Niki Strange

Where You Live: Brighton
Company: CogApp
Job Title: Marketing And Communications Consultant

Describe your job/role?
I'm involved in the promotion of the Company - as with most people who work for an small to medium-sized business my role is multi-faceted. It involves anything promotions related, from working within a team to win new business through to research, to publicising contract and award wins, project launches and even planning events such as the 21st birthday party we held at the Institute of Contemporary Art, London in February 06.

What is the best thing about your job?
Its variety - there's always something new to get stuck in to- and that keeps things interesting.

What attracted you to it?
The company - I knew of Cognitive Applications from my days as a Project Manager at Wired Sussex. They've been pioneering in the interactive space since the mid 80s and they continue to do so, with projects such as Icons (www.icons.org.uk) the not-for-profit organisation they are incubating. There's also an integrity to the company that I value.

What schools did you go to and what subjects did you take?
Chislehurst and sidcup Grammar School - a non fee-paying selective school, that was mixed, thankfully! I favoured arts subjects - my A levels were in History, English Literature and Art.

What was your favourite subject and why?
English Literature - I've been a voracious reader since I was a nipper. Also we had a really inspirational teacher who allowed us our flights of fancy, whilst at the same time helping us sharpen our thinking and deepen our understanding. And he was a bit of a hippy so he let us have our classes outside on sunny days, unlike most teachers who made us sit and melt in our rather unbecoming purple blazers.

Did you go to University / College and if so what did you study?
I went to University of Northumbria at Newcastle where I was awarded a First Class BA(Hons) in History of Modern Art, Design and Film and then, having stood as many North-Eastern winters as a soft southerner could take, headed to the Midlands where i got an MA in Film and Television studies from University of Warwick.

What was your first job?
As a telephone receptionist for a car showroom. I was thirteen and you can imagine what a switchboard looked like in the early 80s. I was like the operator in the cartoon Hong Kong Fuey!!! My first proper job was as a Production Co-ordinator for an independent TV production company specialising in factual programming- I got a work placement based on a speculative CV and then got taken on and thrown in at the deep end working on a South Bank Show about the Dutch artist, Jan Vermeer. The History of Art aspect of my degree and my Art A level had helped my CV stand out from the pile.

What does your career path look like?
There have always been two intertwined aspects - academic study of art and media on the one hand, and media production and consultancy on the other. The move out of studying tv into producing it seemed like the logical way to understand and write about it in a more informed way. The step from tv into digital media was also natural as many skills, such as project management, marketing, communications, were - and are - transferable. But at the same time, I was interested in the possibilities offered by digital media for new ways to communicate with viewers/users, and create, deliver, share, and repurpose content. Working at Cogapp and studying for my DPhil at Sussex is the perfect balance for me.

Which women have inspired and influenced your career?
Charlotte Brunsdon, my supervisor at University of Warwick, is a huge academic influence. In terms of TV production, it would have to be Yelena Zagrevskaya, the Associate Producer with whom i worked for 18 months on a series about Russian culture. She had been a journalist in the Soviet era - her tenacity, access and contacts book were second to none. And she made a mean borscht.

What would you say is your strongest attribute/s?
Versatility and energy - I'll give anything a go, and normally manage to pull it off somehow!

What do you think is the most exciting/interesting thing about working in the digital media industry?
It's shape-shifting on practically a daily basis - something that is also driving me mad as I'm currently trying to complete my doctoral thesis in digital media studies, and keep having to rework my ideas! But we're in the midst of a hugely experimental and fertile time where companies that are global players now were mere concepts a couple of years back.

What advice would you give to people who consider entering the digital media industry?
There's never been an better time to be able to produce and share your own creative work - and connect in with others to showcase your talents. As ever with the media, it's highly competitive and you need to be prepared to dedicate yourself, and be resourceful. Research the companies working in the space that interests you, follow their fortunes, make contact and use your initiative.