Student Candidate Spotlight: Creative Industries

Although the Spring Elections are vital for electing our Sabbatical Officers, it is also important because it gives us the opportunity to elect student volunteers to lead and enrich several areas of Union life. Here, we will be exploring some of the candidates of student leadership positions to give you an insight into who you want to vote for! This article will be focusing on students looking to be elected into the Creative Industries, which includes candidates for Media Head positions and PA Officer.

Wessex Scene Editor

Linnea Lagerstedt

‘Anyone who knows me will tell you how passionate I am about Wessex Scene. I’ve spent the past two years at Uni on committee and it has been an incredibly rewarding experience and now I want to carry that torch forward and give others the same opportunity I had. I believe I’d do a great job as editor since these past two years have given me experience editing and writing for a wide variety of sections for the magazine in both online and print. If you vote for me you’ll see an increased focus on international and social issues from Wessex Scene as this is something I’ve seen that the students of Southampton are passionate about.’

The Edge Editor

Morgan McMillan

‘My main goal as The Edge editor would be to increase the diversity and representation of race, sexuality and gender within the magazine. These areas are often neglected by mainstream media and my goal would be to enforce the importance of representation by encouraging writers to produce more critical articles examining these topics in entertainment. For example, the lack of female/POC director awards at the Oscars, or the lack of female/non-binary performers at music festivals. I will also aim to make The Edge a more welcoming environment for new writers by providing writers workshops throughout the year and increasing our on-campus presence to ensure there is less of a divide between committee and writers. I will also continue the legacy of The Edgetival, our one-day music festival, making this an annual tradition for The Edge to promote the importance of music and the arts. Through running and organising The Edgetival, I have gained the acquired skills to make The Edge even greater than it already is!’

Theo Smith

‘I love everything entertainment from Bong Joon-ho to Taylor Swift, and I want to inject my passion as Edge editor for next year. I want to continue to create this magazine more exciting and student-led as well as providing unique opportunities like Q&As and workshops. In addition to providing exclusive content along with emphasis on contemporary themes like climate change, I hope to create The Edge as a fun but also relevant magazine for all.’

Performing Arts Officer

Hugh Warden

‘[I will] provide help and support for all PA societies.’

Surge Radio Station Manager

Will Hough

‘Over the last few years of Surge, I have been identifying and uprooting a whole host of deep set issues with both the technical aspects, and the overall ethos of the station. My time in 19/20 has been successful in solving most of the technical problems, now, in 20/21, I am in a great place to continue shifting us into a more member focused society by teaming up with SUSUtv for more complete training opportunities, and by streamlining the committee to remove unnecessary bloat and confusion. Ending with a station that is set to move into the future.’

SUSUTV Station Manager

Louise Chase

‘Having been part of all four media societies (and on the committee for two of them) I have a great understanding of what elements of the station work well and what could be improved upon. I’m an energetic individual with a clear passion for reporting both at a local and (inter)national level, from sports to social equality. My nerdy side comes out strong in my manifesto, but so does my desire to see a wider range of representation in both stories presented, and the individuals presenting. ‘

Tom Usher

‘As Station Manager, I would love to be able to lead the station and give students the same amazing experience I had. I want to provide students with the knowledge of how to set up a standard film set for their content creation. This will allow our members to have the understanding to let their creativity run free and produce any variety of content they wish to make. I want to continue the friendly face and accessible attitude that our last committee created and maintain the drop-in sessions available to our members. These workshops allow our members to develop their ideas and develop their pitching skills to take into their future careers.’

Voting opens at Wednesday 4th March, 9am and closes Friday 6th March, 4pm. You can vote at on-campus polling stations or online at the SUSU website.

The results will be announced the evening of Friday 6th March during Elections Night Live at The Bridge. If you aren’t there in person, be sure to follow Wessex Scene’s live coverage!

To see all the candidates and their manifestos, click here.

Editor’s Note: We endeavoured to contact all student leadership candidates to ensure fairness and equal representation. For those candidates who failed to respond, we quoted a small portion of their manifesto.