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To mark the two-year anniversary of his release, former National Prison Radio producer and presenter, Nico, returned to the HMP Brixton studios to share his story.
He told National Prison Radio how he has continued to pursue his dream of working in the radio industry. And he didn’t come alone – Nico brought his two new work colleagues along with him: none other than radio royalty, Rickie and Melvin from BBC Radio 1.
Rickie and Melvin are long-term friends of National Prison Radio and first visited the studios over a decade ago. They returned to chat to us about their dreams for success, to share some I’m a Celebrity Secrets and to tell us the real story about how Nico’s getting on at BBC Radio 1 as Content Assistant.
Nico’s radio story began when he was flicking through the channels at HMP Wormwood Scrubs:
“I was sitting with my cellmate… I saw National Prison Radio on the telly… I saw it was from Brixton… I went from Scrubs to Isis, Isis to Brixton… I worked on Isis radio with Jason… that’s where my journey in radio really started and then they shipped me to Brixton.”
If our listeners were listening to National Prison Radio in 2023, it’s likely they will have listened to one of Nico’s National Prison Radio shows. He presented Street Heat, the Request Show, Decibel and loads more.
Since release, Nico has taken part in the Prison Radio Association trainee scheme. This enabled him to do work experience at BBC Radio 1Xtra.
Nico says taking part in the Prison Radio Association trainee scheme and curating Outside In “helped pave the foundations for where I am now. It taught me adaptability.”
After a lot of hard work, Nico has, last year, secured a contract on BBC Radio 1’s Rickie, Melvin and Charlie show.
Rickie and Melvin have high praise for their new colleague: “Nico brings the best energy, he works hard, he’s got proper hustle, always brings ideas and he cares about radio.”
Coming back to HMP Brixton was obviously a significant moment for Nico. He told National Prison Radio: “There’s a range of emotions. I feel good, it’s for a good cause, it’s for the right reason and I’m with the right people.”
Two years on from release, Nico shared some advice with the National Prison Radio family: “Figure out your why”, he tells us. “Figure out what you want to do….think of something that will take you on a journey, something that excites you.”
And he wasn’t the only one with words of wisdom.
“Keep your head up,” Rickie told the National Prison Radio family. “Stay positive, focus on what you want to do going forwards… and don’t be afraid of failure.”
And Melvin wanted to share two words that were powerful for him during his own journey: “Dream big”, he says, “I actually had vision boards at home of what I planned to do and it’s not just about work, it’s health, it’s family. Visualisation is so powerful.”
Today more than 20% of the Prison Radio Association’s staff team have spent time in prison and we plan to continue building on this figure. We know that radio programmes about prison life are better when they’re made by people who have lived it.
Outside In is available on Spotify, iTunes and wherever you get your podcasts.
You can listen to Nico’s story on our Secret Life of Prisons podcast here.
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