Chyloe Daley
My sixteen-year-old self would have said I was going to be an actor, but my love for creating, and learning how things develop from beginning to end, took me in another direction.
When I was at primary school, I landed the lead role in my end-of-year school play and that was it, I was off to The BRIT School for their summer acting program each year. Acting at the time saved me - it was my escape and my opportunity to be whoever I wanted. I loved asking questions and seeing how things are made. I remember being obsessed with MTV Behind the Scenes, where you would get to see how a music video is put together. This quickly developed into a love of documentaries, so naturally BBC Three became my new home. I realised then I didn’t want to become an actor and tell a fictional story, I wanted to tell the stories of real people from around the world.
In 2016 I went to college and studied performing arts. The course opened my eyes to the world of radio. I was told I have a voice for radio, and I hope they didn’t mean I don’t have a face for television. I enjoyed working behind the scenes and helping to create a radio drama and learning about all the detail that goes into creating each story.
At university the first place I went to and felt at home was the Radio Lab, our campus radio station which also aired to the local area of Luton. I had a show discussing a different taboo topic every week with two other students. By my second year I was presenting live shows and segments for other students and university projects.
I chose to focus on production management for our in-house theatre. This gave me the opportunity to learn about how a theatre works, from the lighting and sound to stage management.
In my third year I learned how television studios work. I was lucky as our uni TV studio was used by BBC Look East, so I had the privilege of seeing the professionals at work and shadowing them. During this time, I also chose to research, direct, film, edit and present my own documentary, Depression & Me, which focused on access to mental health support for students at university.
I have recently completed my master’s in media and communication. Throughout, it gave me a chance to continue to create content around the things I am passionate about, including for an online magazine show, ZoomingIn, which I also co-produced. I ended up using skills I never thought I had.
I now have a fascination with producing and all things content creating, from research to the end delivery.
Chyloe Daley
Thank you Chyloe for sharing your story.
I think we have a creative producer on our hands - what do you think?
If you would like to be connected to Chyloe as a potential mentor or to offer opportunities, please email me, at storyletters@thepitchfanzine.com.
Let’s create change together.
Best wishes,
Sherry Collins
