Michael has been a film fanatic since he was a child. He went on to turn his passion for film into a career by building up his skills and experience on the BSc Film degree (now BSc Film and Media) at QMU.
It was here that he met Scottish-BAFTA award-winning student Agata Jagodzinska, and the duo went on to set up Raw Film Productions, a Scottish video production company, while studying in their final year.
Since graduating in 2011, Michael and Agata’s work has included campaigning videos for the ‘500 Miles’ charity in Malawi, shooting spectacular golf courses in Canada, showcasing Scotland’s finest hotels and restaurants, gaining experience of the international film festival circuit, and working with universities and local councils. With over a decade of experience, Raw Film now mainly specialises in documentary style films for websites and events.
Michael had a fantastic experience during his degree course at QMU and got involved in a vast amount of different film and marketing projects. He was supported by his academic team and QMU’s Business Innovation Zone (BIZ) to set up Raw Film and provided with countless opportunities to network with partner organisations at specialist entrepreneurial events.
Michael quickly developed an exciting portfolio of work which led to an increasing amount of filming contracts locally, across the UK and abroad. As an aspiring entrepreneur with highly desirable filmmaking skills, Michael worked for the University’s Department of Film and Media while building his business part-time. This gave him security and a regular income while building a strong business foundation for Raw Film.
During his time working at QMU, he was involved in researching and developing new filming techniques, supporting commercial filming projects and supporting student development. He received excellent business start-up support from the on-campus Business Gateway, and from QMU’s Business Innovation Zone, and from QMU’s Innovation Manager who supports residents of the University’s Business Innovation Zone. Eventually, demand for Michael’s filmmaking skills sky-rocketed and Michael made the leap to full-time work with Raw Film.
Michael continues to work on a contract basis for QMU, developing corporate films and promotional course videos. More recently, Raw Film has also produced high-quality documentary style films and marketing promotions for luxury hospitality venues such as Prestonfield House Hotel and The Witchery in Edinburgh, as well as working on environmentally focused campaigns for Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government.
Michael and Agata remain tenants of QMU’s Business Innovation Zone, which means they can use QMU as a free venue for business meetings; access to equipment; utilise staff knowledge and business networking opportunities; and can gain support with accessing and winning awards and funding opportunities.
Discussing what was most important to Michael during his time at QMU, he said:
“As QMU is a small university it’s easy to get to know the lecturers and university staff. Friendly faces become familiar to you very early on and you really feel that you are known in the University and not just one of many that attend courses there.
“I always felt encouraged and supported not only in my course work but also in developing skills and projects beyond what was expected in the course itself. The skills we learnt made us ready for a very quick changing industry where research and personal development is vital.
“The advice and support offered, even after the course had finished, was invaluable. It was one of my lecturers that first encouraged me to start a media production company, and university staff offered invaluable support to make this happen. We were invited to become the first company in the BIZ – this gave our company a solid base as we tried to establish ourselves. We utilised the expertise in the BIZ a lot, especially in the early days of our company, and we were always met with enthusiasm and provided with great advice and support from the staff there. I believe that it is from this friendship, guidance and support that our company has been able to develop from a start-up to the business it is today.”
"I always felt encouraged and supported not only in my course work but also in developing skills and projects beyond what was expected in the course itself. The skills we learnt made us ready for a very quick changing industry where research and personal development is vital. "
[Story Published 2022]
