Gary Denholm

Gary Denholm has been making big moves since graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Digital Design (Graphics) from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2019.

Having framed his passion for videography whilst a student, he’s since been shooting for success with his own business, Venture Creative.

Though that path wasn’t always so clear for Gary, his time at Glasgow Caledonian was a “challenging yet rewarding journey of growth, late nights, self-discovering and learning.”

“I chose to study at Glasgow Caledonian as it had the best course available for what I thought I wanted to do.

“I wasn't sure exactly what it was I wanted to study or what I wanted to be when I left, but the course that I ended up enrolling in was a great fit and covered a range of practices to help me identify where my passion actually lay.”

Unsure of what direction his career was headed in, Gary delved into the university experience, making the most of the opportunities available to him to get ahead.

A stand-out moment for Gary was in a Creative Practice module in his fourth year, where he created a John Lewis advert which he felt really “pushed the boundaries” in discovering what he was capable of, and this drove home for him that videography was the route he wanted to go down.

“The course was very useful in providing a wide range of practices to study through many different modules so exposed me to pretty much everything there was to do in the creative industry and helped me identify exactly what it is I wanted to do going forward.

“Ensure you start implementing your passions into creative projects that allow for it. Don't be scared to be expressive in your work and be bold. Try and stand out - I was the only person in the class implementing video into creative briefs and it helped me stand out amongst the rest.”

Once he had a goal in mind, Gary made sure to grasp every opportunity to put himself out there during his university years and get ahead.

“I had a range of freelance clients doing design, video and photo work whilst at university and got my first job as an in-house videographer at Trespass a few months after graduating.

“The Creative Lead at Trespass attended our Caledonian Creates networking event and was impressed with my work so he took my details and let me know when the position became available.”

When the pandemic hit, Gary took the leap into freelancing and started his own business, Venture Creative.

As Creative Director, Gary put the practical and theoretical knowledge he’d gained as a keen student into practice, now specialising in Film and Photo production.

“I think the exposure to industry professionals is what is great about Glasgow Caledonian and the course in particular - making an impression on these people and getting to work closely with them through the mentorship programme was really insightful.

“Of course - the lasting friendships made are also a large part of what makes university special, and the lecturers I had throughout my time were really great in helping me push my abilities and giving me the confidence in pushing the boundaries of creative briefs and projects, and that helped me get to where I am now.”