This year our Create Student Awards will be hosted by comedian, winner of Leicester Mercury Comedian awards and valued member of our University Alumni, Jack Gleadow.

During lockdown Jack has been creating and releasing his weekly comedy show ‘Jack’s Night In’ filmed in his bedroom. Each week Jack invites special guests to join him for a night of laughter in lockdown.

I caught up with Jack to find out about his time at Salford, to find out more about the Create Student Awards and to see what inspired him to start his new series.

Hi Jack! First of all, could you tell us what you studied at Salford?

Hello! Yes of course, I studied BA (Hons) Television and Radio Production.

What were your top 3 favourite moments about studying TV and Radio? 

This is a hard question. Over the 3 years, there were so many amazing moments, from meeting one of the original writers of The Simpsons, to working on countless exciting projects and the incredible opportunities that were on offer to students each week. I discovered many new skills that I had never tried before and found new passions through the course, it was a really wonderful time. 

Why did you choose Salford? 

I wanted to study in MediaCityUK and this was the first main draw for me and as soon as I came to an open day and saw the facilities. I just had to get a ticket to the club! The plus side is that the University is near Manchester which has lots of things to do, such as excellent nightlife as well as a brilliant arts, culture and comedy scene.

Do you think that studying at Salford painted a path for how successful you are now? 

Definitely. Without coming to Salford I wouldn’t have expanded my comedy career and media skillset, which allowed me to pursue other avenues which I’d never even considered before. I also learnt lots of new things which have helped me in my future career development.

Do you still have contact with the University as an alumni member? 

Yes I like to keep up to date with what’s going on at the university and often pop in whenever I’m in Manchester, its always a really friendly place and brings back fond memories.

We heard you’ve been chosen as the host for the 2020 Create Student Awards, could you tell us more? 

I have! I’m extremely excited to be involved, hosting events is something I love to do, and to do it for the Create Student Awards is really special to me. The awards recognise the achievements of students in the School of Arts and Media who have excelled in their chosen courses whilst going above and beyond expectations, as a former student myself it feels great to have come full circle and be able to present the evening.

You were also a Create Student Award nominee in 2018! Tell us more about that…

Yes, what an amazing thing that was. I was so honoured to be acknowledged for my hard work and really appreciated that people at the University saw that I was putting a lot of effort into everything I did. Although I didn’t win, being shortlisted was great and now that I’m getting to host the evening that is even better than the award!

Tell us more about your new series “Jacks Night In” and what inspired you to start the series…

Lockdown happened and within a week, and all my work for the foreseeable future just magically disappeared, so I needed something to get my creative juices flowing. Although, at the time I didn’t realise making a 30 minute show every week for 2 months would be so hard! It was a chance for me to put everything I learnt at Salford into practice. The only problem was with the country shutdown the whole show had to take place in my bedroom with no budget and rather than a big team behind me I had to be the writer, star, director and editor. It’s a variety entertainment show featuring stand up, sketches and interviews and I loved every second of making it. Catch up on the show on my YouTube channel where you can see all 6 episodes featuring me being silly alongside comedy stars such as Comedy Royalty Miles Jupp, Phoenix Nights star Barbara Nice as well as magicians, escapologists and members of the public in a weekly gameshow.

We know that lockdown will have brought many challenges for comedians like yourself who rely on live shows, do you have any advice for other comedians out there?

It has, but I also think it has helped people learn new things, focus on stuff they previously didn’t have time for, and most importantly, to relax. My advice would be to enjoy yourself and be proud of everything you make. Only do things if you think they are funny and hopefully people will find them funny too! You could also watch Jacks Night In on Youtube.

What advice would you give to someone who might be looking to study TV and Radio?

If you have any incline to be involved in the media industry, this course is definitely for you. It’s one of very few courses that offers versatility and you can apply your specific needs and really get whatever you want out of it. The course allowed me to develop new skills in my comedy career, but it could help you become a writer, director, producer or radio star. The possibilities really are endless, unless you want to be a brain surgeon then this course probably isn’t for you.

We’re delighted to have had the chance to catch up with Jack, we always welcome our graduates back to the University to hear about what they’ve been up to and where their degree has taken them.

The Create Student Awards 2020 will be hosted on The School of Arts and Media Facebook channel from 7.30 – 8.30pm on Thursday 2nd July!

Tune in to see Jack in action, and to see some of our dedicated students get recognised for all their hard work. For more information about the Create Student Awards, click here.

Want to know more about BA (Hons) Television and Radio Production? Click here.

Support Jack’s Show
Donate here- http://ko-fi.com/jackgleadow

Follow Jack
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/JackGleadowComedy/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/jackgleadow
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jackgleadow/