Former Demon FM member Dave Murphy has landed his dream job as Breakfast Show Producer at Capital East Midlands - as well as being shortlisted for two national awards.
A former member of De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU)’s award-winning media group has landed a top radio production job just months after leaving university.
Dave Murphy, who only completed his postgraduate course in TV Scriptwriting at De Montfort University (DMU) in the summer, is the new Breakfast Show Producer at Capital East Midlands – and he has paid tribute to his experience on DSU’s very own Demon FM for helping him make his big break.
What’s all the more impressive is that Dave, who also studied for an undergraduate degree in Drama at DMU and was a key member of the Comedy Society, made his first appearance on university radio just two years ago.
He said: “I have always had a vague involvement with Demon Media, as Demon TV used to film our shows with the Comedy Society, but I didn’t properly get involved until the end of my third year.
“Me and (comedy partner) Ricky (Lount) started out by hosting the Friday Breakfast Show on Demon FM and we entered a show reel of our best bits into that year’s (2014) Demon Media Awards.
“It just so happened that it was judged by Dick Stone, top dog at Capital East Midlands, and he asked us to come and intern for Capital last November and now less than a year later I’m producing the show!”
Dave had previously been running the social media channels for the breakfast show, hosted by Dino and Pete, and when asked to interview for the position of producer he jumped at the chance.
“It all happened so quickly,” he said. “It was terrifying on my first day!
“My role involves finding bits of content to put out on air and creating pieces that will appeal to the target demographic and other things like that, as well as making sure the show runs smoothly.
“Dino and Pete and the team have been really supportive and helpful and it is such a nice environment to work in.”
And Dave has explained how his experience at university helped him in his chosen career path. He said: “Demon FM has definitely helped in terms of helping manage content in particular – if I did not have that experience in managing a radio show I would have no idea.
“That has all come from Demon, and without all that I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
So what advice does Dave have for anyone thinking of getting involved with Demon Media? He said: “Stop thinking about it and go and get involved!
“Many people in their first year think they have got too much on their plate to do anything extra, but the biggest regret for second and third years tends to be not getting involved and there are so many opportunities from journalism through to radio production, so there’s something for everyone.”
And as well as landing his dream job, Dave has also been nominated for two Student Radio Association awards, for Best Male Presenter and with Ricky for Best Entertainment Programme, which you can read more about here.
DSU wishes Dave the best of luck with both awards, his new position and those 4am starts...