Camera Specialist
Globetrotting Glenn Lightbody travels Europe, Middle East and Africa educating, demonstrating and providing support services for the world’s leading innovator and manufacturer of creative video technology. The University of Staffordshire alumnus works for video technology company Blackmagic Design as a technical sales specialist for EMEA.
Glenn is originally from the African continent himself, coming from Zimbabwe, where he spent the first 15 years of his life. His parents immigrated to the UK in 2001, leaving behind their 1500-hectare farm, fearing for their lives in the wake of threats from the government force called ZANU-PF and the Zimbabwe War Veterans who stopped at nothing to ensure they stayed in power.
After arriving in the UK, Glenn’s family settled in Eccleshall and then Stone, Staffordshire, where he attended Alleyne’s School. Following A Levels in Electronics, Art, Design and Technology, he was able to pursue his lifelong interest in film, eventually signing up to the Film (Media) Production course at University of Staffordshire.
Escaping Zimbabwe
“Originally, I picked University of Staffordshire because of the location,” Glenn explained. “I had to find something close so I could support my family as best I could, after everything we had been through, having been forced to leave Zimbabwe with nothing but our suitcases.
“I grew up in Zimbabwe where my parents and most of their parents and grandparents were born. We farmed around 1500 hectares of land. In 2000, Mugabe’s regime implemented a policy of ‘re-education’ to control land owners, and ensure they forced their labour to vote for his party, ZANU-PF, or face having their land taken over or worse. Mugabe’s ‘War Veterans’ started seizing land and killing people of every race or creed. They killed many of our animals and we started getting death threats because we wouldn’t comply so we left for the UK.”
After settling in Staffordshire, his father revived his electrician’s skills and started a new business, while Glenn began his GCSEs at school and further explored his interest in film.
“My passion for film started when I was very young, growing up in Zimbabwe,” he recalled. “We had a black and white TV which we didn’t watch much, but what we did watch were lots of documentaries about wildlife, including David Attenborough. We came on holiday to the UK where I spent all my savings on a little Panasonic camera and started filming everything.
“When we came to live in the UK, I had access to affordable video equipment which was really expensive in Zimbabwe, so I was able to explore my passion further. After leaving school, I had three choices: 1) work for my Dad’s electrical business, 2) work in computers or 3) work in film. Choosing to further my passion for film, I signed up to University of Staffordshire.”
Passion for Film
“The degree had a great reputation,” Glenn said. “From day one, the lecturers were really open and honest with us. They led by example. They had written a course based on their own experiences in the industry. Everything we were taught was very important to working in the industry.
“We were told if we wanted to learn how to use a camera we had to go out and use it. We were making three films a semester, alongside theory work such as learning how to manage a project budget. A lot of the skills I learned from Staffordshire I still use today. There are a lot of people in the industry that came out with a similar degree from other universities that didn’t learn these invaluable practical skills.”
Glenn’s final year project was a documentary about a child soldier from Zimbabwe and readjusting to life after the atrocious war crimes he had been made to commit. After taking the film to a festival, he was approached by Tigress Productions, which makes TV shows for the BBC, among others. He spent six months as a researcher before his farming experience from Zimbabwe landed him a job at Breeze and Freeze Productions, which made films for the BBC’s Country File, among others.
Glenn then moved into the equipment side of the industry, becoming a sales account manager at (CVP) Creative Video Productions, where he managed customer accounts, provided technical support and demonstrated equipment. In August 2013 after almost four years, he moved to a more demanding role at Blackmagic Design. He is based in the Lake District and lives there with his wife and two daughters.
“I spend 50% of the year travelling all over EMEA, and though it can be difficult spending all that time away from home and my young family, it’s an excellent job at a company with a great ethos in a brilliant industry.” Glenn explained.
“I educate resellers as well as end users and occasionally get to go on location and spend time with the director of photography, making sure everything is working for them in the way they want. I train people in how to use the equipment and speak to end users about their requirements and how to get blockbuster quality images with £10,000 cameras, for example. One day I will definitely go back into filmmaking and all this work in my current job where I’m an integral part of a film’s production coupled with my university experiences will help to ensure my ultimate goal; to be involved in all parts of the film making experience from start to finish, in a word a ‘Director’”.
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