AN ANGUS student could be set to mingle with even more star names following an action-packed year.
Chloe Cowan (25), from Montrose, worked with Rihanna, Jessie J, Michelle Obama, Danny Boyle, the Spice Girls and Coldplay during the summer.
Now she has been offered work on the ITV series Downtown Abbey as well as casting work for a film director and artist liaison for a singer.
Chloe is in the third year of a degree in BA (hons) broadcast media, based at Maidstone TV Studios.
She was casting assistant for the Opening ceremony and artist liaison for the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies.
However, for now she is putting all her efforts into finishing her degree at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), though this has not stopped her thinking about what she might do after graduating.
She said: “I’ve been offered some exciting opportunities, including a potential job on Downton Abbey, casting for a film director and artist liaison for a singer.
“I’ve thought about working for the Commonwealth Games or Winter Olympics but right now, I’m putting all of my efforts into finishing my degree.”
“I honestly find it so hard to describe what my Olympic summer was like.
“It’s an experience you have to go through to truly feel how it felt like doing a skydive and trying to explain it to an alien. It was simply incredible.
“It’s been my dream to work on an Olympic ceremony since 2000, when my dad recorded the Sydney ceremonies.
“I remember watching them over and again, so I felt so lucky to be one of 40 staff to work on London 2012.
“I got a unique view of a global event and met some of the biggest stars in the world, as well as members of the royal family and Michelle Obama.
“I still can’t believe it all happened.”
Chloe applied for a games maker role three years ago and as her CV was packed with experience in interviewing film stars for magazines, being a published author and broadcast media, she was invited to work for the team who organised the ceremonies.
She said: “When I applied, I didn’t care what job I was given. I just really wanted to be apart of the Olympic experience, whether that was cleaning loos, scrubbing floors or serving food.
“During my interview they mentioned things which I thought weren’t that important at the time, like how I ran a hurricane relief centre in Texas during Hurricane Katrina and was awarded for this by the mayor of Texas.
“I think they could see I was prepared to get my hands dirty and that I wasn’t in it for the glamour.”
As a casting assistant for the opening ceremony, Chloe’s duties included attending cast auditions earlier in the year, doing call-backs, editing audition tapes for Danny Boyle and assisting the cast members on set during the live ceremony.
Chloe was promoted to artist liaison for the closing ceremony, where she was in charge of looking after stars such as Jay-Z, Rihanna, the Spice Girls and Jessie J.
“The closing ceremony was my favourite night.
“I worked with the cast and artists you saw perform. So, for example, I walked with Rihanna while she performed in case she needed something, forgot a step or lost a shoe.
“The day the Spice Girls came in to rehearse was so exciting. The entire site was silent as we watched them reunite in front of us.
“Working at the closing ceremony made me realise just how real these celebs are and that they’re all normal people.
“I have been encouraged by one of the stars, who I’m still in touch with, to think about working within artist management because of my approach to stardom it just doesn’t faze me in the slightest.”
gstrachan@thecourier.co.uk