In Conversation With Emily Pilbeam
We catch up with BBC Introducing DJ Emily Pilbeam to hear how she got her foot in the door of the broadcasting world. From a volunteer role at her local hospital radio station to presenting BBC Introducing and broadcasting live on air at Glastonbury with Nathan Shepherd. Emily skipped university to follow a career in radio and hasn’t looked back since....
I'm a presenter for BBC Introducing in Leeds and Sheffield, and the BBC Introducing Mixtape on 6 Music. I've recently moved to Stockport after living in Leeds for ten years!
How did you first get involved with radio and how did that lead you to where you are now?
I first got involved with radio when I was about 15 years old and I started volunteering at my local hospital radio station in Kings Lynn, Norfolk. It was my first time ever in a radio studio, learning how to use all the equipment, learning what a mini-disc was and how to host / talk on the radio. I really loved it and I really loved the process of putting together a radio show, even if most of the shows were made up of requests of Vera Lynn and Donny Osmond from the patients in the hospital.
Around about that time I was also writing music reviews (badly) and doing anything I could to try and get an in in the music industry. I actually ended up doing some work experience at the NME which was so exciting. I then moved to Leeds at 18 years old, worked in some local venues and then ended up getting a job working as a Team Assistant for BBC Introducing in West Yorkshire. It was a big risk to take me on for that role I think considering I had no formal radio experience, but I've since been told by the person that hired me that it was all of the things I'd been doing previously added up.
I didn't! I was supposed to go to University in Salford after a gap year of living in Leeds, but after getting my role with BBC Introducing I didn't want to leave and thought it was the best chance I had to do what I wanted to... turns out I was right!
What made you want to work in music and when did you feel like it could be your career?
I'm not really sure what it was in particular that made me decide to do it but I just knew I wanted to be a part of it. It seemed like such a magical and crazy world to be a part of, and I think having grown up in a quiet town in Norfolk I was craving some excitement. I've always, always, always loved the radio too. So there was no way I'd have been working in music without it being via the radio.
In terms of feeling it could be a career... I think I probably felt it was possible when I was able to give up my bar job to be able to work three days a week at the BBC which was about eight years ago. I would say, with the current economic climate and the continuous threat of job losses, the question of whether it is / could be a stable career or not has come up more often in recent months than I'd like to admit.
Walk us through your average work day
It really depends on every single day. Mondays' I tend to do most of my listening and admin, listening through the Introducing uploader and deciding what I'd like to put in my Introducing Mixtape. Tuesdays I tend to work for a non-profit organisation in Leeds called Launchpad where I offer artists advice sessions. Wednesdays' I've got my Introducing Mixtape pre-record so it's finalising the tracklist, writing the script and then recording. Thursdays' I'm live doing the BBC Introducing Leeds and Sheffield show so it's prep all day for that, and then Fridays' it's mopping up all the things I've missed / forgotten to do during the week... and lots more listening to music.
I think it's probably been a bit of both. The biggest break-through was getting my TA role at BBC Introducing in West Yorkshire when I was 18. Without that role and the BBC Introducing team taking a chance on me I wouldn't be where I am now.
Being offered to cover Tom Robinson on the BBC Introducing Mixtape when I hadn't presented a show for the BBC was a big breakthrough moment... shout out Tom Robinson for taking a punt on me, I have no idea why you did that.
And then being offered to cover early breakfast on BBC Radio 6 Music three years ago. I'd been trying to get some shifts working in production at 6 Music and was out exploring Manchester with one of the producers, Jolie, and I got an email asking me to cover early breakfast... I remember having to email and check whether it was as a producer or as a presenter and being quite confused when they said it was to present. I'd assumed they'd got the wrong person. That was pretty life-changing.
What’s the best part of your job?
Being on air is my favourite thing in the world. I was so obsessed with the radio as a kid and listened religiously (and still do) so to be able to be in that little box providing comfort or good tunes to someone who needs it fills me with immense pride.
Also, of course watching artists we've supported for years succeed... which sort of goes without saying but it really is a total privilege. Watching bands like Yard Act and English Teacher thrive over the past few years has been so gorgeous... I can't wait to see who follows in their footsteps.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Keep going. Try to believe in yourself. And yes you will always be stressed.
You currently work on the presenting side of radio, but are there any other jobs within radio behind the scenes that people might not know about?
I think there's quite a lot really! Producers are the main people behind the show of course, making sure all the tunes are ready and complied, making sure all the texts and callers are suitable for air, making sure that you're actually on air. Big responsibilities for producers.
Then you've got Assistant Producers, Technicians, the Music Team, Editors, Content Creators... there's a lot of people that work behind the scenes to try and make everything the best it possibly can be.
What drew you to working in radio?
I've just always loved the radio. My mum worked late a lot as a kid and was a single parent so I'd be home alone a lot after school and I'd just always stick the radio on to feel like I had some company for a few hours before she'd get home. It's been a constant companion for me. I think there was no way I would be doing anything else. I needed to be involved in radio in.
What are the biggest challenges in your line of work?
There's quite a lot and I don't handle any of them very well but the big one would be tackling imposter syndrome. There's no easy way around that one, I'll tell you that for free!
Highlight of your career so far?
I think broadcasting live at Glastonbury Festival with Nathan Shepherd was a real life highlight. I think I almost cried before we'd even gone on air.
Finally, what are you listening to at the moment?
I've just been listening to the new Genesis Owusu record, really enjoying that one at the moment. Enjoying a record from an artist called Hannah Lew, a Canadian synth-pop artist. Oh and Media Puzzle's new album too - they're an Australian garage-punk band.