Like so many young boys and girls, Ross Grant aspired to be a professional footballer or Formula One driver growing up – but when that dream quickly faded, he was determined to remain in the industry one way or other.
Commenting on why he chose to study at UCFB, he said: ‘I turned to the media side, and I saw that UCFB had a specific course designated to sports broadcasting and not just generic media. Of course the skills are transferable, but to have a direct link to somewhere that I wanted to work made the decision very, very easy.”
And it wasn’t just the course that had a direct link to the world of sports – while in his third year at UCFB, a staff member from Formula One, and contact of Ross’ Course Leader Mick Kelly, gave a guest speaker session at Wembley, and Mick later advised him to apply for the role of Production Assistant at the motor-racing company.
It came down to two applicants from the same BA (Hons) Sports Business & Broadcasting course at UCFB Wembley, who had analysed the production plans of sports companies within one of their modules, and spent vast amounts of time filming various sports across various levels. Ross was, nevertheless, a little shocked to have stood out amongst the crowd.
Speaking about the role, he said: “I’m a massive Formula One fan, so for me it’s magic. Formula One is predominantly a better sport to watch on TV, because of the nature of the sport. It can be three, six, seven kilometres long, so you only see one part of the track, so to watch on TV is really cool. But being at the track is a totally different experience; you don’t get that from the TV, the noise is unbelievable.”
Citing the experience he gained during his time at UCFB, including filming for QPR’s under-23 side, as crucial, Ross finished: “University is great, it gives you the foundation, but there’s nothing like real world experience as well.”
