... more info on me coming soon 

I have to sell my IOW festival ticket due to unforseen circumstances.

Its a camping ticket - cost £140 would like to get face value but am open to near offers.

The barcoded wrist band should arrive with me in the next few days. As soon as i get it i will do either special delivery in the post or hand deliver it to anyone in portsmouth.

Contact me on 07738586419 or tom.worman@upsu.net or via facebook!!!

THIS TICKET MUST SELL - CHECK OUT THE LINEUP!

Friday
13th June

 

 

Saturday
14th June

Clearly iconic video campaigns are the way forwards at the moment! Awesomeness!

Last night was the Boxing, thankfully the wonderful people at PureFM kept me filled in; Graeme, Andy and Jenny kept me very well informed and entertained but it felt odd not being ringside to take photos and have had comments saying how wierd it was me not being there with my camera. It's started me thinking - what's gonna happen when i have to hand over taking of photos at the union to other people? 

Anywho i thought i would be able to write more, but my heads screwed so gonna go grab some pain killers. Good luck to the paper team who are working this weekend without me!!!

I'll be back soon! I promise!

 http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/graduates/

News of the World scholarship

The News of the World is delighted to announce its 2008 Graduate Scholarship in journalism.

If you’ve always wanted to train and work on a newspaper at the highest level, this is your chance. The winner of our scholarship will receive the most comprehensive training in our industry.

Students from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

All we ask is that you have a university degree (or equivalent qualification) or be in the final year of a degree course. Of course, you must also be able to demonstrate a passion for the News of the World.

Our scholarship, run in conjunction with The Journalism Centre at Harlow College in Essex, lasts for two years during which our successful candidate will receive a salary. The News of the World will also pay tuition fees at Harlow College.

This is how the two years will be broken up:

September 2008 - Feb 2009

Our successful applicant will attend the 19-week postgraduate course at Harlow College’s Journalism Centre. This is an intensive, all-encompassing course providing a solid foundation on which to build and develop your journalistic talents. During the course you’ll spend all your available free time (apart from your holiday entitlement) at the News of the World. Working in various departments, you’ll cover everything from a Premiership match to major political and showbiz stories.

Feb 2009 - September 2010

You’ll gain experience of every relevant department in the News of the World. Apart from working on our news, features, picture and sports desks – plus Sunday magazine and our website – you will look at the work of our circulation, marketing, production and advertising departments. You may also spend time at the News of the World’s Scottish or Irish offices.

How Do I Apply?

Applications must be typewritten and submitted by post. They must also include the following:

•A full CV

•An explanation of why the News of the World should choose you, in not more than 100 words.

•Your three favourite News of the World front pages and a 50-word comment on each.

•Details/examples of any newspaper/magazine/website work experience.

Applications should be sent to: Paul Nicholas, Deputy Managing Editor, News of the World Scholarship, News of the World, 1 Virginia Street, London E98 1NW

All applications must be received no later than Friday, May 23, 2008

FAQs

What sort of work experience do we expect?

While this scholarship is not aimed at people who already have a full-time job in our industry, those candidates we choose for interview MUST be able to demonstrate a history of involvement in NEWSPAPER journalism.

This is likely to be work experience with your local weekly, evening or daily newspaper - and not just contributions to websites or specialist magazines.

That said, at the News of the World we take our online edition extremely seriously, so additional experience in digital media is also welcomed.

It would also be a distinct advantage if your CV and cuttings can also show a commitment to newspaper work outside what we call your 'comfort zone' - that is, on a newspaper which is not in your home area.

Do I need to be an expert on the News of the World?

We accept that while most people read us on a Sunday, there may still be a few misguided souls who don't.

Clearly, though, if you're going to apply for a scholarship with us you'd be mad not to understand what makes us so passionate about great tabloid journalism. And, of course, if you get an interview you can expect us to be asking you about the paper.

I'm not sure I can make the application deadline. Can I have an extension?

In a word, no. Deadlines matter. Producing great journalism in tight time constraints is part of our lives - and if you're our next graduate trainee it will be part of yours too.

What happens after you receive the applications? Will I know what happens to mine?

Everyone, without exception, gets a reply. From the applications we receive, we will choose a number for interview. These interviews are likely to take place in June 2008 with the successful applicant notified very soon after interview.

If I'm successful, what happens then?

Between interview and the start of the Harlow course in September 2008, we expect you to engage in at least a fortnight's work experience with a mainstream UK daily or evening regional newspaper outside your comfort zone.

We hope you'll have enough acumen to arrange your own work experience.

What sort of work will I be doing at the News of the World?

Proper journalism. We certainly won't get you making the coffee or doing the photocopying. From day one, you'll be contributing to the paper, doing everything you can - with our help - to get great bylined stories in print and on our website.

You'll be working alongside some of the greatest names in tabloid journalism - people who are just as excited by our graduate scheme as you are. So far, all of our previous graduate trainees have managed front-page bylines during their traineeship.

What sort of holidays do I get?

Holidays? You want holidays? Fair enough. Our graduate trainees get six weeks' paid holiday a year September to September.

Your first break from the Harlow course will be in late October/early November 2008 when you will have a week away from college. During this week you will work on the News of the World. Your next time away from Harlow will be at Christmas 2008 when you will have a fortnight away from the course.

You'll spend one week at the NoW and have one week's well-deserved holiday out of your six weeks' entitlement. After your final exams at the end of January 2009 (which we naturally expect you to pass well!) you will be working full-time on the News of the World until September 2010.

What if I have any more queries?

E-mail our deputy managing editor Paul Nicholas at paul.nicholas@notw.co.uk

BBC News Video Article

I wonder how many of you would have pulled over to help ?

First off for those who don't know who I am let me outline my "position" within the university. I am a student, not that many would believe it, but I am in my final year studying Digital Media (and some how doing fairly well at it) at the same time, I live, sleep, and breathe Media mainly revolving around the students union. For the past 3 years I have been the Union's photographer for the night club and major events. Now I am the Union's photographer, part time web designer and graphic designer, pugwash news design editor, video editor, and general media bitch.

So what have i been up to since Freshers Fortnight ? 

Freshers Fair

The year started with a bang for me, 2 days of filming and taking photos at the freshers fair. Being harassed by Indian Restaurants and almost ending up in a paddling pool full of Jelly (thanks cannon) were just some of the highlights of the freshers fair. This is the first opportunity for UPSU media to start and shine and of course i wanted to be at the forefront of this so offered to take photos and film the events. 

Pugwash News

Pugwash News is the new student newspaper, i would hope now 6 issues in most of you would have seen it. If for some reason you have been living on Mars, Pugwash news is what has replaced the old purple wednesdays magazine with an all encompassing paper with News, Features, Reviews and Sports. I ran for position as Design Editor and won, which was nice considering i hadn't planned on running until 30 seconds before the meeting. This has been a massive learning experience for me, learning to put together a newspaper with software i have never previously used. This is a huge learning curve for me and i really hope to be able to share my experiences and knowledge i have gathered with anyone else who is interested over the coming year.

   

   

Naked Calendar

Well this has been an interesting start to the year, being able to walk round the union on a wednesday night thinking to myself how many of you drunkards i have seen naked over the passed few months. This years calendar has been one of the quickest selling calendars for some time. With 500 calendars produced we had sold over 3/4 of those in the first week, all of which goes to RAG. I'd like to say thankyou to every sports team i have worked with - everyone was really good sports in getting your kit off for charity.

For those of you who haven't seen it, shame on you. I do recommend buying yourselves a copy, its only £5! From stables to tanks you guys should be proud of your nakedity! Oh and apparently there are 3 penis in it!! For me, this is going to be one of the memories i shall keep for a while, especially the 3 vans, 2 taxis, 1 bus, 2 husband and wife couples, and 1 italian stalker who stopped to take photos of the dance squad!

Sports Photos

Over the  past few months I have had the pleasure of working with the majority of the sports teams from 7am starts with the equestrian club through to late evening Boxing shows. It has been a great pleasure to experience the highs (and of the very few lows) our sports teams have enjoyed. Below is a selection of photos from the various games and matches i have been too.

Sheila Hancock

Vice chancellor Sheila Hancock paid a visit to our students' union and contribute to the Afro Carribean Society debate, I was lucky enough to be invited along with the Pugwash media team to meet her and discuss the work we are doing with the students union. She seems incredibly supportive of what we are doing and was proud to discuss our achievements.

Dodgeball

The intra-mural Dodgeball competition was a flying success. However it was very much a game of Dodge the ball whether you were a competitor or spectator. I got hit twice and one girl got a square wack on the nose which must have really hurt. But all in all it was a good day. Well done to Caz Bird for all the effort she put in.

Oxford Freedom of Speech Protest

4 students (including myself) and 2 sabbatical officers headed off to Oxford a few weeks ago for a night of protesting at a freedom of speech march. I must admit, not being a man of the world i wasn't too sure what was exactly going on but it was a real experience and being a photojournalist i made several contacts with other university student news outlets to provide photos for there papers. As a member of UPSU staff i see it as a key part of my position to promote our media.

RAG Ramble

Now don't say I do my fair bit for charity, along with the Naked Calendar, Dodgeball Competition and Sportos' Dance Off, I managed to Ramble (most of the way) around Portsmouth until we found a pub and it started to rain. I feel there is alot of stuff the media can do to help raise money for RAG.  

Sportos' Dance Off

Well, after risk assessments and arguments just to get me a platform in the middle of Lux I managed to survive a night above everyone on a Purple Wednesday to film the Sportos' Dance Off. The teams had been in training for weeks and i know most of the AU Execs dance routines inside out with the amount of time i spend in the Sabb office. There's not much more to say, than what an awesome night and well done AU Exec, here's a video for your enjoyment:

Oh, and you can buy the full DVD for £5 from the sabb office at Darby's desk - guess what? All money goes to RAG !!!

Christmas Dinners

Its Christmas Time, Mistletoe and Wine. Bah Humbug Despite my lack of enthusiasm for an over marketed day in the year, it has been another great opportunity for me to meet more sports teams. A few Mondays back it was time for me to work at Tiger Tiger for the Cricket and Equestrian Clubs. Damn the cricket club are noisey, first the womens cricket saw off a competition of eating chocolate cake, without hands or cutlery, then the men started with the chants, god knows what was actually said but it was "inspiring".

Pure FM

Having my own photostudio is occasionally of benefit to me, photographing hot girls, guys if they want it. and now Pure FM called me into action. Pure are our radio station (www.purefm.com ) is really trying to push its marketing campaign to get students to listen to the station. So I stepped forwards offering a full professional shoot for the whole Pure FM team. Below are a few of the shots, you should be able to see posters and banners coming soon.

The Enemy

 A certain mobile phone company + Fraggy and Caryss Drinking lots = The Enemy at the union. Need I say more ? Just enjoy the photos:

Purple Wednesday and Orange Fridays

Well, this is my usual job; being the only sober student on a Wednesday or Friday Night at the Union. Although its tiring dealing with drunks, it has also been some of the most amusing times - i have met so many good friends and so many people out at the union. In the past 3 months i have learnt so much, and met some awesome people - just one thing. If you want your photo taken please just ask, poke me, pinch my bum (often a favoured technique), hell gimme a kiss! Just don't stand there and expect your photo taken, the people who get pictures are those who ask, who talk to me, who make an effort, hell sometimes it just takes a look and a smile. I think what i am trying to say is I am not psychic.

So i am sat in the media suite - where i currently seem to live. Its a bit of a piss take day today, we have just missed about 200 sports students all climbing on coaches, minibuses, cars to get there various away games, all of whom would have been prime readership of the newspaper. This is what happens when deadlines are moved due to certain people over working !!!

The magazine is back and looks like it will make a great supplement to the newspaper  

It's quite depressing when you lecturer sends you facebook messages that your coursework is due soon.

Purple Wednesday 

Well what can i say, Wednesday was busy, but what do you expect for the first PW back after the summer break. It took me an hour to get from home (nr fratton station) to the union, when i asked the taxi driver why, he said i would see when i got to the union. I arrived and the queue was round past Balfour, to the cash-points, and back up towards the Nuffield centre. You may ask why i didn't walk but, to be honest, i refuse to take £3500 worth of camera equipment through the heart of Sommers Town in the dark. So anyway, i arrived, jumped the queue, signed in and immediately got to work. Lux opened at 8pm with Ali and the Pure FM team keeping the house music flowing pretty much all night long. I'm not quite sure what the music policy is for the Union now-a-days, i thought it was student anthems and cheese in Lux and House mixed with RnB in CO2 but the two seem to be blending now - i'm not sure this is intentional but i'm not sure there's such a marked difference between the music policies of Lux and CO2.  Apparently capacity (which i have now learnt is in excess of 2000) was reached by 8:45pm, which by any stats is a huge achievement, Waterhole was so rammed you could hardly move there was so many sporto's in there, whereas, Lux and CO2 were remarkably quite. Although the two clubs were busy there was room to move, which i admit i was surprised at.

Apparently i missed the safety briefing so wasn't allowed on stage to get any photos what-so-ever, which is ridiculous considering i wasn't informed there was a safety briefing hence the reason the photos lack any kind of stage shots from this night. But anyway, we move on... so PW flew by as normal with the usual snakey-b being necked in copious amounts, and alot of freshers who can't quite "keep up" yet - you will learn. The jungle theme fancy dress was well adhered too, loving the sexy lions although you told me you would find me at freshers fayre (still waiting for you to find me) - i expect to see the quality of fancy dress to remain high for a while to come people. Oh and big shout out to the guy who dressed as a tree. Very amusing. 

On a side note, if you are drinking in the queue outside the union, please use the bins, the state outside was left in was atrocious - seriously disgusting, broken glass all over the place, beer cans just dropped on the floor. Have some respect!

Fun Loving Criminals

I've not got alot to say about this as i had freshers flu and really needed a night off so got a friend, James Dare, took over the role as photographer extraordinare.  Although by the sounds of it, i didn't really miss much as hardly anyone showed up to support them, shame on you - or maybe u were all feeling as crap as i was ?

Orange Fridays - 999 theme.

You can arrest me anytime, or i'm sure i can find u a part of my anatomy you can tend your nurses gentle hands too Wow. What an effort you guys went to tonight, i was still feeling absolute crap and the heat of Lux didn't help but still, you guys rocked with ur amazing fancy dress costumes many of which came from Ann Summers i'm pretty sure. Even the staff got dressed up and all looked great, respect goes to the Doctor and Fireman bar staff.

I turned up at 7pm as i was informed there was a staff briefing for Orange Fridays, and yes there was, it was a case of Subway or Domino's takeaway.  After some brief debating of where the stage should go for our games, it was off to raid the secret cellar - a very secret place full of goodies to give away - with our mittens full of everything we could carry, from Sun Visors to Guiness wrist and head bands we made our way to Lux. A quick cheeky pint of Cider and Black, a discussion with CO2 and Lux DJ's about music policies (a hot topic at the mo) and soon we were ready to open up. 

It was a slow build up to people filling Lux, but it did fill eventually, i'm not sure how busy CO2 got as i only ventured in on a couple of occasions (sorry kev, nothing against you, just wasn't on form), still there are a few prats around who think they are better than you and can barge you out there way cos they've had a few too many but you get them anywhere, hopefully they'll go club somewhere else. Orange Fridays is the best party night in Portsmouth - i have officially decided this, the (majority of the) crowds, the DJ's, the club and of course ME !!!

Anyway, i've got to now bury my head in a pillow and hope i can drown out the neighbours "boom boom boom" RnB rubbish coming from next door at 2:10am - go to sleep !!!

Well, that's kind of how it feels. I'm known throughout the land now already! Today (tuesday) i have spent the day doing various activities around the centre of Portsmouth, on my day off from working nights as the Unions photographer. It started at midday with a visit to the Union to see Mr Harries (Media and Publications Officer) to look at his new newspaper which looks great, although never gonna let him forget that he didn't credit the photos in this issue to me !!! 

On to the "being famous" bit, I've walked to and from Tesco's just off commercial road 3 times today (i forgot things so kept going back to the union) and on each trip, i bumped into either someone i recognised as an old student - like cannon - or someone totally unknown who knew who i was and wanted to know when the photos would be online.

THE PHOTOS WILL BE ONLINE SOON I PROMISE - IT IS OUT OF MY HANDS !!! 

Then tonight i have been to Tiger Tiger and met probably 10 to 15 people who all have said "You're Tom, the Unions Photographer aren't you ?" i don't remember ever meeting them before but as one chap commented, "it doesn't matter if you know us, just know that everyone knows YOU!" - i'm not sure whether to be happy or scared. So anyway, in total i think today i've met in excess of 20 new faces who all know who I am but I have no clue who they are.

To you I say... " HELLO, WELCOME TO PORTSMOUTH and MAKE SURE YOU KEEP IN TOUCH WITH ME!"

So, for me, the night started early as normal, a quick round to introduce myself to the Ibiza DJ Tom De Vos and his team of supporting DJ's/Glow Stick Monkeys !!! Time flew by so quickly and before i knew it the clocks had struck 9pm and the Lux doors were swung wide open. It took a little while as usual to get people upstairs from the Waterhole or even through the massive queue outside and up into the club, but once it filled out, it really filled out and it was a case of weaving in and out of everybody. 

I guess everyone's warming to me now, or getting drunker quicker - one of the two but tonight I shot over 100 photos in the first half an hour, and that's rare as most people are very shy in front of the camera before they have had a little lubrication inside them. Soon enough the HUGE foam cannon started up and pumped streams of bubbly goodness into the air above every ones heads, giving a snow effect of foam. Tom and his crew pumped out the Ibiza classics and some original remixes into the club and everyone partied on down.

The atmosphere in the Union can probably be summed up as Vibrant, the crowd were in a great mood, the staff were having fun (when they could) and the new darker club played host to some inspiring Laser displays and groovey lighting effects. By 11pm i had shot over 500 photos, some good, some bad, you can never tell really in that environment so it was a case of take a break. At the back of the stage managed to find myself a corner to review the photos deleting over 200 pics that were either repetitive or just plain terrible. And then... back to work.

A quick photo-shoot with Tom (see photo above) and then it was time to venture into the foam pit. I had to hold the camera high above the crowd (its an advantage being tall) whilst also holding back the swaying motion of the crowd (its also an advantage having some weight behind you to counter balance other people) by the time i had spent 5 minutes in the pit, i couldn't actually see my camera, it was covered in so much foam!!!  Thankfully, i had pre-planned and brought a towel with me to do a quick dry off. The DJ's seemed impressed that i was willing to venture into the foam pit with over £2000 worth of kit in my hand, well, to you i say: "In the name of good UPSU photography i will do all it takes". Plus my camera's insured

The base was so strong on the stage from the speaker stacks you things on the stage wouldn't stay still, for a whole track i watched a can of carlsberg (from Dodgey Daves bar) bounce around the floor panel in random patterns, if Carlsberg made dancing beer cans, they would be the best dancing beer cans in the world.  I have to give a big shout out to the security guys tonight who did a sterling job holding up the crowd barriers that popped undone due to sheer pressure the freshers were putting on it - with a little help from me of course. Standing on those barriers made a great ride, better than any fair ground attraction rocking forwards and backwards - you never quite knew where you were gonna go. Talking of which, if anyone from Ents is reading this, your stage steps were and still are faulty, following Mr De Vos down the steps they suddenly slipped and i ended up having to surf some steps half on and half off their hooks (i knew those lessons in Newquay were worth it!)

So from me, i'm off to edit the photos and get them off to the big bad bosses tonight. So hopefully (this is out of my control) the photos will end up on the website soon. Chow for Now. I have a day off tomorrow - then - its Purple Wednesdays Baby !!! Sporto time ! Awesome Night, Awesome DJ, Awesome Crowd, and hey what fun the foam machine is !!!

 And for those of you who missed out, here's a little video for you !!! 

Also, to the girl with a broken arm and a lost handbag, i hope u found it ! We tried our best. 

It was good to see more of the old-school union party goers - welcome back Cannon - and well done to the Burrell Halls Massive for representing the halls challenge as you should do. As always staff rolled up at 7pm to start sorting the bars and stuff upstairs, but Lux didn't open until 9pm at which point the Pure FM guys were just finishing off setting up there connections for the live Pure FM broadcast. 10 o'clock saw loads more people arrive and Pure FM go live, which I know is well subscribed too and even resident Orange Fridays DJ was listening too. JA from Pure started the night off followed by Ali, with a mix of club classics and in CO2 Kev kept the RnB going all night.

I think people are now coming to realise i'm not (totally) a creepy perve taking photos of students - but still, the amount of times i've had to say "photos will be on the union website" I lost count after a while.  Think i need a t-shirt or something with it on (that's a hint Pete/Scott/UPEL). The real problem tonight was people took to punching my arm to get my attention and i started to lose feeling in my left arm from carrying the camera high above the crowd - solution - who knows...

oh and i must make a quick apology - i am rendered blind when the lighting bods turn on the strobes, so if i stumble into you, its not my fault, i literally cannot focus on where i am going - weird innit - think i'd be better just to close my eyes and guess.

So anyway, I left the union to get back to get the photos online, which worked out great-timing as i logged on to Pure FM to hear Ali asking the crowd to leave as the fire alarms were going ! Oooops. Its 2:08am and i'm frigging knackered, off to battle with the pillow and get some sleep before the mayhem that will be the BIG ONE tomorrow night - foam, foam, foam !!!

So my day started with a bit of an introduction to new staff and some smiles and friendly chit-chat with old staff. Its good to see a fresh blend of new faces who will hopefully help the Union to develop.  The new look lux is great (although didn't last the onstage game test - more later) its purple and white rather than just a white box, the lighting actually has a dude controlling it rather than presets and it feels alot darker and more "club like". At last the DJ booth isn't just a box tucked behind a massive stage - the DJ's are able to interact with the Crowd now from the booth. 

All the staff were in for 7pm although i don't think doors opened until 8pm, by 9pm (before lux opened) we headed outside to see the queue and wow, it was round to the cashpoints already, and for a "Pre-freshers" event that is awesome !!!  By 10pm two queues were formed one past the cash point and the other around Via Lattea towards Scandals Bar. Its great to see so many people supporting the union and out for a good time, and surprisingly both queues were moving fast into the union, very little hanging around outside !!!

So, a little after 9pm the doors to Lux opened and the eager beavers that are the freshers all piled in, mostly in there PJ's too which is great to see everyone getting involved, DJ's Mark and Wobbie G were banging out the tunes and everyone was in a great party mood.  So my job started with the first of many circuits and weaving in and out of the crowds taking photos, I had alot of 'odd' looks as obviously freshers probably weren't expecting a staff photographer.  Lux filled out quickly and soon it was becoming not a 10 minute circuit around Lux, CO2 and Waterhole, but a half hour trip to make sure everyone possible had the opportunity to have their photos taken ! 

After 3 hours of great tunes from the DJ's it was time for our game, well, luckily we had a group of gorgeous and up-for-it student nurses in the house who started off giving the crowd a few songs of dancing on the stage and then got involved in the great game we had planned. 2 beds, 2 sets of pyjama's - 2 problems, the beds weren't made and the Pyjamas were frozen solid (some might say too frozen!) so we set the 4 girls a task of making the beds and changing into the frozen PJ's. The 2 teams of girls went head to head in front of a crowd cheering with great enthusiasm and made there beds before wrestling to tear apart the frozen PJ's. The winners taking a bottle of bubbly each of there troubles. Awesome game and please can we have a bed on stage more often because they are actually quite comfortable.

The night went on through various music sets; RnB, Indie, Dance, and the good old cheese with a capacity crowd of 1800 people filling Lux and CO2 all having a great time. Hard working Meeja officer Alex 'needs-sleep' Harries joined us on stage and proved he's full of hot air (see photo) and promptly put himself to bed on the stage. The crowd were having such a great time dancing and meeting new people no-one really noticed. It was an exhausting night, but a great bunch of new freshers and suprisingly limited collection of 2nd/3rd years made for a great party and proved the Union is always gonna be the place to party.  

So that's it from Day One of Freshers Fortnight, the photos have gone to the Big Bosses for approval and should be online as soon as possible, keep your eyes peeled to www.upsu.net for all the info.

As appointed by the people who run the student union events I am now OFFICIALLY back as the student union photographer. The idea is to get your photos online as soon as possible so that you can see them as quickly as possible ! I will be the one holding a camera high above the crowds so it doesn't get broken but please do stop me and ask for a photo to be taken. I'm nice honestly.

I hope to be able to add Blogs daily to this website with new photos and hopefully a few videos too. Kind of a "Freshers Roundup". 

So to quickly introduce myself. I'm Tom Worman, YOUR union photographer. If you don't ask you don't get so please do ask for your photo to be taken. I'm not an ogre honestly!

Some photos from last year:

And finally, just incase you don't know who i am and can't see the camera...

... This is me !!!