Media Trust celebrates six years of London360

On 27 April 2017, Media Trust’s youth journalism programme, London360, celebrated its sixth anniversary with a special event at the House of Commons.

Hosted by Dawn Butler MP and London360’s Executive Producer, Jasmine Dotiwala, the event was a showcase of the programmes achievements over the past six years. Senior media industry figures and funders joined the London360 alumni to hear their stories and share their support for this unique programme.

The event kicked off with a specially recorded video message from Channel 4 News Presenter, Jon Snow, who has been involved with the initiative since it began. As well as highlighting some of the key achievements of London360’s alumni, Snow emphasised the important role that London360 plays in increasing diversity within the media industry.

Providing employment for diverse young Londoners

Jon was followed by nine of London360’s alumni, who took to the stage for a Q&A with BBC Economics Editor, and Media Trust Trustee, Kamal Ahmed. During the interview, they shared their experiences of the programme and what it has taught them. All nine now work in the media industry and they aren’t unusual. Since London360 began, 450 of the 600 young people that have taken part have gained full-time employment within the international media sectors.

Building confidence

Usman Butt was one of the nine alumni to speak at the event. After leaving the programme, Butt successfully pitched his documentary idea to BBC Panorama. He was subsequently hired by the team to work on the documentary Aleppo: Life Under Siege, which was broadcast on BBC One in September 2016.

Speaking at the event, Usman said: “Before [London]360, I would never have thought to walk up to a broadcaster and say hey, please hire me, I’ve got this great idea!”  He continued: “After leaving 360 I literally walked into Panorama and said you have to take this [idea] and you have to take me. It was only at the end of my time at Panorama, I sat down with the head of BBC Arabic’s documentaries and he said ‘you do realise that no one walks in off the street and pitches to BBC Arabic like that.’ 360 gave me that confidence. I can film, I can edit, I can do stories, I can do all kinds of things. Now I can sit with guys who have 20, 30 years experience and they have to take me seriously. That’s what 360 did, it forced them to take me seriously.”

Butt concludes: “Diversity is strength. It’s so important that people from diverse communities are given opportunities to succeed in the highly competitive media industry. It’s imperative that we strive to achieve diversity in broadcast media, both in front of and behind the camera. It is also equally important that there is diversity in filmmaking, producing and in the pipeline for all positions. I support the great work of Media Trust and hope to see many more people from diverse backgrounds succeed and be heard in the media.”

About London360

Media Trust’s  London360 programme is funded by City Bridge Trust, John Lyon’s Charity and Mayor’s Fund For London.

The programme trains diverse young Londoners aged 18-25 in researching, presenting, filming, editing and compliance. In doing so, they produce their own weekly television show, London Undercover, which investigates some of the biggest issues concerning Londoners. The show is broadcast on London Live.