Take a break with Jasmin John

Hi there! What is your name and what did you study at Ravensbourne?

Hi, I’m Jasmin and I studied Digital Film Production. I graduated in 2017.

It’s time for a coffee break! What’s your go-to drink or snack?

My go-to drink is an oat chai latte!

How did you get to where you are now?

After graduating from Ravensbourne, I relocated to the Midlands and struggled to break into the industry, so I applied to the ScreenSkills Trainee Finder Scheme.

Through connections forged during my placements and thanks to some incredible people (Editors, Assistant Editors, and Post Production Supervisors) who took a chance on me, I side-stepped into High End TV Drama and progressed from an Edit Trainee to a 1st Assistant Editor within a year.

I continued to work on a number of HETV productions for a few years as an Assistant Editor and when I felt ready to make the step up, I applied for the ScreenSkills Leaders of Tomorrow (LoT) programme.

With the support of the LoT programme (and my nominator/PPS at the time, Rosanagh Griffiths), I was able to work on my very first HETV production as an Assembly Editor for BBC's Boiling Point! This was an invaluable experience, providing me with an abundance of opportunities to hone my craft and refine my skills. I have since cut an episode of McDonald and Dodds Series IV for ITV/Mammoth Screen and my learning journey as a now fully-fledged Editor continues.

What is your proudest accomplishment?

My proudest accomplishment is founding Black Women In Post Production (BWIPP for short!). When I first started out in the industry, I was immediately conscious of being the only Black woman in the cutting rooms, so I asked myself two questions - “why is that?” and “what can I do about it?” Thus, BWIPP was born.

BWIPP is a network of Black and Black mixed heritage women and non-binary creatives working or aspiring to work in post production. BWIPP’s ethos is rooted in the desire to increase representation and amplify the value of Black women.

I didn’t have a community of Black women I could turn to for advice and support on how to navigate the industry or to share my experiences with, so I built that community with BWIPP.

In addition to offering a community network, BWIPP also hosts networking events, industry masterclasses, and will soon be launching a mentoring programme, online training, and outreach programmes.

BWIPP actively engages with industry also – offering employers, recruiters, and production companies the opportunity to tap into the network directly via our internal jobs board for a fee or via the BWIPP diary service and talent database.

More information can be found here: www.bwipp.co.uk or on our Instagram page @blackwomeninpostproduction.

What do you get up to in your free time?

I love exploring – experiencing new cultures, cuisines, etc. I travelled to eight different cities (in five countries) last year, so I’m trying to top that this year. I’m also in the process of converting a campervan so I can travel all over the UK (and even the EU!) with my four-legged almost-four-year-old in tow.

What advice would you give to someone currently studying your course?

Make the most of it – work on different projects and expand your skillset. I studied Digital Film Production and often worked as the Producer for projects but found my love for editing during my third-year specialism unit.

Make connections with those on the DFP course as well as other courses (such as Editing & Post Production), because chances are you’ll run into many of them later on in your career! I’m still in touch with some people I met on my course – I’ve even started a business with one of them (Hey, Val!).

Be proactive and start building industry connections long before you graduate (full disclosure: I didn’t do this, but I should have!). You can start going to networking events and/or you can use IMDb to research who worked on your favourite show and find a way to reach out to them.

I can’t stop listening to… my 90s/00s old school R&B playlist!

My favourite way to exercise is… Pilates.

My guilty pleasure is… Mr Kipling’s Viennese whirls. If you know, you know.

If I won an all-expenses-paid trip, I’d go to… the Caribbean for an island-hopping adventure.