Together with colleague Ellen Eriksen, Skotheim was teaching students how to write a good opinion piece.
⁃ In my daily work, I often hear that young people were so much more passionate about social causes back in the day when they would chain themselves to trees, participate in political rallies, and so on.
- They say the selfie generation doesn’t care. But I disagree, she says.
⁃ It is just that the old banners and shouts in the streets have now been replaced with electronic forms of mobilization. Like the MeToo movement, which started with a few messages in social media. As a result, many powerful men around the globe have fallen.
Success: This is the second year in a row that Metis and BPG invite the media industry for a meet and greet. (Photo: Tonje Li)
The students agree with her. When asked, they willingly share what’s on their hearts and minds.
⁃ I think the media portrays senior year high school students in a negative and unfair way, claims student Kristine Trengereid.
- You always write about that one guy who goes crazy on a Greek island, but you fail to mention all the positive stories. The truth is, these students raise millions for good causes every year. I remember one cause, where students raised NOK 500 000 for cancer research just through a hashtag on Instagram. I could only find one article about it in a small, local paper.
BT Opinion Editor Liv Skotheim teaching the students how to write an opinion piece that gets published. (Photo: Hilde V. Gudvangen / Media City Bergen)
⁃ I would love to publish that opinion piece. If you want to write it, we can help you out, responds Skotheim.
Future media professionals: Many former media students from Metis and BPG are now working in media cluster companies. (Photo: Martin Egset-Linneke)
Other member companies from the Media Cluster attended the festival, inviting students to participate.
Podcast producer Line Alsaker from the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) invited students to participate in their ongoing radio short documentary competition and gave a talk on how to make a good podcast.
Podcast producer Line Alsaker from NRK talking about good storytelling and interview techniques for podcasts. (Photo: Tonje Li)
TV 2, along with the more tech-driven cluster companies Myreze and Rainfall, were also presenting at this year's Media Festival, together with the University of Bergen, Noroff, and BI Bergen.
⁃ Our job is to educate future media producers, says co-host and organizer Rolf Næss at Metis.
- We see a lot of possibilities in the people and companies right here in Bergen, in our local network. In return, we can offer them access to an interesting but hard-to-reach demographic.
The event is specifically targeted towards media students at the two schools, and gives the students a glimpse into future opportunities.
Keith Mellingen from Rainfall showing a 360 film to a student. (Photo: Kaya Meby Steen)
- I started editing film in high school, just like you, says presenter and VR-expert Keith Mellingen.
He is just a few years older than the students and is now Head of VR at the consultancy firm Rainfall.
- Without any further education, I kept learning and exploring 360 film, and eventually worked my way up to where I am today.
Mellingen is clearly hitting a nerve with his audience as jaws are dropping all over the auditorium.
Director Martin Lavik Nygaard from Myreze, telling the story of the young and up-and-coming media tech company. (Photo: Martin Egset-Linneke)
Text by Hilde Gudvangen