Falmouth journalism graduand signed by FC Barcelona as reporter
08 July 2024
Pablo Woolls-Blanco has joined the likes of Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Gary Lineker after being snapped up by Barcelona football club as an English-language reporter for the Catalan Giants.
Pablo, who has finished his third year as a Journalism and Creative Writing (BA) student at Falmouth, joined Barça Studios at the start of April. He co-hosts the club’s football coverage, commentating on matches and interviewing the Spanish champions' superstars.
A life-long Barcelona fan, Pablo said it was his “dream job” and that he was “elated to have been given this opportunity so early in my career”. Pablo is working on Barcelona’s new project, Barça One, which contains content in Catalan, Spanish and English.
What does the new role entail, and how have you found moving to Barcelona?
It’s nearly three months since I moved to Barcelona and started working for the club. My role is varied - I edit videos to go alongside the club’s daily news programme, which we release five days a week in Catalan, Spanish, and English. I also frequently present the programme in English.
In addition, I’ve done live commentary for La Liga and Champions League games, hosted the Barça Live show for the women’s Champions League semi-final against Chelsea, and travelled with the team to Bilbao for the Champions League final. It was such an incredible experience to be there, doing reports pitch-side, travelling with the team, doing interviews with the fans, and of course, speaking to the players post-match in the press zone. I’ve gained a lot of really valuable experience at such a young age.
The transition has been challenging, for sure. It’s a new city, a new country, and a new language. I’m here without my girlfriend, family, and friends too, so it’s been a big challenge, but good for my development. A lot of what I do in this job I’ve done before at Mousehole AFC, Radio Cornwall, or my own personal projects - it’s just on a much bigger scale this time!
What have the highlights been in your first 3 months?
I love doing match commentary, whether that’s on co-comms or as a singular commentator. To do it for a club like Barça is obviously very cool. Being on the panel for Barça Live for games has also been really fun, and a great experience as an analyst.
The big highlight has to be the women’s Champions League final though. As I said, travelling with the team and doing all those reports and interviews on such a big stage and to such a large audience, with all those Barça fans there, was incredible. I didn’t think I’d be reporting at a Champions League final having just turned 22, so I’m buzzing about that.
They’re a historic team, Barça Femeni, and to be able to live that moment and report on it was really surreal. I’m really looking forward to any more opportunities like this one to come up in the future. Whether that’s reporting from the stadium, doing match commentary, or being on the panel in the studio - I welcome it all and I look forward to whatever is planned for me.
You graduate this year in Journalism & Creative Writing - how has it prepared you for your new job?
I learned a lot of my skills outside of the course through work that Falmouth University lecturer Kevin Bishop set me up with at Mousehole AFC, where I was able to perform interviews, pieces to camera, and present new signings - essentially acting as the team’s reporter. I then worked with BBC Radio Cornwall where I went on to present programmes.
Even before that, I’ve been building my portfolio as a football journalist and presenter for a very long time now, taking on a number of projects to ensure that my CV and portfolio stood out amongst other candidates. I’ve been obsessed with making myself the ideal candidate for jobs and having all areas of the sports media industry covered, and I think it’s paying off. Maybe the course has improved my professional writing, which has helped me in applying for jobs and constructing my CV.
We used Premiere Pro to edit videos at Falmouth, which I now also use at Barça, so that definitely gave me a head start.
The course, and the projects I took on myself around it, helped me to ensure that my CV and portfolio stood out against graduates from other universities. I was obsessive about making myself the ideal candidate by having all areas of the sports media industry covered, and it looks to have paid off so far. I’m still learning and constantly working on my skills on a daily basis.
What are the skills you use from your course that you use on a daily basis?
We had to edit on Premiere Pro at Falmouth, which I now also use at Barça, so that helped me a little. As I previously said, almost all of the skills I use on a daily basis at Barça, I learned or gained experience in outside of degree projects. Whether that was through my old YouTube channel, Mousehole AFC, Barça channels I had previously worked for on Twitter, my podcasts, Radio Cornwall, etc. All of that has helped fine-tune me into the journalist I am today, and I’m still learning more on a daily basis.
Why did you pick Falmouth for your studies?
It was the place! I always wanted to live in Cornwall and it just felt right. Over my three years there, I made so many unforgettable memories, especially getting involved in the Cornish football scene – experiences I’ll never forget. The people I met, the community feel, the experiences, it was just brilliant.
Seriously, what a place. It was more the place than the course for me. I developed a lot as a young man in Cornwall, so it was a resounding success.
Who would you recommend Journalism & Creative Writing at Falmouth to?
I would recommend it to anyone interested in improving their writing, and on the journalism side, specifically interested in getting involved with the local scene in Cornwall, specifically sustainability. What I found with Cornish football I think other people can find in other areas. There’s untapped potential there and you can really make it your own if you go for it. Cornish people are great, I’ll say that.
Do you have any other projects or goals on the horizon?
To be fair, at the moment I’m just keeping my head down with things at Barça and doing my best for the team here. Let’s see where it goes, let’s see what they want from me in the future and how I develop. I’m sure I’ll get many more exciting opportunities, so I’m really looking forward to that. I’m an ambitious person, so I always want more. I don’t set a limit on anything, so I’m ready for what’s to come.
How can we keep up with you and your work at FCB?
We’ve recently launched Barça One, which is the new and free audiovisual platform for FC Barcelona, with content in Catalan, Spanish, and English. There’s all sorts on there that I’m involved in, including documentaries, podcasts, our daily news programme, and our live shows during games - essentially everything Barça.
External links
https://x.com/PabloWBlanco
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pablo-woollsblanco/
https://www.instagram.com/pablowoollsblanco/
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