ‘It’s testament to the members of the committee that they are up for expanding their remit and with it, providing a greater offering to the Future membership.  Make no mistake about it, our bread and butter starts with graduates in this city but from today onwards, it doesn’t end there either”.

Look out for upcoming events led by this committee.

Future Focus interview with Marc Reeves

As part of the Birmingham Future – Future Focus interview series which has seen the likes of Liam Byrne MP, Sir Bernard Zisman and retail guru Kevin Breese face the 10 questions from Future members, this month we caught up with Marc Reeves. Marc is the Editor of the Birmingham Post and possibly one of the most important and influential voices in the city, with editorial control of one of the country’s most respected regional daily papers…

The Questions:

1. What was your career path to becoming Editor of Birmingham Post?
I started as a cub reporter for a community newspaper in Handsworth in the 80s (I found some old cuttings recently – very cringe-worthy!). From there I worked for weekly newspapers in Birmingham and the Black Country, then had more senior positions on daily papers in Northampton and Carlisle, before going to the south of England where I was an editor in Reading for a while. Before I came back to the city in 2006, I was editorial director of Trinity Mirror Southern.

 2. How integral do you feel your role as Editor of the Birmingham Post is in helping to enhance the city’s young professionals?
I had a great time on the judging panel of last year’s BYPY, and the event reminded me just what the city’s young professional have to offer the region – and how important it is for all of us – the Post included - to support people who have chosen Birmingham as the place to start their careers.

 3. How important do you think it is for these young professionals to have a voice in the region’s press? Are there enough opportunities for this to happen?
I think it’s vital that everyone – no matter how new they may be to the city – speaks up and contributes to the wider debate about the future of Birmingham. Through our columns and blogs, we have several members of Future contributing via the Post – and we always have room for more.

 4. What involvement does Birmingham Post have in events across the city and region?
We are, you could say, ‘all over them’!  The Deal of the Year and the Power 50 – which we run in conjunction with Future of course – are massive events in the Birmingham calendar. We also held a major summit for the car industry as part of our campaign for Jaguar Land Rover this year, and we always support worthwhile events such as BYPY.

 5. With the rise in online media, have you found it important for Birmingham Post (and other regional titles) to embrace the digital age and attract audiences online, as well as through physical newspapers?
It’s more than important – it’s absolutely bloody vital for our future to be a truly multi media news and information service. We’ve made great strides in this and need to do much more. The Post is one of the premiere regional online titles, with a multi-layered website, mobile site and full engagement in social media.

 6. What are the key characteristics that make Birmingham the ideal city to live and work?
A genuinely friendly, collaborative culture that I think is pretty common across most business sectors in the city. Believe me, that’s not always the case in other places. For live-ability, I just love using the canal network for exercise, peace and quiet, and sometimes as a quick route to my favourite pubs!

 7. What is your favourite thing about Birmingham?  Table naan.

 8. Birmingham Post champions the Power 50, but who is your role model within the West Midlands?
John Bright – the original, not the Post’s scurrilous columnist! Bright championed the oppressed, campaigned for free trade, and had a fantastic set of mutton-chop whiskers.

 9. If you were asked to take a group of graduates around the city, what ‘hidden gems’ would you take them to see? 
The Lord Clifden pub in Great Hampton Street, because of its great beer and original Banksy artwork;  St Mary’s Church, Handsworth, because it’s where James Watt is buried, and Hockley Flyover, because it’s always overlooked in favour of its larger cousin, Spaghetti Junction.

 10. Villa or City?
Villa

We are very grateful to Marc for taking the time to complete this interview and if you have any suggestions for future ‘Future Focus’ candidates then please leave your comments and suggestions here.