Tobias Sutton

Currently on a placement year with The Walt Disney Company, at their Head Offices in London, Tobias will resume his studies at Northampton for the final year of his degree. A placement year usually occurs between the second and final year of study at university and enables students to gain valuable work experience, develop transferable skills and explore potential career paths.

What is your role during your placement year?

I’m working within the company’s softlines division, which is within Consumer Products, Games and Publishing. This involves assisting with managing the brand collaborations and the use of Disney’s intellectual property – those iconic characters – which other brands want to put on their clothing, fashion, and homeware products.

How has your course prepared you for your placement?

As part of the Advertising and Digital Marketing course, I’m frequently working on creative briefs, to a tight deadline, with clients from the business community in Northampton and departments within the University, which are all valuable skills for working in the industry. Responding to a creative brief was part of the assessment for the Disney placement, so I was prepared for this and was confident in the skills I’d already developed. I’m certain that the first two years of my course at UON prepared me for this prestigious opportunity.

Do you have any tips on applying for a placement?

The University’s Changemaker Hub team were so helpful as I started the work to secure a placement year. They helped me to create my CV and showed me how to tailor it for each application. Then when it came to the opportunity with Disney, they supported me with preparing for interviews and preparing for assessment centres.

How do you think the placement will help you with gaining employment after graduating?

The kind of projects I’m working on are complex and I’m steadily taking on more responsibility, so the workload is steadily growing. Not only am I learning more about the academic side of advertising and marketing, but I’m also developing my wider skills, learning more every day, and juggling a busy to-do list. A placement year with Disney, probably one of the most iconic global brands, is the opportunity of a lifetime.

What advice would you give to students about to start a placement year?

I would encourage all students to embark on a placement year. It’s a fantastic opportunity to put the theory from your course into practice and to work on your communication and organisation skills. So far, my time at The Walt Disney Company has been everything you would want from a placement year – challenging, exciting and fulfilling, and with a sprinkle of the Disney magic that we all grew up with.