Illustration student embarks on placement year at Disney+

What does the new role entail?

My role is Creative Intern for the Disney+ Audio Visual team, which is part of the wider creative team. We generate concepts for advertising content and then create them for use on all the Disney+ social platforms, as well as TV spots and out-of-home advertisements. We work specifically on Disney+ brand campaigns and original content. I’m based at The Walt Disney Studios offices in Hammersmith, London. These are the headquarters for the whole of Disney in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

How have your first few weeks been?

My first few weeks have been really interesting. I’ve learned so much about Disney as a company and the scale of their operation. The offices are huge, and there are so many different departments; it’s an exciting place to be. I’ve already started on a project for an upcoming Disney+ original series, where we have been generating ideas for Disney+ social media content. It’s great that I’m given the opportunity to get stuck in and input my ideas, compared to other internships where you might just be making the coffees! Everyone on my team has been very friendly and welcoming, and there is also a great intern culture, so I’ve already been to a few social events. I also had the opportunity to visit the touring Disney+ food truck, which is promoting the new season of The Bear while travelling to food festivals all over the country. It was great to go with my team and see the marketing team's work in action.

What are you most looking forward to over this year’s placement?

I’m most looking forward to learning from the other talented creatives in my team. I think I will gain invaluable experience working in a creative environment and seeing the full process of AV content being produced from start to finish. It will be really exciting if I get to see something that I’ve created come up on my own social media feed! I’m also looking forward to the film releases over the next year like Moana 2, because the office goes all out with staff premieres, character meets, merchandise, and themed café food. There are also lots of opportunities like intern development programmes and Disney volunteering, which I’m very keen to get involved with.

What skills and experience from your course are you likely to use?

During my first two years on the BA Illustration course, I’ve learned valuable collaboration skills through group projects and brainstorming sessions, which I think will help me when working in a professional creative environment. We also have modules dedicated to learning about how our work fits in the context of the creative industries, which gave me a good understanding before starting my placement of what to expect. Our studio space on the Falmouth Campus is set up to feel like a real-life studio workspace, and our lecturers encourage us to adopt a ‘studio culture’ by collaborating and networking with each other. This has helped me to transition into a creative workspace as it’s something I am already used to.

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