Salford Media Club
Salford Media Club sees young people from Salford, Greater Manchester and Trafford, join us for 6 weeks to learn about podcasting. Working on our very own podcast, After the Flame, the group are taught step-by-step how to research and plan a podcast episode, devise their own interview questions for our guest, interview them live in a podcast recording studio kitted out with all equipment, and edit the episode and social media content using Premier Pro.
Key highlights
- 5 Salford Media Clubs have been delivered and completed (and counting!)
- 60 hours of industry-led training
- 27 young people engaged
- 7 industry and sporting guest speakers interviewed
- Developed confidence, built a variety of skills, and understand the process of making a podcast
The Challenge
For many young people accessing the media industry can feel intimidating and often impossible.
Our mission at The Reporters’ Academy is to be the “bridge” for young people into MediaCity, to open doors, reveal behind-the-scenes of the UKs greatest TV facilities and provide a safe space to learn.
Our aim is to provide a consistent training programme, in the heart of MediaCity, that young people from Salford and Greater Manchester can attend. The programme helps local young people build confidence, gain and develop a variety of skills as well as widening their networks and contacts. Something they could commit to outside of school, college and home, and walk away with a tangible outcome they could add to their CVs, portfolios and applications.
With our sporting legacy, having successfully taken young people to some of the prestigious sporting events such as The Olympics, Commonwealth Games and World Aquatic Championships, we wanted to create a podcast to showcase thoughtful conversations with sporting professionals. This podcast is for young people, made by young people. During their time on the programme, young people plan, produce, interview, record and edit podcast episodes ultimately uploading them onto Spotify.
Our Approach
Over the 6 week programme, our 2-hour, evening sessions are broken down into the following:
- Session one: Introduction, podcast media brief and research
- Session two: Research, planning and preparing interview questions
- Session three: Podcast interview
- Session four: Begin editing our podcast
- Session five: Editing continued and social media content created
- Session six: Celebration and live listening session
Based in the TV Studios and Podcasting Studio in MediaCity, the programme provides hands-on, practical learning which follows the process of putting a podcast episode together from start to finish. The group cover the research, planning and preparation as well as interview our VIP guests and edit the final podcast together and upload onto Spotify.
Over the last two years this programme has been funded by the likes of Salford Housing Trusts, National Lottery, Forever Manchester, Bright Futures, our corporate clients and is where we reinvest our funding from commissioned productions to allow young people an entry point to the industry. Shout out to all our friends at Mediacity who support our work wholeheartedly.
Just the Beginning
Salford Media Club is a free entry point for young people to meet and work with us. After completing the 6 weeks and when participants are ready they will be invited to work with us on real life media productions. Another opportunity for young people to put their new skills into practise and gain new skills on a professional media production gig. This is again the beauty of The Reporters’ Academy, young people are given the opportunity to access professional environments and supported to do their best.
Testimonials
Here’s what our Salford Media Club alumni had to say about their experience:
“One thing I have loved about my journey with Salford Media Club is that you never ever hear from the staff things like “that’s too technical” or “too difficult” to do, it’s always a “yes you can absolutely do it” and “yes let’s try!” – it’s this kind of attitude and support which has really gone such a long way with me and my confidence.”
“I went from never having interviewed anyone or making a podcast to now fully understanding how the process behind podcasting works from start to finish, which is awesome.”
“Before The Reporters Academy, I didn’t want to hang out with people, interact with them and I preferred just keeping to myself. Before The Reporters’ Academy, I did media work but only for study, I had never worked in a professional environment before. The people that run and guide the academy are all very nice people, all of them extremely knowledgeable about what they do and they all believe in what The Reporters Academy is doing”.
“I’ve been on one TRA gig and it allowed me to build my confidence, practice my interviewing skills and improve my professional conduct when it comes to my future career goals. To summarise, The Reporters’ Academy is an essential organisation, they have helped so many people, they offer experiences that nowhere else does. The staff are the most supportive and helpful people around. They have helped me with my confidence and they NEED to have the opportunity to do more and help more young people like me.”
Looking ahead
At the time of this blog being published, the next cohort for Salford Media Club will begin in October 2026.
Signup form here: https://form.typeform.com/to/SwNSXhch
Interested in working with us?
If you’re interested in joining Salford Media Club or want to find out more, please email our Director of Youth, Hope, Hope@TheReportersAcademy.com
If you are interested in funding Salford Media Club programmes or know of any sponsorship opportunities, please email info@TheReportersAcademy.com