Who is writing this blog?
Hello! My name is Antonio Pacelli, an English student preparing for my third and final year at Bournemouth University. According to 20 years of positive horoscopes, a lady at the bus stop and the dreams of an impressionable young child, this degree is the first step on my long, illustrious road to stardom in media production. Ever since I first laid eyes on the big screen, I have been thinking up ways to wedge my foot in the door of this magical industry and bring to others the same joy it brought me growing up. Somewhere in between nurturing a growing love of literature, discovering I have the on-screen presence of a stapler and, increasingly, finding the need for more creative outlets, screenwriting became more and more like an appropriate and welcome career choice.
So, why are you working at an estate agency?
After months of chasing convoluted links to the industry, I finished two weeks of work experience at Passion Pictures, a media production company in London. It was an incredible insight into the strident (but not off-putting) realities of the industry, and although I felt adapted to its manic inner-workings by the end, scheduling conflicts left me in search of other avenues capable of honing my skills. It was then that my mum (Jane Gardner, Ops Director) introduced me to the growing media side of selling and letting property, an industry I would not have naturally associated with the practices of film & TV. After speaking with Martyn Drabik, the DEA and Media Assistant of Sewell & Gardner, I decided to take the plunge and begin assisting him on his day-to-day job roles, in the hope it would mean more exposure to film & editing equipment and more opportunities to try video production out for myself.
What type of jobs have you been doing during your work experience fortnight?
Since starting at Sewell & Gardner, I have been shadowing Martyn at his various appointments, where he takes professional photos and videos of the properties being marketed with Sewell & Gardner, to assist in the their future marketing and, hopefully, secure a quick sale. As well as this, I have been learning the process of granting Energy Performance Certificates to each property we visit and check they are ready for sale.
Primarily though, the last two weeks have been spent learning how to film and edit Virtual Viewings, upload them to the Sewell & Gardner You Tube channel and promote them via the company website www.sewellgardner.com and also on Rightmove. This type of marketing is a vast improvement on the limited perspective presented by many agencies with basic ‘photo only’ listings and truly a no-brainer, considering the statistics for how people search for property in this day and age ~ on the internet! The virtual viewing videos have the dual purpose of allowing buyers to make more informed decisions on their future property, whilst promoting the brand and assisting with the property’s future sale. Granted they’re not quite The Godfather, but they are informative and easy to watch, undoubtedly an excellent addition to anybody looking to sell or rent their home.
What is your over-riding opinion of a creative job within estate agency?
Although this level of online production is a fairly novel concept to most agencies, it’s evident that this too is becoming an incredibly competitive aspect of property marketing. Now, it is not only whether a company is using these new, untraditional promotional strategies, but also whether those strategies are produced professionally, creatively and effectively. Having someone with the technical ability, love for the trade and creative mindset to develop the media side of a company is slowly becoming an invaluable asset when trying to stay ahead of the competition, and holds an untapped potential for innovation and inventiveness within the industry.
Sewell & Gardner Virtual Property Viewings
What has your impression been of Sewell & Gardner?
My time at Sewell & Gardner has been fantastic. After spending the opening section of the Summer months familiarising myself with the different materials required to put together parts of a media production, it has been incredibly beneficial for me to begin applying and developing the processes I know are essential in larger media projects. Luckily for me, this transition from observing certain job roles to undertaking them has been smoothed and eased by the incredibly welcoming Sales, Lettings & Ops team here at Sewell & Gardner, who have been nothing but kind and warm for the entire duration of my placement. I look forward to returning to them as soon as I am able to.
Antonio carried out his work experience with Martyn Drabik, Media Assistant