Tom O’Dea

It’s hard to not spotlight the ‘stop-motion animation’ module in my Media Studies. I had the rare opportunity to both physically create the characters and sets, whilst also having a complete creative autonomy on the storyline, which was an amazing experience. It gave me the opportunity to use my imagination and humour, which I appreciated. I also learnt the art of patience when moving a clay figure 1mm a frame at a time. It was a lot of laughs and good memories.

My partner and I only went on to win an Esher Oscar for the finished film! Still proudly on my shelf.

I was very lucky to join the Film Studies course a few weeks into the first term, switching from another subject, that decision made a big impact on my life.

Dan Hards was my Film Studies teacher, and I was immediately met with an off the cuff quip that I had no retort for, I knew I was in safe hands! Dan created a fun learning environment, we were inspired to learn and pressed to go that extra mile. We were allowed to joke around, but we also knew if the line was crossed. That was the first time I had been treated like an adult in education, and it inspired me to knuckle down on my revision. I’m thrilled to say I passed my exams, earning an A in Film Studies, my highest mark!

Esher built into me a work ethic which I didn’t have at secondary school. I like to believe I’ve taken on those same qualities as an educator and I hope to create a similar impact for the upcoming generation of students I work with.

I continued my Film & Media Studies path and studied Film and Popular Culture with Media Arts at St Mary’s University in Twickenham, graduating with first class honours.

The final examination required us to produce a 30-minute live broadcast, where I was a lead presenter. I also picked up some transferable skills in editing. That led me to a job working as a production assistant on multiple projects, most notably at a pop-up news channel covering the IBC Convention in Amsterdam. Whilst enjoyable, I decided a career as a crewmember wasn’t for me, and I wanted to flex my creative muscles in front of the screen, so I turned towards acting.

I studied performance at The Questors Theatre in Ealing for two years, which culminated in two live theatrical performances at the theatre itself. What followed was a long stretch of time walking two lives, one of auditioning and acting & one of catering to fund the first. My acting journey took me to some amazing locations and created some fantastic memories. Highlights included a few international high-profile commercials, with some minor parts in music videos & shorts. I began to grow tired of trying to simultaneously break the acting glass ceiling and make a perfect flat white in the same day. Then, right when I needed it, one of my friends (also from Esher) sent me a job description of a ‘Learning Facilitator and Mentor’ at the company 8billionideas, which somehow perfectly suited my skill set, experiences, interests and desire to have a salaried income – so I applied and here I am today!

I work at the edtech company 8billionideas as a Learning Facilitator & Mentor.

To explain the company a little, 8billionideas is on a mission to give every student on the planet the skills and belief to change the world. This struck a chord with me, and it has been an amazing experience to facilitate experiences that help students prepare for interviews, sleep better, deal with anxiety, experience the workplace in internships etc.

The role leans heavily into my skill set, for example public speaking to large audiences of students both online and in person, hosting award shows, presenting content to camera in the studio, which also allows me to utilise my creative thinking, making short sketches or comedic twists to make the content engaging.

My acting highlight would have to be when I was cast as the Lead Actor in an international fast-food commercial. I was flown to Bulgaria, stayed in a 5* hotel, and experienced the Hollywood superstar way of life for about three days. The commercial had a story and was shot like a feature film, they even had to shut down the city centre! I’ve never felt more pressure than that. The finished product had millions of views and even if I don’t pursue acting further, I was happy I achieved that amazing moment.

In regard to facilitation, just this year, we flew to the Middle East and hosted a three-day competitive event where students from multiple schools, explored their entrepreneurship ideas and then showcased them in a pitch. One group specifically asked me for advice on how to overcome their public speaking concerns and I gave all the guidance that I could. They went on to win the in-school competition and then absolutely smashed it at the finals, opening the show and setting the tone. Watching them flourish was the proudest mentoring moment I’ve experienced and their words of gratitude post-event I won’t forget!

Journal, at the end of every day. I write a short synopsis of what happened that day on a paper calendar. Whether it’s something hilarious that was said, an amazing gig I went too, what videogame I played, or something bad that happen. I write it as if an onlooker documented the events, rather than first person spilling my guts out full of emotions, because you don’t want to go back and read that!

The best part about this is – you remember so much incredible stuff and most importantly, it helps me keep track of what the heck is going on in my life. If I am exhausted, I take a quick look at the notes and I suddenly get reminded of why. I started in 2017, but I would have loved to have seen all the bits and bobs that I got up to back when I was 16.

Next up, I would express that I prefer regretting what I attempted and didn’t succeed at, rather than regretting what I didn’t attempt, because then you’re just left forever with illusions of what-if’s. At least with a proper outcome, you can build yourself back up and move on with it.

Create to-do lists. I only started in 2022 when life felt completely overwhelming and unsurprisingly, that’s when my life suddenly started to progress positively with significant momentum. It’s just such an easy way to keep track of what needs to be done. Also, put fun things on it, enjoyment is an important task that needs to be ticked every day.

I’m going to break the rules here on the bar and go for a cake. Mini-Jaffa Cakes specifically, or, as we used to say at Esher, “Tactical Jaffa’s”. The perfect choccy snack to munch on the sly in a classroom, when you’re trying to combat those hungry belly rumbles. Bar crunches are too loud, crisps are too obvious, but the Mini-Jaffa’s always saved the day.