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Former Itchen College Student Riley Woodford Stars In New Netflix Film

Riley Woodford

We are excited to say, that former @ItchenCollege student Riley Woodford has starred as a dancer in the brand new @Netflix film Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, which was released on Friday 13th November.

Riley, who previously attended Oasis Academy Mayfield prior to studying at Itchen College, studied the UAL Extended Diploma (Acting) programme, achieving a fabulous distinction.

Speaking on his experience of the acting programme, Riley said:

“This course really opened my eyes to many different areas of acting that I had no idea even existed before. From different acting techniques all the way to how to act in different environments. I have to give a mention to Kate Matthews, (Head of Faculty for Visual and Performing Arts) whose constant belief in me and assistance in everything over my time at Itchen College couldnā€™t have been unmatched.ā€

The unique structure of the UAL Acting course, allows students to not only commit to professional work alongside their studies but also be credited for it. Jingle Jangle is Rileyā€™s first professional job and to perform alongside other talented dancers and actors, was a surreal experience for him. He describes working with the incredible choreographer Ashley Wallen, who also choreographed the much loved film The Greatest Showman, as being “a dream come true.ā€

Whilst thereā€™s currently a lot of excitement surrounding the recent release of Jingle Jangle, it is not the only fabulous project Riley has featured in. Last year, he was cast in both the Department of Education advert and M&S Christmas advert, both of which were brilliant experiences.

It appears that this year has also been a busy one too. During the summer, Riley wrapped up filming the much anticipated Everybodyā€™s Talking About Jamie film, which he refers to as a real ā€œpinch me moment.ā€ The film is an adaptation of the popular musical and is due to be released early next year.

On Rileyā€™s success, Kate Matthews (Head of Faculty for Performing and Visual Arts)  commented:

“Riley was always a student who wanted to take others on his journey and be a part of their creative journeys too. Seeing him perform on stage and more recently on screen, really cemented in my mind that there are some people, who really are, just born to be there. Weā€™re so proud of Riley and what he has achieved so far. We are sure that he has an extremely bright and successful career ahead of him!ā€

Jingle Jangle is a wonderful, light-hearted holiday tale and is guaranteed to raise spirits during these current uncertain times. You can watch it now on Netflix.


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