Jack Watkins

Tell us a bit about your early career, what happened after you graduated?

Since graduating from SAE Liverpool, my career has grown into a multidisciplinary creative practice spanning music, brand design and creative direction. I initially worked within digital and creative agency environments, where I gained experience delivering commercial projects and understanding how brands and businesses operate at a professional level.

Over time, I realised I wanted greater creative ownership, so I moved into independent practice and built my own studio. I now work directly with founders, artists, authors and independent businesses on brand identity, creative direction and website design, helping people articulate who they are and how they show up in the world.

Alongside this, I have continued developing my work as an artist, songwriter and producer. I have released original music, performed headline live shows, and collaborated with other artists across writing and production. Having a background in both sound and visual identity allows me to work across disciplines in a way that feels cohesive rather than separate.

One defining moment early on was winning a global SAE student competition with a remix I produced, which led to the opportunity to attend the Grammy Awards. That experience was hugely motivating and gave me a sense of what was possible at an international level.

My journey has been shaped as much by self-initiated learning, collaboration and independent exploration as by formal roles. I have always taken a proactive approach to building skills, relationships and opportunities, which has allowed me to carve out a career that is creatively varied and personally meaningful.

What are you most proud of so far?

Releasing my own original music and performing it live has been one of the most meaningful milestones so far. There is something incredibly powerful about taking an idea from the very first spark, shaping it through writing and production, and then sharing it with a room full of people.

I am also proud of building an independent creative practice that allows me to work across music and design with people and projects I genuinely believe in. Creating a career on my own terms, where creative expression and professional work can coexist, feels like a significant achievement in itself.

How did SAE contribute to your journey?

SAE provided a structured environment where I could immerse myself in the technical side of music production and start taking my creative interests seriously. It gave me access to equipment, facilities and a community of other creative people, which helped me understand how ideas move from concept to finished work.

While a lot of my growth also came from self-directed learning and seeking out additional mentorship and hands-on experience, SAE played an important role in giving me the foundation and confidence to pursue creative work as a career rather than just a hobby. It was an early step in a much wider journey of experimentation, independence and continual learning.

If you were recommending SAE to someone, what would you say?

I would say it is a great environment to begin developing both your technical skills and your creative confidence, especially if you make the most of the resources and community around you.

The key is to treat it as a starting point rather than the whole journey. The students who get the most out of it are the ones who are curious, proactive and willing to experiment beyond the brief. If you use your time there to explore, collaborate and push yourself, it can be a valuable part of your path.

What advice would you give to future SAE students?

Take ownership of your learning. The course is one part of your education, the rest comes from what you explore outside of class, the people you connect with and the projects you start yourself.

Do not wait to feel ready before creating work. Start making things now, even if they are imperfect. Your taste, instincts and point of view develop through doing, not just studying.

Also, do not feel pressure to fit into one narrow role. Creative careers today are often hybrid, and the skills or interests that seem separate now might become the thing that makes your work distinctive later on.

Study Audio production at SAE

At SAE, our Audio Production Degree can help students learn the latest production skills and techniques to further their careers.

Our course encourages students to adopt a future-facing mindset where they are keen to understand more about how innovation and technology will shape the industry and their work.

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