Irene Munoz Lopez
"My main role as a creative producer was to create 25 or 30 second trailers for National Geographic shows. It was an amazing opportunity; as part of my role I had a lot of creative freedom and had to come up with concepts, pitch them to the managers, and then edit and write the script for the promos."
Entry year
2021Placement company
Walt Disney Company / National GeographicChoosing Surrey
My main motive for coming to Surrey was the course I wanted to study here (Film Production and Broadcast Engineering), but I also really liked how well connected it was. London is only 40 minutes away!
When I first came for my interview, I really liked Guildford. It’s a charming town, and I thought the campus was spacious, calm and very beautiful with the lake and all the student spaces.
Your course
I’ve always known I wanted to work in the Film/TV industry; I enjoy both the creative and technical aspects of it and I think both sides enhance and push each other further.
I genuinely think this course offers a perfect balance between creative practice and technical knowledge, and really helps us become well-rounded professionals. There is also a big focus on employability which is very encouraging.
I really appreciate that all our lecturers have professional experience in their fields. Be it research, sound, colour, directing, TV or scripted productions, all our lecturers have first-hand experience they bring into their teaching. Their good relationships and contacts within the industry also offer opportunities for us to network with professionals across different sectors of the industry.
The facilties at Surrey are great, especially the new TV Studio. The department strives to keep all our kit and facilities up to date to properly train us to the professional standards currently used in the industry.
Career Support
Since we are a small course, we have a lot of support from our lecturers. They are always happy to look over our work and offer useful feedback. They also encourage us to network and offer many opportunities to do so in industry.
Professional training placement
I had an internship with The Walt Disney Company, where I worked as a Creative Producer creating promotional videos for the National Geographic TV channels.
My main role as a creative producer was to create 25 or 30 second trailers for National Geographic shows. It was an amazing opportunity; as part of my role I had a lot of creative freedom and had to come up with concepts, pitch them to the managers, and then edit and write the script for the promos. As part of the workflow, I got to work with amazing professionals, directing sound engineers, graphic designers and voice-over artists.
Your Surrey experience
Throughout my uni-life, I’ve been involved with the StagTV society. This society has been an amazing compliment to my course, allowing me to experiment and put into practice what I've learned in a more relaxed and carefree environment, while also creating awesome, national-award-winning content. StagTV has helped me learn and network with amazing people and has offered me great opportunities to be involved in productions and award shows I wouldn’t have known of otherwise.
I am very grateful to have had many opportunities to be involved in amazing projects, live-shows and activities either through my course or through StagTV!
Looking Forward
I’ve learned a lot during my time at Surrey, about the things I’ve always been passionate about and about other things I hadn’t even considered before coming to uni. It has been an eye-opening experience and I’ve grown more confident.
I’m still passionate about working in Film/TV and can now see that there is a very wide range of options available within the industry after graduation.
A song that reminds you of Surrey…
Perhaps the Gladiator movie soundtrack. I often play while I study, especially when it’s something difficult, the music is quite motivating. I also used to live at Manor Park and would sometimes listen to it on my walk to and from Stag Hill Campus, it made it all very epic.
What couldn’t you live without at university?
Post-it notes. I use them for everything - there is nothing more satisfying than throwing a post-it note to the bin once everything on it is crossed off. It really helps me keep track of everything and stay organized.
What food couldn’t you live without at university?
One of the first recipes I learned to make was a traditional dish from back home: Salmorejo. It’s very easy to make, goes with everything and reminds me of home.
Describe your experience at Surrey in three words
Challenging, exciting, creative.
