News | Tuesday, 20th February 2024

Nat Black-Heaven’s Graduate Story

Nat Black-Heaven, a Sports Business Management graduate, talks about his career journey and their current role in Social Media Management.

What did you study at Manchester Met and why?

BSc (Hons) Sports Management - I have always been interested in not only the physical and athletic side of sports but also the business aspect of it. I've been interested in fandom and what teams do to ensure they have loyal fans.

What journey did you take whilst looking for a job once finishing University?

I participated in a lot of volunteering opportunities during my time at university to gain experience working in the industry. I was fortunate enough to get a gap year internship in the industry and followed that up with a graduate scheme once I finished university. I was successful in getting an entry-level position which I completed three years of, followed by moving abroad to Italy to work for another company. I was there for two years and then came back to set up my own business in sports and social media content management. Now I work in a senior social media role at my current company.

What is it like working in your field?

Every day is certainly different. Sports is fast-paced. You meet new people all day and you're tested with your creativity regularly.

What does your day-to-day life look like at work?

I am in a management-level role, so my work is a lot more chilled than it used to be. I spend my days organising the structure of my team but also working on the back-end management of our social media strategy to make life easier for people that publish content daily. I spend 80% of my time working from home, but now and then I go to Leeds or London where we have offices to meet people face-to-face. Traveling abroad makes up a minute part of the role. In the early days of my career, everything written above was the complete reverse.

What skills or experience did you learn at Manchester Met that are key to your work life?

Understanding how to work in a practical environment by doing modules like Event Management and having the opportunity to go on-site visits. These give you the skills needed to work with people after university.

What advice would you give students looking to get into your field of work?

Get as much voluntary experience as possible. Also, create your own projects in your field and try and take them as far as possible.