Liam O'Neil or @lco.oneill is in his 20s and works at @thatlot social creative agency based in London. He is sharing some tips and feedback on how work is found in London, UK and what can be useful should you choose to dive in the film field there.
Also a bit about side hustles and their utilization in the job that pays the bills.
Tell us who you are and what do you do in the UK?
My name’s Liam, I’m a video editor and motion graphics designer, mostly working within the field of social media and online marketing
What did you graduate and did that turned out to be your profession or you took another direction?
I graduated in 2016 with a BA in Film and Moving Image Production, my current job is fairly linked to the work I did during my time at University. In the UK sometimes, it’s hard and can be overwhelming when looking for the right direction or trying different things in terms of work.
What was your approach to that matter?
I definitely found this, after graduating I was a little bit disillusioned about the prospect of finding work within the field I studied in. The job market was so competitive, and I felt coming straight out of university I was just one of thousands of other people trying to break into the industry. I took some voluntary work at an art gallery in my hometown whilst applying for as many different full-time positions as possible. At the same time, I was taking voluntary video editing work for local charities and shooting weddings as a freelancer. I think all this helped to build a mini portfolio of work to show prospecting employees.
What do you think is a good advice for the creatives that are looking to find their field and how do you think they can best utilize their skills? Both people coming from another country and those who are there in the UK.
I think finding the practice that you have the most passion for is key. What do you find most enjoyable and stimulating creatively? Once you find that creative thing you’re interested in I think it’s a lot about practice and honing your craft. Ultimately I think getting enjoyment out of the thing your pursuing is really valuable and you can then start thinking about how you could apply that to a professional role or freelance position.
Would you share what are your side interests and what do they bring to you when doing them?
My creative passion outside of work is definitely music. In my free time I’m learning to DJ and like to dabble with music production and sound design!
That Lot – looks dope! How did you end up there and what do you do there?
A good friend of mine had recently started freelancing at That Lot and passed my details on as they were looking for additional freelance editors. I’ve been there four years now and work on a variety of projects. I started out as a subtitler and junior editor, primarily subbing up clips and cutting footage down into short form edits. Over the last four years my role has changed slightly, and my role now covers a variety of positions. My day to day work is as a motion graphics designer and editor, working for a range of clients. On top of this I’m also part of the production team and will work on both on location sound recording and sound post production. As an agency we also produce quite a lot of live broadcasts, both in studio and on location. On these projects I tend to serve as live technician and graphics operator. So yeah, the role is quite broad but a lot of fun!
In the UK team work and mentality are different from those in Bulgaria. Would you share how the team work dynamics effect the work and the individual themselves from the prism of your own experience?
I think being at That Lot has been such a positive experience when it comes to being part of a close-knit team. Everyone at the agency is really lovely and a pleasure to work with, I think that’s a huge part of the team working successfully, both on shoots and in an office environment. I think the work reflects this and a lot of the time it’s like working with mates rather than just work colleagues.
Learn more about this artist on:
That Lot webpage for info and scrolling.
Liam's social.