Umar Hassan is a Digital and Data Journalist, who specialises in multimedia, political and sports journalism, as well as social media and data analytics.

A recent graduate from Birmingham City University in BA (Hons) – Media and Communication (Journalism), Umar has had bylines and numerous articles published for national and international online and print publications such as theCheckeredFlag.co.uk, The Scratch, NUBI Magazine, The Irish World, Birmingham Eastside and The Asian World.

His experience also extends to television, working with Sky UK, ITV and most recently with DESIblitz.com, BBC News Online and public relations agency Kinetic Communications.

These experiences have helped to shape the professional he is today whilst actively learning and pursuing new experiences to enhance my skill set in various disciplines. He is also now a YouTube Vlogger, producing a weekly VLOG called #UmarTalks.

Umar provides services to help media professionals understand the importance of having data visualisation and analytics skills in this increasingly data-driven media industry in Tableau, R and SQL. You can check out his data visualisation portfolio on Tableau Public.

When it comes to awards, Umar is no stranger to being recognised for his hard work. He has won a number of different awards which include:

• Engaged Student of the Year Finalist – 2015 Birmingham City University Extra Mile Awards
• Media Person of the Year Winner  – 2016 Team BCU Awards
• Student Representative of the Year – Runner-Up – 2017 Birmingham City University Extra Mile Awards
• The Team of the Year Winner with School of Media Level Up Mentors – 2017 Birmingham City University Extra Mile Awards
• Vice Chancellor and Students’ Union President Award (Students) with School of Media Level Up Mentors – 2017 Birmingham City University Extra Mile Awards

Outside of journalism and data analytics, you will find Umar listening to rock ‘n roll, running long distances, engaging in critical debate and follows motorsport, as well as other sports including rugby union and snooker obsessively.