You've got to be calm amid chaos, says studio director

As a studio director at the news studios of MediaCorp, Miss Nadia Natasha Azmi, 23, loves the adrenaline that comes with a breaking news story.

Her job entails ensuring breaking news events such as the Sydney cafe siege last month hit the airwaves smoothly.

Journalism was not always her passion. When she enrolled in the Communications and Media Management course at Temasek Polytechnic (TP), she dreamt of making movies as a career.

After graduating in 2011, she was offered a job as an assistant producer at MediaCorp, responsible for providing graphics for breaking news broadcasts.

Keeping an open mind regarding her future career path, she accepted the job offer.

Promoted

She thrived in the role, and was promoted to studio director eight months later. Now, she can't get enough of the news industry.

"My job requires being calm amid the chaos. I really enjoy it."

Miss Nadia will be sharing her experiences at the Beyond O Level Seminar at TP on Jan 10.

She credits her success so far to her polytechnic background, where she was exposed to a trades from marketing to television and radio production.

She said: "I was equipped with the skills and could adapt quickly when I was in the workforce."

Now hoping to be a TV journalist, Miss Nadia is pursuing a part-time degree in communications studies at the PSB Academy, in partnership with the University of Western Australia.

Her work experience and polytechnic training has helped her immensely, she said.

"My background has come in especially handy during my assignments. For instance, I was able to present, shoot and edit a news clip.

"I am furthering my studies to learn something new and refresh my knowledge. It will also help me to move up the career ladder."

She hopes to land a spot at Qatar-based news network Al-Jazeera one day, and report on international relations and current affairs. While Miss Nadia is glad she entered the workforce right after graduating from polytechnic, she does not think there are any specific routes to success.

"There are so many ways you can achieve something, as long as you work hard at it.

"Do your research, and know what your strengths are," she said.

linheng@sph.com.sg

BEYOND 'O' LEVEL SEMINAR

WHEN: Saturday, Jan 10, 10am

WHERE: Temasek Convention Centre, Temasek Polytechnic

COST: Free

HOW TO REGISTER: Online via TP website (www.tp.edu.sg/beyondolevel)

For enquiries, contact: 6780-6027/6556 or outreach@tp.edu.sg

This article was first published on January 3, 2015.
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