Coldplay, Olly Alexander and Brit Award winner Raye were just three of the names playing at this year’s Radio 1 Big Weekend – and hard at work behind the scenes at the three-day festival was our very own alumna, Anna Scott.
Anna, who usually works as a Digital Co-ordinator at BBC Studios, was thrilled to be invited to join the production team for the event, which attracts thousands of music fans and this year took place in Luton’s Stockwell Park in May.
Said Anna: “My first week was spent on the Radio floor of BBC’s Broadcasting House, an incredible office where so many amazing shows are filmed and recorded. I worked in the content team, prepping iPlayer for all the content that would come its way during the festival weekend, and curating playlists for BBC Sounds that listeners could use to discover artists playing during the festival.
“When the festival weekend arrived, I was taken up to Manchester for some super fun (and very late) shifts to support the live coverage. I was placed as Photo Lead, managing a team and being responsible for selecting, perfecting and approving all published photography from the festival, seen on places like iPlayer video thumbnails, BBC Sounds, lots of BBC Social media channels and even press release articles. Basically, any photos or thumbnails you can find of R1BW online came from my team!”
Anna’s highlights over the ten days included a sneak preview of the Blue Peter studio at Broadcasting House and watching the West End cast of ‘Matilda’ performing a song for the ‘Live at 5’ Friday show. She also met the presenters, got a chance to observe what goes on in the directing gallery and chatted with the crew. “This was a huge highlight for me. All in all, it was a fantastic experience and I’ve made lasting connections with some amazing and talented new colleagues which I’m sure will prove valuable as I build my career at the BBC,” she enthused.
