It's never too late to go to university

How Coventry University Alumni Dale Driver became video producer at IGN

For most UK students, the act of going to university happens not long after they receive their A-Level results or pass their college courses. For Dale Driver it happened a little bit later in life. Now working for IGN, one of the world’s leading websites for film, video game and television news. A Coventry lad through and through, when he did choose to go to university, there was only one real option.

“I knew a few people that had already studied at Coventry and had good things to say about their experiences. Being local certainly helped with the choice though. I knew the university was developing its facilities and it was within walking distance, so it was a no-brainer at the end of the day.”

With a love for film and editing in general, Dale wanted a university degree to solidify his future career prospects.

“A few friends and I, we set up a video production company, and we were getting some decent work, but I wanted to improve my skills and really make this a career for myself. I wanted a degree to get a foot through the door for future jobs.”

With a wealth of experience already under his belt, having worked in full time jobs straight out from school, and putting in the hard work day-in, day-out, he wanted to take every opportunity he could grasp while studying.

“When you’re 18, I believe most students go to university for a certain experience, and I was there for something a bit different. I was a bit of a swot while at university. I was the one who would hand essays in earlier than you needed to.”

“I took it very seriously from the start. I went with the idea that there was no other chance of getting a new career, but it wasn’t all like that. I still hung around with people on my course. I even met my wife while I was studying at Coventry, but I could have loosened up a little bit more.”

Dale graduated with a first-class degree in Media Production, getting stuck into every opportunity that came his way.

“I worked in the media equipment loan shop, and I even helped in the photography degree as almost a consultant. They had a module about creating their own website and portfolio of work, and someone knew I could operate WordPress and I knew about website design. So, they brought me in as someone to go around advising and assisting students.”

He can’t help but stress the benefits of getting those real-world experiences. Dale was lucky in a way that he already had connections he could lean on to get work.

“While I was studying my degree, I was still part of the company me and my friends had set up, so I didn’t really need to seek out real-world experiences.”

Dale did receive good insight from the experiences he took on, and this helped guide him to where he is today.

“Doing jobs related to my degree helped to give me a good idea of what the real world was like. For example, I helped with an in-house production company and through that I learned how to work with third parties, negotiating with clients and trying to deliver expectations.”

For any experience you want to take on, Coventry University’s Media Loan Shop is there to provide you with the equipment you need to practice, learn and get the best results.

“The media loan shop was invaluable while I was at university. The ability to loan equipment you need for a project allowed me to constantly be creative and come up with new ways of doing things. Teaching you the theory of film is one thing, but there’s nothing quite like practicing and doing it yourself.”

He may be slightly bias, but Dale had a fantastic time at Coventry University, and is constantly impressed with how the university is growing and how we’re creating new and exciting areas for our students to study and live.

“I look at the university whenever I go back and I see how much it’s spread, creating areas for students. The city centre is a great hub for students, to both live and enjoy themselves. The Hub is a fantastic area for students to go over and study in, or just hang out. Everything is so close together, like student accommodation, and you have new buildings popping up all the time, it’s a perfect student campus.”

Dale has worked at IGN for over 8 years now in various roles, but all sit within video production. It wasn’t as simple as applying for this job though, he isn’t a stranger to disappointment.

“It took me a couple of attempts to get my job. First time I was unsuccessful. I was just behind the two guys that got the jobs I applied for, which was heart-breaking, and crushed. After a few days, I told myself that I could do it, because I got so close, and when another job came up a year later, my boss, Alex remembered me and told me not to worry about the first interview and just come in for the second one. It wasn’t long after that I started working for IGN.”

But, now that he’s managed to secure himself as one of the main characters in the IGN UK office, appearing regularly on the podcast and creating some incredible video productions.

“Sometimes I don’t really appreciate how big the viewer numbers are for videos here compared to what I’ve produced before. It pushes you to become better and better. I look back at the videos I made for IGN when I started, and I think they’re terrible in comparison to what I’m producing now. I’ve been lucky enough to work on passion projects, as well as retrospectives, such as the History of Far Cry’s villains and the turbulent story of Skull and Bones, which I did with fellow Coventry University alumni Matt Purslow, which we’re both very proud of.”

“I’ve also been out and about finding my own stories as well. One I’m particularly proud of is my documentary of the players still thriving in Fallout 76. The stories they had and the people I met were incredible and I’m so happy with how it turned out.