Built for Industry: Harry Matthewson

We caught up with Harry to hear about his career journey since graduating, the impact of his Ravensbourne experience, and his advice for students hoping to enter the creative industries.

What have you been doing since graduating from Ravensbourne University London, and how has your career progressed so far?

Having studied BA (Hons) Digital Film Production at Ravensbourne, I work in the creative industry for The Walt Disney Company's Media Networks department. This means I work across many audio-visual disciplines to promote and maintain brand awareness of the Intellectual Properties (IPs) we work with. 

My current day-to-day sees me managing a range of TV channels that operate in the Middle East, cutting trailers for a range of content from reality shows to modern movies, developing the brand identity and integrating modern tech into our workflow. In my time, I've been lucky enough to work with big brands from National Geographic to Marvel, on the marketing of big films such as Lilo and Stich (2025) to working on long-form content with National Geographic explorers. 

The journey to get here was filled with tangents: I spent some time at a post-house in Soho, freelanced for a production company and also worked at a short-form ad agency. It made me realise that progression is not a linear path, and I truly believe that both luck and skill carry you forward – your goal is to minimise the role luck has to play. I had a year’s placement in an ad-agency and once that was over, I struggled for my next role until a contact I met at that ad agency put me forward for something. That's where luck opened the door, while skill has kept me inside. 

I'm now lucky enough to be in an industry that I enjoy, where I can see projects through conception to delivery. As someone passionate about creative and storytelling, this is very important to me.  

Were there any industry projects, live briefs, placements, or collaborations during your studies that helped shape your career path?

The opportunities that Ravensbourne offered were invaluable to my development. I co-managed the Sundance London Short-Film festival in my third year, which not only let me see a lot of incredibly creative work but taught me a lot about the industry behind the scenes. 

In my third year, professionals from Warner Bros came in to discuss an upcoming internship opportunity and, though I was unsuccessful, opting in to hear feedback was a great chance to get a real-world viewpoint on my work. 

I had a placement in the summer of my second year at an agency called ‘Content is King’,  which gave me a great insight into working with clients and the many different disciplines you can utilise across the industry. 

On top of that, I used my time to enter 48- hour film festivals that were hosted not only at Rave (I hope it is still going) but elsewhere too. Making a short film in 48 hours is extremely character-building and teaches you a lot about working to a deadline. 

Ultimately, all of this coalesced in giving me skills that allow me to navigate not just the workplace I am currently at but many other industries as well due to the transferable skills I acquired. 

How did the connections you made at Ravensbourne with tutors, peers, or industry partners influence your professional journey?

After leaving Ravensbourne, the connections I made during my time there became invaluable. I worked for a brief time with a peer under his production company on event coverage and interviews, which helped me get my foot in the door and establish connections beyond this. We are still in touch to this day.  

Similarly, during my time at a post-house in Soho there were multiple of my peers also working there and it gave us an extra confidence boost to fully explore the opportunities afforded to us. 

Beyond my peers, the feedback I received from industry professionals while at Ravensbourne helped shape me and my work, and having the opportunity to go on set with our tutor was one of my first real- world experience of the industry. 

What skills or experiences from your time at Ravensbourne do you use most in your current role? 

In my day-to-day role, I use a range of skills that I gained from Ravensbourne. The technical skills such as how to navigate certain bits of software are, certainly useful, but I have found that the ability to engage with and nurture creativity has enabled  me to progress further. 

Software changes are not a constant,  but the ability to pitch, develop ideas and innovate both technologically and creatively are the skills that I carry on from Ravensbourne in my heart of hearts.  

I may stop using Premiere Pro one day, but I will always need to know how to connect to the people that engage with my story, whether in pre-production, production or postproduction. 

How does your career development connect to Ravensbourne's current focus on creativity, technology and business?

Creativity is at the heart of what I do and I have always tried to hold that true, even as I produce what could, in some instances, be seen solely as “marketing assets”.Storytelling was key to my experience at Ravensbourne and I have learnt that ultimately, storytelling should be present in all forms of media if you want people to buy into what you're making. 

What advice would you give current Ravensbourne students hoping to start out in industry? What are you most proud of in your career so far?

My advice for students would be to take opportunities that come their way. Whether it’s attending a networking event or using time during their studies to get industry experience, it's all about making sure that when a future cool opportunity arises, they are the person people think of when deciding who to reach out to. 

What are you most proud of in your career so far?

I have received awards from multiple bodies within my industry such as GEMA, Clios and Shark Kinsale. My favourite achievement is winning a silver award for copywriting at the Clios Entertainment awards. While it may not be the most impressive accolade I've received, it holds a special place for me as it saw my humble clip-cut trailer for a string of Nicolas Cage films beat a much more  expensive shoot featuring John Mulaney promoting his talk show.  

This shows that creative success doesn't stem from having the biggest budget. 

– End of interview – 

To find out more about our BA (Hons) Digital Film Production Course, click here.