Student ambassador, Megan Johnson, reports on the first Media Futures event of the year

Megan gives her account of the presentation by broadcaster, actor, poet and writer, Mim Shaikh.

Mim Shaikh, ‘Turn Your Passion Into a Paycheck’ (29 September 2020)

For the first Media Futures of this academic year, we were treated to a presentation from Mim Shaikh, a genuine down to earth Londoner who was bubbling with energy, and completely unfazed by the vast turnout.

His radio, documentary and TV experience gave him a wealth of knowledge to share, especially as he’d worked his way up, beginning his journalism experiences as a Broadcast Journalism student at our own Leeds University.

As Mim described sitting in the Clothworkers radio newsroom and frantically trying to think up a news story, it was impossible not to see his success as potentially something we could all aspire to. He also shared a gem of advice for students struggling with the creative mindset required to produce intriguing stories: make something you’re passionate about that no one else can voice the way you can.

Perhaps the standout moment of Mim’s journalistic journey was his modest start out with YouTube content ‘Cheeky Nando’s’ video, made with his mates in the form of a jokey song. It may have seemed random, but Mim advised that making content (however crazy) demonstrates creativity and increases visibility - which is definitely clear from the video’s 1.1 million views.

Mim went on to tell us about his networking and intern opportunities, which led to him presenting on BBC Asian Network - something he admits was a ‘right place, right time’ situation. Surprisingly, Mim shared that he was originally quite shy, but, with the right determination, confidence gets easier with time - like building up stamina at the gym!

Though Mim definitely turned his passion into a paycheck, he taught us that passions may change over time - but your energy doesn’t have to.