Business owner shines spotlight on film students after successful seasonal campaigns

A North Wales-based business owner is full of praise for university students, with their videos helping her record sell-out results.

The undergraduates from Bangor University were matched with the author of A Dog Lover’s Dream, who was working with Clogau Gold on a joint campaign to promote jewellery for pet owners during seasonal occasions.

Natalie Pritchard, the author of a series of books and poems, initially partnered with Clogau for a Valentine’s Day special edition of jewellery, which featured a charm bracelet, a dog tag and one of her books, A Dog Lover’s Dream.

And the campaigns have played a key role in Natalie achieving her best year to date since she launched the company three years ago.

To help with the inaugural Valentine’s Day promotion, she was put in touch with Alix Charnley in the university’s employability team and partnered with suitable students to create a video.

The project led to the initial stock of 200 selling out on the first weekend, with a further 250 products subsequently snapped up. The joint venture was so popular that Bangor University, A Dog Lover’s Dream and Clogau worked together on future videos.

Natalie, of A Dog Lover’s Dream, said: “The promotional videos produced by the students were superb! The support from Bangor University was invaluable and I highly recommend this resource to other business owners.

“The students were very professional and had fantastic ideas. They were really creative and organised and I was impressed with their business acumen, too.

“Following on from the sought-after Valentine’s collection, we more than doubled the number of stock available in the Christmas campaign to 1,000 – and that sold out almost instantly.”

As part of the collaborations, £6,000 was donated to the Dog’s Trust. Future campaigns with the trio are also in the pipeline.

Hannah Grimston, a Creative Studies graduate who worked on visuals, said: “The whole project was so much fun. Once I’ve completed my Masters, I know I’ll be able to use it as a port of call for experience. Having material ready in my portfolio will get me off to a head start in applying for content creator roles.”

Byron Dean, who graduated with a degree in Media Studies with Theatre & Performance, said: “I found the experience extremely useful and gained practical skills that I otherwise wouldn’t have. Working with the client was very hands-on and I enjoyed using the filming equipment. It’s definitely helped me on my journey to becoming a freelance videographer.”

Bangor University can work with businesses of all sizes and in a range of sectors due to its broad offering of courses. The partnership provides real-life experience for students and can boost organisations’ success.

Alix Charnley, graduate recruitment & work experience manager at Bangor University, said: “The success of these projects are as a result of employers being given a very tailored experience to meet their business needs.

“Identifying the right students with the desire to learn new skills or develop the right mindset in that particular sector is crucial.

“It benefits the collaboration, allows for innovation and delivers valuable experience for all involved.

“The university is prioritising work experience for all students to support them to prepare for graduate level work, develop business awareness and add value to their overall student experience here at Bangor.”

To view A Love Note, one of the videos created by A Dog Lover’s Dream and Bangor University, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ7rVA0sI0k