
Stories
Youth Beyond Borders Mentee: Meet Maria
date
13/12/24
author
Maria Mintah
Aurora is proud to continue our partnership with Youth Beyond Borders, supporting their mission to empower young creatives from under-represented communities in the UK. Through our ongoing Mentorship scheme with YBB, now in its second year, we’re helping young talent develop careers in the creative industries with guidance, industry opportunities, and production work placements.
A highlight this year has been the journey of YBB mentee Maria Mintah and her Aurora mentor Phoebe Augier, a collaboration which has provided Maria with meaningful hands-on work experience across Formula E And E1 Series productions. You can read more about Maria’s time with Aurora in her own words below.
Maria On Location (1) - Formula E London E Prix
"My Aurora Mentor Phoebe, arranged for me to spend some time getting production experience; I had the pleasure of visiting the Formula E track and remote gallery for the final round of Season 10 at the London ExCel Centre.
The lovely Tabby who was the Production Coordinator, was my point of contact for my first day. She took me on a tour around the building showing me around the broadcast centre, the track, and the gallery. The gallery is what really piqued my interest as I’ve always wanted to see behind-the-scenes of a motorsport racing event. Tabby then showed me the track which is the only indoor/outdoor track in Season 10


Later, I shadowed one of the producers Taz as she completed a few VNRs (which I learned is a video news reel) with FE driver Oliver Rowland. Whist attempting to track down drivers, we took shortcuts through the pitlanes where I saw all the sponsors and car brands that make these incredible electric cars. I enjoyed watching the busy pitlane as the engineers worked meticulously to ensure the cars were fit for their drivers and their team. Seeing the track so bustling gave me further insight into the multiple roles that play a part in this type of event. The sheer scale of the building let alone the track, made me feel grateful to be in this environment where my two passions collide: sport and television.
As I am an avid football lover, being in a different sport setting other than pitches and stadia expanded my horizons in two ways: I’m now able to see how varied sport shows are made; also I now have a newfound interest for motorsports which is something I am really excited to explore in the TV world.


I visited the Westworks site the following day when rehearsals were fully in motion, the track was completed, and energy from the crew was buzzing. Once again, I was shown into the Gallery, this time by Edwina, also a production coordinator. Edwina introduced me to West, the Executive Director, who brings his vision to life in the gallery. After witnessing a glitch during rehearsals, it reminded me that things don’t always go to plan, even in the TV industry, despite what we see on screen. Thankfully, connection was restored so myself, West and some others joked about how I may have brought bad luck to the rehearsal! Watching West really inspired me to delve into directing again, however the pressure of an incredibly fast decision-making environment is what made me realise some of the harsh challenges that goes into the process of creative a live show.
A challenge I overcame was around expensive camera equipment meaning you must be wary of where you walk…with me being clumsy, I made sure to stay vigilant. During my observation of the Gallery, I caught my eye on how the Executive Director and the Vision Mixer worked together to make sure things flowed. I made sure to take note of this for the next time I witnessed this dynamic, during my stint as a production runner in July at the remote site for E1 Monaco, the exciting new electric powerboat racing series."
Maria On Location (2) - E1 Series
"Bright and early on the Saturday I came to the remote site in Ealing for Aurora's E1 Series production, working as a runner for the day. I now had a little bit more knowledge around the way live sport television works, thanks to my away-days at the ExCel and Westworks for Formula E. I was delighted to be re-united with my mentor Phoebe, who is the Senior Production Coordinator on E1 Series. Phoebe briefed me on the running order for the event and how flexible I needed to be to aid the crew. A few examples of my jobs were to be across the crew logistics and ensure everyone was caffeinated and hydrated, ready to face the day - including making a few quick trips to the shops to get snacks. Throughout the day, I would check up on what people needed and I would fulfil their request to the best of my ability with it only being my second official time as a runner!
Due to my knowledge of Formula E’s sustainability values, I noticed that the production emphasises eco-friendly practices, from using electric vehicles for transportation to reducing waste on set. Regularly recycling, eating well-portioned lunches and using an eco-dishwasher setting made it a fulfilling experience to contribute to something that aligns with my values; it was refreshing to be in a space that cares so deeply about sustainability. It further inspired me to be more eco-conscious both in my house and on productions I hope to run in the future.


The most thrilling part of my time in Ealing consisted of being in the gallery and meeting the Director, Ben and Vision Mixer, Lauren. Before I formally met them, I watched the rehearsals before getting to sit with them during the race where I was shown how the vision mixer worked as it really piqued my interest as to how the transitions from camera to camera changed so smoothly. I watched the majority of the race while occasionally popping out for coffee runs, when Ben gave me the opportunity to have a go at vision mixing live! I exclaimed “really?!’ with instant pressure as I was anxious about pressing the wrong buttons or messing up the feed. Controlling the cameras for live television was something I never thought I’d be able to do soon, so experiencing this was incredible.
For the rest of my time in the gallery, I was fixated on so many things, the graphics team making last-minute changes, all camera angles, and listening to Ben’s directions as Lauren followed them. Before I knew it my time was coming to an end. The race had ended, feedback time for crew had started, and I was on my way to recap my time at Aurora with Phoebe.

All in all, the role of a runner isn’t without its challenges. Long hours, constant monitoring of the crew, timekeeping, and quickly familiarising myself with new environments. However, the rewards far outweigh the challenges I faced.
It was an eye-opening experience - there’s nothing quite like the adrenaline rush of being on set during a live event, watching the electric car races, and knowing you played a small part in bringing this spectacle to life."
I'd like to thank everyone who helped and guided me throughout my time at Aurora and I’d especially like to thank Phoebe Augier for thinking about me for this experience.
