Philip Rorke
BA Media & Communication Studies, 1996
TV DIRECTOR, FORMULA ONE
“When I saw the course advertised, I jumped at the chance.”
During his degree Philip had one ambition: to work for Formula One. Now group manager for the sport’s TV production department, and director of the international feed of the Formula One World Championship, he says it’s thanks to his degree that he landed his dream job.
His final degree project played a big part in his success. For their last big project, he and two course-mates set out to portray how the BBC, who at the time held the rights to F1 coverage, covered the Grand Prix. Together, they wrote to the head of BBC Sport who invited them up to BBC TV Centre.
They were offered the chance to film the event on one condition: they got permission from Bernie Ecclestone. After many begging letters and phone calls, they got a pass and the students’ 20-minute film changed the course of their careers.
Philip acknowledges that the start of most careers feel uncertain but, for him, the ambitions fostered during his time at Greenwich were central to his success.
“It’s difficult to know what you want to do in the future”, he says, “but you’ve got to pursue and chase your dream, because no one’s going to do it for you.
You’ve got to grab a real opportunity now. Then, through persistence, you can actually make a difference.”
Philip Rorke
BA Media & Communication Studies, 1996
TV DIRECTOR, FORMULA ONE
“When I saw the course advertised, I jumped at the chance.”
During his degree Philip had one ambition: to work for Formula One. Now group manager for the sport’s TV production department, and director of the international feed of the Formula One World Championship, he says it’s thanks to his degree that he landed his dream job.
His final degree project played a big part in his success. For their last big project, he and two course-mates set out to portray how the BBC, who at the time held the rights to F1 coverage, covered the Grand Prix. Together, they wrote to the head of BBC Sport who invited them up to BBC TV Centre.
They were offered the chance to film the event on one condition: they got permission from Bernie Ecclestone. After many begging letters and phone calls, they got a pass and the students’ 20-minute film changed the course of their careers.
Philip acknowledges that the start of most careers feel uncertain but, for him, the ambitions fostered during his time at Greenwich were central to his success.
“It’s difficult to know what you want to do in the future”, he says, “but you’ve got to pursue and chase your dream, because no one’s going to do it for you.
You’ve got to grab a real opportunity now. Then, through persistence, you can actually make a difference.”
