Welcome to Culture Footprint, featuring one of the people of God making a difference in the world today, aiming to be an inspiring presence and telling the story of Christ in the culture.
Mark Waddington has had a varied career in the media spanning radio, TV and the internet. He's presented programmes and produced them, promoted them and blogged about them. He began at BBC Local Radio in Leeds, was a continuity announcer on BBC ONE, directed Songs of Praise and has made award winning TV trailers.
After a couple of years managing ITV Local Yorkshire he is now running his own media training business.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
In my teens I wanted to be a BBC announcer. I was fascinated by voices and was an avid listener of radio. A friend gave me an old BBC microphone so I built an amplifier and set up a radio station. Every day I'd "broadcast" to some farm buildings at the back of our house in Yorkshire. I had a huge audience of cows and chickens.
How did you get involved in the media?
I was still at school and helping out at BBC Radio Leeds in the 1970s. I turned up for an early shift during the Christmas holidays. The snow was so bad that I was the only person to make it to the studios. I broadcast for an hour before the team arrived. They were so thrilled that I'd rescued the situation that they gave me a job once I left school.
What programme are you most proud of?
At BBC Broadcast I was responsible for delivering on-air promotional films for BBC NEWS. I'm most proud of that work because actually it wasn't me that made them - it was my team. As the team producer I was able to recruit, train and manage the people I worked with, and in the years I did the job we must have won dozens of awards. My greatest joy is helping people unlock their ideas and talents.
Who has been the biggest influence in your work?
That's an interesting question. The person who brought me to the Christian faith was the Reverend John Peat. He made a connection between my talent and my faith and encouraged me to be a broadcaster. He instilled in me the importance of putting people above technology. "Put people first" he would always tell me. He encouraged me to look for stories of hope.
What do you do to relax?
I'm potty about photography. I've bought myself a Canon 5D Mark 2 camera which may not mean much to you but to me it's wonderful. Taking photographs stops you being concerned with the past or the future and roots you in the present moment. It helps you to observe the things around you.
Which scripture influences you in your work?
I've always loved the story of the prodigal son. For me it's a story of hope that whatever mistakes we make there's always a way back and love to be found.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the media?
Be very alert to the opportunities in your present situation and make the most of them. It's very easy to be thinking about the next step and to miss the here and now. Start a blog and keep a daily journal.
Tell us a joke...
This is a funny story told in Ken Robinson's wonderful book The Element which I can highly recommend.
A primary school teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew.
She would occasionally walk around to see each child's artwork. As she came to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, "I'm drawing God." The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like." Without hesitating, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied: "They will in a minute."
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Culture Footprint: Phil Schluter Phil Schluter runs a family coffee business founded in 1858, which specialises in African coffees. The enterprise trades in a socially responsible and ethical manner. Phil grew up in Kenya, did most of his education in the UK, lived in Switzerland for 16 years, and has been in Liverpool since 2009. He is married to Helen, and they have four kids under the age of seven – Luc, Jasmine, Gabriel and Josselin.
Culture Footprint: Bridget Adams Bridget Adams started her working life as a physicist in university and government laboratories before moving into the high-tech business sector where she worked in sales, marketing, management, and consultancy. Bridget now works to help start, develop and network Christian-run businesses, and runs WorkPlace Inspired. Business as Mission is one of her passions.
Culture Footprint: Theresa Stone Theresa studied English Literature at Goldsmiths University in London, before doing a multi-media journalism masters at Bournemouth University. She has worked freelance at Premier Christian Radio, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Micah Challenge International. She is now the prayer & communications coordinator for 24-7 Prayer UK. Theresa has a passion for prayer, church unity, mission, justice, and telling God stories.
Culture Footprint: Steve Legg Steve is an evangelist from Littlehampton in West Sussex who has travelled the length and breadth of the UK and internationally for the last 25 years using a daft mix of comedy, trickery, mystery and escapology to communicate the gospel. He has also written 13 books and these days devotes a lot of time to running Sorted Magazine. Originally from Bournemouth, he became a Christian as a teenager at a Boys’ Brigade camp. Steve loves a good curry, never misses Eggheads on BBC2 and plays badminton every day.
Culture Footprint: Andy Silver Andy Silver is director of Pop Connection. A Welshman, born in Cardiff, he studied music at Cardiff University and then taught for a number of years. Andy gave up teaching to do a theology course which led him to work in a church as music director and youth/children's worker in Southampton. Next, he became director of training at Capernwray in the Lake District and then joined the staff at Elmwood Church Salford in 2000, where he started working in primary schools using music to create a long-term relationship between school and church. Pop Connection is a charity aiming to unite schools, churches and communities through the power of music.
Date Created: 12 February 2010
Last Modified: 12 February 2010
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