Second year English Literature student Emily Stevenson is bringing both industry and international acclaim to Keele through her involvement in two student-led initiatives, Industry Voices and Earth Stories film festival.

University-based environmental film festival, Earth Stories, which was originally funded by Keele Key Fund, provides a platform for students and young filmmakers from around the world aged between 14-25 years of age to showcase their talent. In its first year, more than 2,500 inspirational stories from around the globe were submitted. Films addressing the climate crisis, nature’s degradation, and highlighting pathways for a sustainable future through reconnecting human and nature interactions were shared at the festival screening.

Emily says, “Earth Stories is exactly the kind of initiative that’s needed to encourage and inspire young people to take action on environmentalism. Being a part of the festival has been incredibly special. I’ve had the pleasure of working with many incredibly talented individuals and have been so fortunate to see immense creative talent from filmmakers, both in the UK and internationally. It’s opened my eyes to the possibilities of campaigning for change - there are people willing and ready to take action on the issues that matter.”

Following the success of last year’s inaugural festival, which saw Emily win ‘Entrepreneurial Student of the Year’ at the Breaking the Mould awards, alongside Aaliyah Gibbings-Gardener and Charlie Beale, she has now been promoted to Assistant Director for the 2024 event.

Emily says, “We were so delighted to win the Breaking the Mould award. Given the festival is still in its infancy, we weren’t expecting to be recognised in such a wonderful way. It’s inspired us even more to continue growing the festival, on both a local and global scale. We’re hoping to visit some schools nearby soon to hopefully encourage budding filmmakers to participate, which is something I’m particularly excited about. I think the festival could be transformative for creative arts in Staffordshire and I’m looking forward to directing the 2025 festival.”

The team also won the Environmental Sustainability Award at last year’s Keele Excellence Awards and were recently shortlisted for the Totally Stoked Awards, a celebration of the local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.

In addition to her studies and work on Earth Stories, Emily is also heavily involved in the student-led project, Industry Voices. Discussing how she manages to be so heavily involved in campus activities as well as her degree, Emily says, “Juggling my studies alongside various other projects is something I’ve become accustomed to. I’ve had to learn to be very meticulous with my time management to ensure that I’m giving appropriate amounts of attention to everything.”

In Industry Voices, media professionals share their expertise in the field through on-campus workshops as ‘an important aspect of students’ learning and development’. Having worked with the School of Humanities Media and Communications team through Earth Stories, Emily was approached by members of the department aware of her interests in screenwriting and television and asked if she would be interested in developing the programme – an opportunity she jumped at.

From finding the right guests and organising the sessions, to raising awareness of the programme with students and staff, Emily is passionate about finding a variety of professionals to cover the broad spectrum of the media industry. But who would be her dream booking? She admits she would love television presenter and journalist, Stacey Dooley, to come to Keele as she finds her approach to journalism ‘fascinating’.

Emily says, “We potentially have some exciting individuals lined up over the next year, and there are more women in the line-up, which is important. I'd also like to hear from industry professionals who haven't had a smooth entrance into their jobs. I think that we tend to glamourise success and in the process erase the shortcomings of some careers. Undergraduates and graduates alike need to be aware that everyone can struggle in industries like writing and media. 

In early March, Frazer Flintham, the writer and director behind Astley’s Astounding Adventures will be joining Industry Voices for a workshop on playwriting and directing. Emily says, “Frazer is from Staffordshire himself, so to have someone local to Keele who has added to creative arts in the region will be wonderful.” 

The running of the programme will be handed to another Media or English student in the next academic year, but Emily hopes that the programme will continue to bring inspiring industry figures to Keele.

After she graduates, Emily wants to continue writing, but for now she has her hands busy with the next Industry Voices workshop, taking place in the Media Building on Wednesday 21^st February from 1.30pm-2.30pm with writer and television producer, Will Ing. More information can be found here.