Emily Wazonek

However, looking for new adventures and to advance her career, she chose to fly across the world to Scotland’s capital city to undertake an MSc Media Management and Creative Industries at Queen Margaret University. She was particularly attracted to this master’s course due to its focus on media and policy, and the University’s values of social justice. 

After graduating, she secured a position at the prestigious CBC, Canada’s Public Broadcaster in Toronto. With her new position, she continues to learn each day, and is excited to progress quickly in her broadcast career. 

 Emily discusses her student experience at Queen Margaret University and her new job in Canada. 

What were you doing before coming to QMU?  

Before to coming to QMU, I studied Professional Communication at Toronto Metropolitan University. After graduating, I worked at a Canadian Broadcast and Entertainment company called Corus Entertainment. I worked in their In-House Media agency as an On-Air Promotions Coordinator. My job involved executing on-air marketing and media plans through scheduling promotions for Corus’ programmes on various TV stations and Video on Demand services.  

Why did you choose to study at QMU? 

I chose to study at QMU because of the great course and module options. I thought the module options were very career focused. The Media, Management and the Creative Industries course option covered areas that I wanted to focus on in my career, particularly media and policy within the creative industries. 

"I thought QMU was a good fit for me due to its outlook, values on social justice and its commitment to cultivating ideas that support these values."

What was your favourite part about Edinburgh? 

There are so many things to love about Edinburgh – the architecture, the people, the nightlife. I loved being in such an international city and getting the opportunity to meet so many people from such diverse backgrounds. There are lots of students in the city who are looking to connect with each other, which makes it a great place to meet new people. 

Why did you choose to study this course in particular? 

 I chose the MSc Media, Management and the Creative Industries because the course seemed so unique. The core modules spoke to my interests in media policy and the elective options gave the opportunity to explore various fields and aspects within the media and creative industries, such as marketing, event planning, and strategic communications. I was able to explore various interests within the field and pursue subjects that interested me the most through the dissertation module.  

Did you find enough academic support at QMU? Either through lecturers or through the ELS? 

 There was lots of academic support - especially from the lecturers, who took the time to get to know everyone in their modules and were always open to answering questions. The academic team was flexible and very understanding.  

Most class sizes were quite small which allowed lecturers to spend more time supporting students. There are also valuable resources on the QMU website through the Learning Resource Centre that helped me find sources and how to properly cite them. These resources were extremely valuable especially while writing the dissertation.  

What did you enjoy most about your course? 

 I enjoyed writing the dissertation the most. I loved the independence and working closely with a supervisor on ideas and execution. It was great to be able to focus on a topic I am passionate about and was developing expertise in. Completing the dissertation was extremely rewarding.  

What advice do you have for someone just entering the course? 

 I would advise a new student to actively participate in lectures and ask plenty of questions to get the most out of the modules. I would also recommend starting assignments early. In my experience, most of the modules only have one or two assignments. Since these take up most, if not all, of your grade, it is important to get a head start and manage time well. 

What have been the course highlights?  

One of the University’s strong points is its work in preparing students for careers. Lecturers are well connected with industry and we were lucky to get exposure to specialists working in industry. The course highlights for me were the guest lecturers in the Media and Creative Industries module. The guests included industry professionals from a variety of fields within the creative industries such as film, radio, broadcast, fashion and so on. Their lectures provided valuable insights into the types of jobs within the industries and offered advice and guidance to entering and navigating the industry.  

How did you start working at the CBC in Toronto? 

I began working at the CBC in November 2022 as a Sales and Marketing Specialist. I work with marketing agencies whose clients advertise on the CBC to ensure revenue is not lost, ensure contracts are maintained and deliverables are met. I found the job on the CBC website and went through a standard interview process. 

How has your experience been there so far? 

So far, the experience has been rewarding. As I am still fairly new to my position, I am still learning something new every day.  I’m proud to work for Canada’s public broadcaster and excited to continue my career in the broadcast industry.