Open day opened a new career path for Liam

Family ties to the region and a passion for film and television led Londoner Liam Hamilton to choose Teesside University.

Liam, 32, graduated in 2008 with a BA (Hons) Television Production Professional Practice. He is now working as a senior projectionist for 20th Century Fox in London.

He chose to study at Teesside after attending an open day and being impressed when he spoke to lecturers about his passion to extend his knowledge of television. He said: 'That helped me make my mind up. I was a mature student and I’d been away from formal education for a long time, so when I started my first year I didn’t know what to expect.'

Before returning to study, Liam had been working for Odeon Cinemas in London but changes in his personal life led him to decide to move to the North-east, an area he visited many times as a child as he has close family living in the region.

Special place for me 'I’ve always loved visiting the North-east and have so many childhood memories. There’s so much history in the area. It will always be a special place for me.'

He said of his degree: 'I loved the practical side of the course. Creating documentaries from scratch had to be the most enjoyable part. Seeing them come together from the idea, to research, to filming and eventually watching them was a big kick. I was also lucky enough to be a part of the University radio station. I made some friends for life.'

His current role involves running 20th Century Fox’s two preview screening theatres, dealing with clients such as directors, producers, sound-technicians and editors.

Liam said: 'I have worked with some brilliant directors, producers, sound technicians and editors. Being here for the first UK screenings of Avatar was a big highlight.'

He added: 'I lived in Darlington while studying at Teesside and one of the reasons was the accessibility of the rail network, making it really easy to travel to and from London. Having a Teesside University campus in Darlington is great for the area.'

Our open days will be held in Middlesbrough on Wednesday 19 October and Saturday 29 October, both from 10.00am to 3.00pm.

During the open days visitors will have an opportunity to tour the campus, see the University’s student accommodation, listen to subject-specific presentations and meet current students and staff.

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Find out more about our open days