What have a Netflix box set and an Urban Synergy Career Assembly at Prendergast Ladywell Secondary School got in common?
Well Chad Orororo, Sound Editor/Mixer, who’s worked on series including The Tinder Swindler and The Deepest Breath, was the assembly’s special guest in May. He’s also an Urban Synergy Ambassador.
Last month, he joined Urban Synergy’s Dianne Johnson, Head of Programmes and engagement to deliver an assembly with 180 Year 7 students aged 11-12 years.
Global Sound Editor, Chad Orororo, remembers being at a similar assembly himself in 2007.
Chad talked about growing up in Woolwich and attending Deptford Green School in south east London. He recalled being labelled as underachieving until his teacher introduced him to Urban Synergy Mentoring.
Together with some of his classmates they worked with Urban Synergy to help deliver the charity’s first Role Model Seminar at their school to show the students career role models from different industries that look like them too. See the classmates’ stories in this short video
The career role models he met through Urban Synergy included pilots, barristers, and engineers. They helped to raise his aspirations.
Chad shared a presentation with the students showing his career journey to A levels and university which led him to a career in sound design working for post production company Molinare.
To date, he’s worked on Netflix productions including Tinder Swindler and The Deepest Breath. What’s more, he’s now recognised as a Bafta Breakthrough UK candidate.
And, when he’s not perfecting the sound on a movie or binge-worthy series, or inspiring the next generation of Deptford children, Chad’s at award ceremonies in Los Angeles.
Chad also talked about the challenges along the way and how he dealt with them for the students to understand resilience. The students had lots of questions for Chad and students’ feedback have been featured below.
Student feedback
“It helped me to understand new career pathways and future jobs.”
“I really enjoyed the event and I found it really helpful and inspiring.”
“I liked the careers event because it made me think about my future and how to be careful with what I want to do and how you can easily go from being a distracted kid in class to meeting famous people like Chad did and improve yourself - going into the future and your future jobs. It showed me that you can easily turn yourself around and have loads of different opportunities.”
“This made me have a new perspective to new jobs like a sound engineer, so I don’t just have to be a footballer.”
“I liked it because it gives you the inspiration for what you can be.”
“Thank you so much to the children and teachers at Prendergast Ladywell Secondary School, and to Chad, for your epic insights,” said Dianne Johnson, Head of Programmes at Urban Synergy.
“We are hugely proud of what you’ve achieved and that you are now an Urban Synergy Ambassador inspiring the next generation of young people in Lewisham.”