Stepping Stones: Channel 4 broadcast engineer apprentice Sean Jones on his ambitions for a career in audio innovation

Channel 4 broadcast engineer apprentice Sean Jones has his heart set on a career in audio

Sean Jones has moved from a background in audio to working as a broadcast engineer apprentice at Channel 4, while continuing his studies at Ravensbourne University London. He has already achieved a lot in his burgeoning audio career, including being involved in the sound aspect of the IBC Accelerator project, Connect and Produce Anywhere.

His story is part of our series of Stepping Stones articles, which showcase young people moving up the ladder behind the camera in sports broadcasting.

What is your job role today and what do you love about it?

Since 2022 I’ve been working at Channel 4 as a broadcast engineer degree apprentice. I work full time while at the same time studying towards my degree.

I love how varied the job role can be. One minute I can be looking at automated subtitles and the next minute I’m looking at broadcast standards for audio. There are so many areas within broadcast engineering that someone can look at and find interest in!

Sean Jones is involved in the IBC Accelerator, Connect and Produce Anywhere , working with audio company, Lama to showcase how a full broadcast can be encapsulated entirely on software hosted on a private cluster [Jones back row, fifth from left]

I have a background in audio production. Channel 4 have been very good at adjusting my workload based on my passion. Currently, I am working on standards conversion for audio and what workflow will work best for Channel 4 to achieve this.

I am also involved in the Connect and Produce Anywhere Accelerator programme that will be displayed at IBC later this year. I am working with audio company, Lama to showcase how a full broadcast can be encapsulated entirely on software hosted on a private cluster.

Sean jones, Channel 4 broadcast engineer apprentice, will move into a career in audio when his degree is complete

Can you talk us through your relevant education that helped you break into the  broadcast engineering industry?

As said, I have an audio background. I began with a HND in Sound Production. I worked on several film projects (both production and post production). That experience became extremely vital when joining Channel 4 as I was able to understand complex concepts both in video and audio based on my previous experience with audio.

As this is a degree apprenticeship I am continuing to study as part of my work at Ravensbourne. And it’s very useful as I can take my knowledge from work and apply that to my studies and vice versa.

Where job would you like to be in in five or 10 years time? What are your career goals?

I’ve become extremely interested in Dolby Atmos. I’ve been spending a lot of time researching RF64, ADMs and codecs such as AC-4 and MPEG-H. In 10 years, I would love to be working in audio innovation or Atmos development.

The industry is going to move more gradually into adopting this technology. Take Eurovision this year as an example; the ability to use something like MPEG-H to send multiple language dubs as separate objects could go miles in terms of reducing bandwidth usage and increasing ease of accessibility.

Can you give us some top tips that really helped you get where you are today? 

Persistence. Even when you think you’ve not gotten the job sometimes not taking no for an answer can really make a difference. If you show and keep showing that you believe in the culture, the technology, or goals of where you want to go.

With a tiny bit of luck, you can really run miles.

What would you say are the barriers to getting a job in the broadcast industry?

It’s interesting because I think it isn’t an industry that many people think about unless they are already looking for it. I never really thought about it until I came across Channel 4’s apprenticeship. So just awareness that it exists is definitely one.

Like many engineering roles, there is still a disparity in terms of gender. It is still very male dominated which can definitely turn some people away. It’s sad that it’s still like this and there really should be more efforts made to make people aware that this job is for everyone.

What would you recommend to other people thinking of working in the broadcast industry?

Network, network, network. It still surprises me, but this industry is extremely small. It’s like a small town where everyone knows everyone. Networking events and engaging with people in your team are great ways to build a network since often, those same people will still be working with you in some way when they move on to other roles.

Another thing I like about this industry is the fact that there isn’t a huge sense of competitiveness. Most companies work towards a similar goal of supplying quality, accessible TV to the public. It’s created this industry culture of being able to connect, share and collaborate across the industry.