SVG Europe Women – A City United: BBC Sport’s Debbie Dubois to speak in Salford
BBC Sport’s Debbie DuBois
Debbie Dubois, BBC Sport controller of production, will take part in a fireside chat at SVG Europe Women – A City United, taking place on the afternoon of Wednesday 19 March at the Hot House in MediaCity, Salford. She will be talking about her career to date, the Manchester work environment and sports broadcasting in the north west of England.
Produced in association with Dock10, the free-to-attend gathering for sports broadcasting professionals will focus on sharing strategies for establishing and maintaining a career in live sports production in the compact and competitive media hub of the North West of England. It will also focus on the challenges of getting into the industry, providing practical advice for young emerging talent from Manchester and the surrounding area embarking on their journeys in sports broadcasting.
The afternoon’s first panel is ‘Staying Onside: How to secure regular freelance work in Manchester’. Working in sports broadcasting in this part of the country involves collating what is commonly known as the ‘Manchester CV’, where freelancers have to work across multiple genres to pay their bills. Here, we talk to women who work in live football production about how they gained the experience necessary to stay in regular employment, and why that is now helping them to build a successful career in broadcasting. Speakers include Deepali Mistry, freelance sound engineer; Heather Winn, freelance sound supervisor and grams operator; and Katrin Blake, freelance vision engineer and vision supervisor.
Attendees can then hear speakers discussing ‘The Big Kick Off: Creating portfolio careers for new entrants’ as panellists discuss the younger generation. The portfolio career is something that experienced freelancers can navigate because employers know they have the required skills. However, for young people who want to join the sports broadcasting community in the North West, gaining that experience can be very challenging, especially without financial support from other means. In this panel guests discuss the pressures facing young people in the region who want to join the sports broadcast industry, offering advice and help along the way. Lucy Moss, BBC Sport operations executive, sound and comms lead; Ewan Vinnicombe-Wallis, freelance consultant; Victoria Goodwin, Sharp Futures People On Demand lead; and Ashley Kenworthy, freelance runner and camera assistant, will be sharing their insights.
The half-day event will also include Dock10 studio tours along with lunch and ample opportunity for networking.
All genders are welcome.
To find out more, and to register go to: A City United.
A City United, produced in association with Dock10, dovetails with SVG Europe’s The Football Summit which is taking place on 20 March 2025 at the Etihad Stadium. Please note, that you will need to register separately for these events. Registration for one will not allow you access to the other.