In the Spotlight: Sophie King

This month, Sophie King (2009-11) is in the spotlight:

Tell us about what you do now. Has your time at the school influenced your life today? 

I’m now a television director, after having directed and produced commercials and content for about a decade. My time at the school hugely influenced my life today as I joined BMS explicitly because of the school’s reputation for excelling in the arts. There was nowhere else locally I could study film at A Level, and the drama department just had an outstanding level of professional output that I yearned to be a part of. Attending BMS gave me the confidence and skills I needed to then go on to study film at university and ultimately make a career in production a reality. 

Tell us about your time at BMS. Do you have any special memories you would like to share? 

Any of the performing arts events were a real high - the sense of camaraderie and enthusiasm was palpable and it was always a pleasure to be a part of them. I also really enjoyed making our short films for the film studies A Level - shooting is always my favourite stage of production as there’s so many happy accidents, and it was particularly enjoyable getting involved in my friends’ films and having fun realising a creative goal together. That’s still what I do it for today. 

Who was someone from your time at BMS who had an impact on you and why? 

This one has to be John Sanders, my film teacher. John was inspirational from day one, and his passion for movies is infectious. He always made the film classroom feel like a safe place to explore ideas and it never really felt like work as we were all just engaging with amazing films together each week - what a luxury! And I definitely think I still have some of the school’s DVD collection in my cupboard… sorry John!

What do you do like to do in your spare time? 

I’ve recently got back into playing piano, which will be a huge surprise to my mum who spent years of my childhood trying to get me to practice to no avail. I never had an aptitude for music, but I enjoy it as a rare screen-free moment of peace once my kids are asleep. I only play the kind of music I enjoy listening to now though (aka not grade pieces) which has made a huge difference, and some Disney classics for good measure.
 

What advice would you give to your younger self? 

Probably just to worry less about doing everything yesterday. I spent my teenage years in a big hurry about achieving my goals rapidly, and being totally honest that is still a trait I have today. But since COVID I think we’ve all been forced to reassess our priorities a little more, and self-care and time with friends and family is certainly the real priority. 

Are there any other thoughts you would like to share with the OBM and BMS community? 

Just how special BMS’s community is - I still collaborate with a number of OBMs (not just those from my own year) professionally and there’s such a base level of decency in BMS students that is truly unique. Their dedication and focus is unwavering but above all they are kind people, and this is the most important thing in the world.