We recently sat down with alumnus Tom Oliver, who studied Media Arts and Drama at St Mary's from 2001 to 2004.
Tom has worked at Sky for 20 years across a range of roles and projects, including Sky Sports and most recently at Sky Creative.
We caught up with Tom about his time at St Mary's and his career journey after graduating.
Why did you choose to come to St Mary’s?
I remember seeing the prospectus when I was in Sixth Form, and I immediately liked the look of St Mary’s.
I had friends that had gone to big cities for university, but I liked the idea of being in a smaller and more intimate place as a student.
I came to visit campus before I started, and I really liked it.
What was your time at St Mary’s like - both on the course and on campus?
I thoroughly enjoyed my time here. I was in Doyle Halls in my first year and made friends for life there. There’s four of us from Doyle who still regularly meet up, as well as another really good friend who was in Waldegrave Park. The close-knit feel of St Mary’s was such a big part of my experience.
I loved playing football during my time at St Mary’s, mostly the fourth team. The standard was very high, but I loved it. I also played cricket in the summer.
On the academic side, it was great to be around people who had an interest in the same subjects as me. Particularly from the drama side, there weren’t that many people at my school who were into drama. It was nice coming to St Mary’s and being in a class where everyone was really passionate about it. I think that pushes you as well, being with classmates that have common ideas and values.
The teachers were very experienced, and their wisdom was almost infectious. When I was younger, I had never thought about the possibility of working in television, but we did a video production module which opened my eyes a bit to new possibilities.
Can you tell us about your career journey since leaving St Mary’s?
Straight after graduation I had a summer where I was figuring out what I wanted to do. I was almost going to become a teacher, but in retrospect I don't know what I would have taught for starters.
I started applying for work experience and ended up getting two weeks at Sky Sports. During those two weeks, I kept pestering the lady who led the work experience and looked after the runners and production juniors about letting me know if any jobs came up. Fortunately for me, they asked if I could do a couple of weeks working on a tennis tournament.
After those two weeks I got more and more shifts and was staying on my mate's sofa in Teddington. One thing led to another, and I started working at Sky Sports on a football program, Soccer AM. It was a bit of a cult program and was a really great start to my career. I was able to be creative, which I loved. The show was a great combination of very top humour and sport.
Since then, I've gone on to work on different football programs and other live sports like darts. About six years ago, I moved from the production side of things to the creative side. I’m now at Sky Creative, which is essential Sky’s own creative agency within the company that produces their advertising and promotions.
I’ve been at Sky for 20 years, but I've had so many different roles and different ways to challenge myself. Right now, I mostly make 30-second promos, so essentially what's coming up at Sky. Today, I've been making a 30 second promo for Liverpool versus Manchester United, leaning into the rivalry. The challenge with that is how do you make it different from every other one. It is a challenge, but it's something I really enjoy.
I also like the challenge of being around and filming with sports stars. I've interviewed and directed hundreds of sports stars over the years and I'm very lucky to get to meet my idols, essentially.
How did St Mary’s prepare you for your career?
I recently was at a talk where one of the leaders at Sky said that her job as a leader is to create an environment where people feel they can be creative and can do their best work. That’s what St Mary’s was for me.
Ultimately, you're an 18-year-old leaving home for the first time, and if the environment is not right then you're not going to flourish. St Mary’s allowed me to grow my creativity, which is something I use in my job every day. While I was at St Mary's, it was like I was a sponge to new ideas and different techniques. That gave me a good grounding for going into the world and gave me the best start to getting where I am now.
Getting the two weeks of work experience is one thing but showing that you've got something about you is another.
What are some career highlights for you so far?
There have been quite a few highlights. When I was working on Soccer AM, I got to do some on screen comedy skits, which was a real buzz being live on a Saturday morning and telling jokes dressed up as silly things. Doing that took me back to when I was doing plays here at St Mary's. I never wanted to be an actor, but it was good fun.
I'm a big Tottenham Hotspurs fan, and I’ve been lucky enough to spend a day filming with Ledley King. I’ve also filmed and directed Thierry Henry interviewing Harry Kane. Even though Thierry's an Arsenal legend, he's a nice guy. I've done a fair bit with Harry Kane too and being a Tottenham fan, that was good fun.
What advice would you give to any current students?
Don’t be afraid to be creative and follow your ideas. There are no wrong idea. Some people might not like all your ideas, but someone probably will. And just because someone says they don't like an idea; it doesn't have to be the end of it.