From Oxford Poly to digital mastery: alumnus Julian Woodfield's media training journey

Alumnus Julian Woodfield recalls his Oxford Polytechnic days, blazing a trail in computer animation and founding his own industry-leading company.

"The best thing about Oxford Polytechnic is that it opened up the world to me.

I grew up in a town in Northamptonshire which – like many small towns in the 1970s – was quite an inward looking place. Oxford Poly opened the door to a bigger, more diverse and ultimately, more interesting world. I met people from all backgrounds and nationalities and it felt brilliant.

Education, inspiration and friendships

I studied Sociology and Politics and the many bars on and off the Cowley Road. It was a fantastic education and one that I would highly recommend.

The approach at Oxford Polytechnic was to challenge students to think for themselves. One of my politics lecturers was particularly inspirational – Keith Daniels. He was enthusiastic, always made time for students and was incredibly supportive.

Oxford Poly also provided the cement that has bound together some life-long friendships with people I met during those happy student days.

Pictured: Julian Woodfield in his student days (left) and hippy phase (right).

The right place at the right time

I left Oxford Polytechnic in 1983 and moved to London. I had vague ideas about working in the media and London seemed to be the place most likely to make this happen.

I was offered a job as a trainee animator for a new animation studio in Soho that turned out to be a pioneer in – what was then – the brand new world of computer animation. It was extraordinary and I was just incredibly lucky to be in the right place at the right time.

The working hours were unbelievably long, nothing worked properly, we ate a lot of pizza, listened to a lot of Prince, did some animation and it was fab. The studio won heaps of television and animation awards in the 1980s because it was young and bold and not scared to experiment and get things wrong (which we did a lot).

A brave new digital world

In 1994 I co-founded my own company – Media Training Ltd. It was when the first Apple Macs were being sold to the publishing industry in the UK and the idea was to provide professional training for people migrating to this brave new digital world.

Thirty years later Media Training is one of the recognised leaders in professional training for the UK’s print design, web design, publishing, broadcast and advertising industries.

New projects

I have now reduced the time I spend working for Media Training to take on new projects. I played a small part in the restoration of the beautiful Victorian theatre at Alexandra Palace in North London which recently reopened for the first time in 80 years. 

I also run guided tours round hidden bits of London which I really enjoy researching and delivering. This year I was also lucky enough to appear on the London stage for the first time - I had a (very small) part in an Agatha Christie style whodunnit at the Park Theatre. 

It’s been a fascinating journey. The main thing Oxford Poly gave me was belief in my abilities and the confidence to try stuff out.

I would urge all graduates to have belief in themselves. Many students don’t really have a clear idea of what they want to do when they leave university – I certainly didn’t – but you will find your niche, your role in the world and you will instinctively know when you see it…"