What Mentoring Means #3 Jared Sinclair

Jared met Becky and Korinna after completing a training programme where he first learned about Shadow To Shine. Having recently graduated in Media and Communications, Jared was already thinking about where to go next, but was lacking in the self-assurance and industry connections to kickstart his career.

After reaching out to Shadow To Shine directly, Jared was invited into the office to start scoping out his ambitions and work out who might make a suitable mentor. Soon enough, we introduced Jared to Ben Maher, commercial boss of Outernet Global – an innovative and immersive media and entertainment company situated in the heart of London and worldwide.

Jared admitted to being at an all-time low with his confidence after a long period of receiving rejection emails from job applications; a sentiment that is now more prevalent than ever amongst young people in the current climate. He began his mentorship with Ben with little faith that the process would have any real impact, but he was soon to be proved wrong.

The initial sessions were centred around getting to know each other and understanding Jared’s particular interests. It gave an opportunity for two worlds to collide and share their respective stories. Quickly, Jared begun to look forward to his mentoring sessions and noticed that not only was he receiving expert guidance from someone with over twenty years’ experience in the industry, but he was also providing valuable insight and learning for Ben too. The realisation had a dramatic and positive impact on his self-esteem.

Just before the pandemic hit, Jared was able to have a week’s work experience at Outernet working as Ben’s assistant. Through this, Jared gained exposure to the inner workings of a ground-breaking media company, and found himself approaching new people, making connections and learning from the colleagues who were around.

Of his experience Jared said: “Mentorship has helped me to have meetings and talk to people that I usually wouldn’t. Overall, it was the confidence. I can stand stronger in the face of adversity and be more resilient when things get tough. I think everyone could see the transformation in me from the start of my mentorship to the end.”