2016 MAMA Youth alumni, Cebo Luthuli, writes about his journey to becoming a self shooting researcher for the BBC.

"Before MYP I was on Job Seekers Allowance. Before that I was a door to door sales worker and then worked at a call centre. I found myself getting further away from being where I wanted to be, so I took a step back and gave media all of my focus.

Because I didn't have a strong understanding about the industry I applied for a camera operator role. During my interview I was advised to apply for trainee researcher. Finding out what a researcher role entailed, I felt it suited me and my skill set. Being a researcher was honestly what I've been waiting to do for a while. The best part of the role was finding out the role existed and throughout the process I realised that there was space for someone like me to be there.

After MYP I went on a 4 week work placement at the BBC, in their new digital current affairs team. I wish I could say I found it challenging, but I used all the experience I was given from MAMA Youth and I felt prepared and ready to make an impression. I built a strong relationship with my BBC mentor and we still meet up to offer me advice.

After my placement, I was offered work as a self shooting researcher for the BBC in Digital Current Affairs team and I honestly love every aspect of my job. I get to pitch ideas, collaborate with journalists and get out and about to film. No two days are ever the same and I'm trusted to get on with my job. I have a sense of freedom at work which I am more than grateful for.  

The advice I would give to other young people starting out at MYP is to make the most of your time there. People at MYP want you to do well, so always understand that they are there for you to achieve great things. People get lost and caught up in how hard the experience is, but the ethos of the training is to create strong industry professionals.

The practical advice would be to learn how to film and edit. I haven't been out of work since MYP and I owe that to knowing how to film and cut together footage. The way the industry is going you have to be versatile and strong.

Most importantly be nice! Just be nice and respect the people around you.” - November 2016