BA Digital Media and Communications Summer Showcase
Our flagship celebration of the first ever final year students from the BA Digital Media and Communications program at the University of Birmingham!
The showcase was held on Tuesday 19 May 2026 and brought together students and key industry partners for a day of conversation, creativity, and insight as students presented the work that they had produced during their time with us.
Employers, including Channel 4, Sky Media and the BBC and many alumni of the University, had been invited to meet and network with our emerging talent in an exhibition style environment. Across the day a range of interactive activities were on offer, designed to spark meaningful dialogue and lasting connections
I was genuinely blown away by the talent, creativity and energy from the final-year students as they showcased their ... projects to us. From podcasts and coded ... games to insight-led research on key topics shaping our industry today, including social media behaviour, AI and trust in advertising. The quality on display was seriously impressive.
The event was co-produced by the Programme Lead, Dr Abi Rhodes, and six final year students Alice James and Zaki Rashid (Event Management), Ash Sutton and Mia Porter (Marketing and Advertising), and Sarah Eid and Xinyue Li (Communications and Publicity). The ideas and support that the organisers lent to the event was invaluable and helped to create a student-focused and vibrant event.
Student work on display included dissertation posters, podcast episodes, a journalism portfolio, Facebook homepage redesign poster, a documentary, interactive Twine and Tumblr games, a digital magazine, and social media content. Overall, the quality of the work was recognised as ‘inspiring’ and ‘high quality’ with one employer stating:
“I know all the industry partners were really impressed ... the quality of the student presentations was incredibly high.”
John Sewell, Founder and CEO of Cosimo.
The event was opened with each employer introducing themselves. We heard from Roger Menasse, Channel 4 Sales Lead, Rufina Lawani, Director of Regional Sales and Laura Peterson, Commercial Lead both at Sky Media Manchester, from Medialab Group Kianna Briggs, Head of Talent Acquisition and Inclusion and Marcus Orme, CEO & Founder, Frankie Smith, Social Media & Operations Coordinator at Big Wave Creations, John Sewell, CEO and Founder of Cosimo, Indi Deol, Director of DESIblitz, Alex Homer, Senior Data Journalist, BBC Shared Data Unit (SDU), Harpal Khambay, TV Freelancer, Radio Presenter and Blogger and the B-Enterprising Team from the University of Birmingham. Each outlining who they were and what skills are needed in their sector or organisation.
This was followed by a speed mentoring carousel where employers moved around to speak to each student for a few minutes, all involved remarked that:
“The speed 3-minute meet and greets at the start … I think … was really great to encourage the students to pitch themselves to stranger. Great life skills.”
Harpal Khambay, Freelancer
“I enjoyed the employer carousels, as I got to learn about how to market and present myself and my work.”
BA DMC Finalist
The Fireside Chats slowed the pace, giving all participants the chance to hear from two employers and ask them questions. Alice James interviewed Kianna Briggs and Marcus Orme from Medialab Group and Ash Sutton interviewed Roger Menasse from Channel 4. This part of the day was well received, with Alice reflecting:
“I love the fireside chats because the questions were so relevant to us as graduates. I also just loved getting a chance to talk to employers in such a low-pressure environment.”
Alice James, BA DMC Finalist
There was then a quieter opportunity for students and employers to talk with each other during informal Ask Me Anything Corners and the afternoon session was an Open House event for people from across the University to drop in.
Overall, the event had a huge impact on all in attendance, leaving one employer to say:
... we came away absolutely buzzing. To see firsthand the extraordinary work that [the students have] produced and spend time with such a talented and passionate group of graduating students, was a real honour. It’s talent that I hope will be tempted to join our brilliant industry, as they absolutely have the potential to be our future leaders.
The student view
Join Tori as she explores our Digital Media and Communications Summer Showcase, a fantastic opportunity for our students to share their projects and connect with industry partners including Sky, Channel 4, Media Lab, and more ✨
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