Transatlantic triumph: Salford meets Tennessee for musical magic

Third year undergraduate Television and Radio Production students at Salford worked with students on the other side of the pond in Tennessee to create an hour-long ‘Jools Holland Style Show’ last month.

University of Salford Lecturer Moira Kean and Middle Tennessee State University Professor Bob Gordon came up with the idea in August. Moira said: “We came up with the idea to hold a Jools Holland style show with acts and presenters from both sides of the Atlantic.”

Bob came to the University of Salford in 2017 and ever since both lecturers have been trying to think of a project together that they could incorporate into their courses. He said: “We talked about a talk show and a game show but those did not seem exciting and challenging enough to me – we opted for a live music performance special.”

Journalism student Olivia Snelson presented the show from Salford, with co-host Spencer Tomsett live at MTSU. Throughout the show they switched between each other to welcome the acts, conduct interviews and introduce packages.

Acts taking part in the live stream included Mica Millar, JP Burr and Toni Clare. You can watch the behind the scenes of Salford student Mica’s performance of Preacher Man on YouTube.

Salford director Matthew Robinson added: “This is the first time we have collaborated on a project on this scale, and to make it even more difficult, we were working across a big-time difference.

“We organised and produced four performances from two different artists, created video tapes about the artists and Manchester music, along with designing graphics and titles for the show. It was a huge undertaking spanning many months.”

Students from both universities created a WhatsApp group and had zoom calls together to plan the show. Jack Lewin, who was the Social Media Manager for the project, said: “Through my role I got to speak to our counterparts at MTSU and learn how they operate differently in the States which was really interesting!”

If you missed the live stream you can watch the highlights in this video. 

Did you know?

Salford has an active International Exchange agreement with MTSU. Students from the School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology and Salford Business School can take part in a trimester or full year study in the USA as part of their programme. First year students wanting to go to MTSU next academic year have until 4 March 2022 to apply. Students interested in International Opportunities and taking part in the International Exchange Programme can find more information online at or complete an enquiry form.

The team can also be contacted at Salford-IOT@Salford.ac.uk