A former North Kent College student returned to the College to tell current students about his career which has seen him travel the world and rub shoulders with celebrities such as Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Katy Perry.
Now living in New York, Nathan Palmer studied Media at the College in 2003, when it was known as West Kent College, and has since gone on to produce some of the most famous TV shows in the world.
Nathan took time out of a busy schedule to talk to Digital Journalism and Tv and Film students about his career, his time at the College, what a TV producer does and to offer some tips for anyone looking to get into the industry, as well as talking about some of the big names he has met along the way!
After studying at the College, Nathan went to University and then gained work experience at Channel 4, before getting his big break working on Frock Me, a Channel 4 fashion show hosted by Alexa Chung.
This led to a role working on his favourite show, Big Brother, as a runner, and the start of a career in reality TV working on some of the biggest shows in the UK, including The X Factor, The Only Way is Essex and Made in Chelsea. Nathan then moved across the Atlantic to USA, where he still lives.
Since moving to the States, he has produced six different Real Housewives franchises, toured the country on a bus with American Idol, auditioned various acts for America’s Got Talent and secured his first Netflix credit on Bling Empire. Most recently he has just finished Co-Executive producing on Bravo’s Summer House and The Real Housewives of Dubai.
Nathan enjoyed returning to the College, saying: “Studying at the College gave me hands on, unforgettable experience in directing, editing and producing. All of which set me up to enter the daunting TV industry with more confidence.
“Returning to the College, my goal is to help inspire students who may have any concerns when entering a competitive world such as the media industry. I hope they can learn from my talk that no path is simple, it’s okay to learn skills (and make mistakes!) along the way. Through my experience, my aim is to become a recourse for any students looking to enter the industry. I’m here to help!”
North Kent College offers a number of Creative Media courses at its Tonbridge and Dartford campuses.
The Level 2, 3 and 4 courses cover all aspects of the industry, whether you are interested in presenting, radio, journalism or creative writing or are more interested in a crew or production role such as a filmmaker, director, or camera operator.
If you are interested in finding out more, visit the Creative Media course page of the North Kent College website.