5 minutes with James Lazenby

Tell me about your role at the University?

Having worked for NTU for almost ten years, I joined Confetti. For those that aren’t familiar with Confetti, think of us as a specialist faculty or academic school at NTU. We have two creative campuses – one in Nottingham, not far from the City Campus, and one in the centre of London. Both are incredible campuses, and there’s an open invite for anyone visiting the UK.

What are your favourite tasks / areas of responsibility?

Although we’re an established education provider in the UK, we’re relatively new to the international market having acquired our UKVI licence only last year. We have a unique student experience offer at Confetti, so it’s exciting to be welcoming agents and students from across the globe to see what we offer.

What is your favourite place on campus and why?

It has to be Confetti X. If you haven’t seen it, check it out on the Confetti website. It’s a dedicated venue for esports and emerging technologies, and it’s a truly world-class space for students to learn in and to experience commercial events and project. Our students have worked on live broadcasts for the BBC, and delivered countless esports tournaments for the likes of the British Esports Federation and Amazon Universities Esports. It’s even hosted the Commonwealth Games!

When you were growing up what did you want to be?

Apart from being a professional footballer (still trying…), I actually had my heart set on being a teacher. A twist of fate saw me study a degree in media and sport at University of Leeds, which led me into a career in football working in marketing and communications before I joined NTU. As soon as I’d settled into higher education, I knew that was the career for me. For me, there’s nothing more rewarding than supporting and seeing young people develop during their time at university. At NTU and Confetti, it’s a regular occurrence to see graduates go on to shape society – knowing you’ve played your part is priceless.

What is your perfect weekend?

Family means everything to me, so anything that involves them would be perfect – along with a bit of down time, going for a gentle run to clear the mind.

Live music, sport, holidays, and getting out in the garden or countryside would be on our hitlist.

Who would be your dream dinner party guests?

They say never meet your idols, but I would’ve loved to have met the late Freddie Mercury – especially given his Nottingham connections (his mum lived in the city for many years). Dolly Parton would be next up, simply because my eight-year-old daughter is fascinated by her incredible musicianship and her philanthropy….a real role model!

And then I’d throw in someone a bit more contemporary. BAFTA winning actor and famous comedian, Matt Berry. Aside from his humour, I’d want to ask him all about his time studying at NTU!

Do you have a favourite meal?

There aren’t many foods I dislike, but my favourite meal would be a simple starter of olives and crusty bread, followed by a Greek salad, and a baklava to finish. Enjoyed with a chilled white wine, and best eaten in a taverna on a Greek island with the family!

Current favourite song, film, book, podcast?

I’ve just finished reading The Satsuma Complex by UK actor and comedian, Bob Mortimer – an enjoyable read, not too heavy but a good storyline.

As a family, we watched the 2023 film, Wonka and I loved it! It has a star-studded cast, but Timothée Chalamet stole the show for me.

Podcasts….lots of sport and, randomly, a paranormal series called Uncanny which I find quite fascinating – more for the scare factor! For all things international, I do enjoy listening in to the Tales From The Departure Lounge. Hosted by ex-NTU colleagues, Nick Cuthbert and Andrew Plant, it’s a fun insight into the world of international student recruitment.

Have you made any holiday plans for 2024?

We certainly have! A few UK-based getaways, plus a trip over to the Balearic Islands for a week in Menorca. Our bucket list for next year includes Disneyworld, USA and Japan.