Dr Richard Wallis
- Principal Academic
- Weymouth House W212, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, BH12 5BB
- Keywords:
- Education
- Media policy
Biography
I have taught film and television at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels here in Bournemouth since 2012, and led the undergraduate programme in Media Production between 2013 and 2017. Since that time I have continued to teach across the Faculty's media production programmes, and during the period 2019-2023 I was also External Examiner for Northumbria University. I was previously Head of Twofour Learning, the education division of the Twofour Group, and served on the Board of Twofour Communications (2008-2010). Prior to that I was one of the company’s Executive Producers, working for clients ranging from broadcasters like the BBC and Channel 4 to a wide range of major brands. Recognition of my work has included awards from the Royal Television Society, the International Visual Communications Association, the New York Festivals, and the British Universities Film & Video Council. My primary research interests focus on various aspects of work within the media industries (see below), and I am part of the Centre for Excellence in Media Practice (CEMP)... I am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).
moreResearch
My research is primarily focused on the experience of media work in the fast-changing context in which this labour market operates. I am interested in the nature of a media career; career support and interventions; systemic retention issues and skills shortages; the development of effective Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and training; and the role of media education and pedagogy in the preparation of young people aspiring to work within these industries. Recent funded projects in this field include the Career Narratives Project (2017-20); State of Play (2020) for Bectu; Disability by Design (2021) for Equity and Deaf and Disabled People in TV; Mid-career support for people working in TV (2021-22) supported by BFI; and Understanding the Production Management skills gap in UK TV supported by British Academy/Leverhulme Trust. I currently hold a British Academy Innovation Fellowship (2024-25) for my project Supportive offboarding: Developing new practices to support sustainable freelance careers in TV. I am also interested in the role of media in education more broadly, and media in the public understanding of religion. My PhD (IoE/UCL & Loughborough) examined media literacy as government policy during the New Labour years. I welcome PhD proposals and peer collaborative initiatives in any of these areas.
Favourites
- Wallis, R. and Van Raalte, C., 2022. Britain’s Got Talent? A Critique of the “Talent Pipeline” Crisis in the UK’s Film and Television Industries. Media Industries, 9 (1).
- Van Raalte, C., Wallis, R. and Pekalski, D., 2021. Disability by Design: Representation in TV. Poole, UK: Bournemouth University.
- Van Raalte, C., Wallis, R. and Pekalski, D., 2021. State of Play 2021: Management Practices in UK Unscripted Television. Poole, UK: Bournemouth University.
- Wallis, R., 2021. Career readiness: developing graduate employability capitals in aspiring media workers. Journal of Education and Work, 34 (4), 533-543.
- Wallis, R., Van Raalte, C. and Allegrini, S., 2020. The value and purpose of a Media Production degree from the perspective of mid-career graduates. Media Education Research Journal, 9 (2), 74-92.
- Wallis, R. and Van Raalte, C., 2020. Growing a sustainable workforce: A response to the DCMS Committee’s inquiry into the 'Impact of Covid-19 on DCMS sectors'. UK Parliament written evidence.
- Wallis, R., van Raalte, C. and Allegrini, S., 2020. The ‘shelf-life’ of a media career: a study of the long-term career narratives of media graduates. Creative Industries Journal, 13 (2), 178-193.
- Wallis, R., 2020. Genesis of the Bible documentary: the development of religious broadcasting in the UK. In: Bond, H.K. and Adams, E., eds. The Bible on Television. Bloomsbury.
- Wallis, R. and Buckingham, D., 2019. Media literacy: the UK’s undead cultural policy. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 25 (2), 188-203.
- Wallis, R., 2016. Channel 4 and the declining influence of organized religion on UK television. The case of Jesus: The Evidence. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 36 (4), 668-688.
- Wallis, R., 2014. Media literacy – yesterday’s ‘really important idea’. Media Education Research Journal, 4 (2).
- Wallis, R. and Buckingham, D., 2013. Arming the citizen-consumer: the invention of ‘media literacy’ within UK communications policy. European Journal of Communication, 28 (5), 527-540.