After my Fast Forward Internship in the SPS Department at Sky TV, I spent 3 months training to become a freelance editor for Sky Sports news. I’d had experience with this team previously and really enjoyed my time there and they were happy to welcome me back.
I trained 5 hours per day voluntarily and spent my time learning how to use the editing software Quantel. I was taught on a 1-1 basis by a very kind colleague. He gave me his time and taught me everything I know now which I am very grateful for.
Eventually, I became confident enough with the workflows of the team and the work they created that I was taken on as a freelance editor. I was 19 at the time so this was a fantastic achievement and something I am still proud of today.
The team didn’t hesitate to throw me in at the deep end though. My first professional 12-hour shift happened to be on the day that Muhammad Ali passed away. This was one of the biggest pieces of sporting news in the world and I was the main editor on shift having to handle the obituary video and convert 4:3 footage of Ali’s past fights. I stayed calm and managed to do what was needed but it was definitely a memorable experience, to say the least. Looking back, the time flew by so I must have been having fun!
My other shifts didn’t quite compare to that first one but I still loved them all the same. I mainly created teasers, highlights packages, and news features for football, tennis and upcoming sporting events. I gained invaluable experience working with top Sky Producers and became adept at fast turn around editing. It was such a fast-paced, buzzy and exciting environment and I really felt like I was part of something important and doing what I loved. I really enjoyed my time as a freelance editor.
See below for a couple of examples of the short-form work I cut together (both of which went out live on Sky Sports News):