How viral school-dinner videos led Jacob to a dream job at Bolton Wanderers

Making videos with fans and players at his local football club is all in a day's work for Jacob. He is a content creator for Bolton Wanderers FC — coming up with new ideas for social media, filming videos and posting them onto the club's official pages, all with the aim of encouraging more people to follow the club.

"My passion for football started at a very young age," he told BBC Bitesize. "To turn something I loved as a kid into my job is amazing."

A season ticket at five — and viral school-dinner videos

Jacob's route into football media began long before he ever picked up a camera for the club. He grew up going to Bolton Wanderers games with his dad and got his first season ticket at the age of five. At school, he made viral videos rating school dinners, and although he left high school without GCSEs, he loved creative subjects such as English, drama and writing.

He then contacted Bolton directly and started making videos with fans. A growing audience for his content led to more work at the club, including filming with players and different departments across Bolton Wanderers.

Convincing the club to create his role

Jacob's career progression followed a now well-trodden path in football content creation: voluntary work at the club, followed by a role as a professional content creator. But while it might look simple, he says he has had to be resilient — and one of his biggest obstacles was convincing Bolton to create his position in the first place.

"Don't wait for an opportunity to come to you," he advises. "If you're good at it, it does then sometimes lead into getting a role. If it doesn't, you've created a portfolio and it's really good for your CV and future opportunities."

Jacob's top tips for breaking in

• Create your own career path: Get out there and work with different clubs and companies to see where it leads you. As Jacob puts it: "The more work you put in, the more you get out."
• Be adaptable: You might be filming at matches one day, chatting with players and fans the next, and trying out new concepts depending on what your audience responds to. Being ready for anything, he says, will get you a long way.
• Hone your communication skills: It is essential to be comfortable talking to everyone from supporters and coaching staff to footballers. Jacob admits he was shy at school, but his communication skills improved as he got older — so don't worry if you're not quite there yet.

What does the job pay?

Jacob says salaries for roles like his can range from £26,000 to around £40,000. Many content creators start out doing it as a hobby while they build their skills, and while some are full-time employees, many are freelancers — so average salaries can be highly variable, as are working hours. Jacob himself works two days a week, plus match days, though for others it can be a full-time role. The same work can also come under titles such as social media manager or content manager.

What qualifications do you need?

There is no single route into the job. Aspiring content creators could get in via a college course covering practical video editing and production skills, a T Level in Marketing, an apprenticeship, volunteering, short private training courses — or simply by teaching themselves. Bitesize recommends checking the National Careers Service website for the latest qualification requirements and GOV.UK for more on T Levels, with dedicated careers advice also available from nidirect in Northern Ireland, My World of Work in Scotland and Careers Wales.

Part of Bitesize's wider look at football careers

The feature forms part of the Bitesize Careers Follow Your Passion campaign, in partnership with The Open University, which explores how passions and interests can be turned into future jobs. It follows earlier Bitesize Careers features, published on 9 October, which went behind the scenes of Match of the Day to profile the wide range of production roles that get the flagship highlights show on air each weekend, and lifted the lid on football's more unusual hidden jobs — from bodyguards to dressing-room barbers.