Aspiring journalists in Marylebone were given a boost when the former editor of Empire Magazine visited.

Students at DLD College London quizzed Helen O’Hara on how to succeed in the challenging and competitive media industry as they learned about her interesting career working on the world’s top movie magazine.

Now a freelance journalist, students learnt how Helen worked her way up from an editorial intern in 2003 to a writer and deputy online editor for Empire and is still a presenter on the magazine’s award-winning podcast.

She offered examples of her favourite writers and gave students some inspiration about how to get started as a journalist as she shared her experience of the industry, her approach to writing features and an insight into film.

BTEC media student Dillon Bauschulte, 18, has since been inspired to pursue a career in the industry after hearing about Helen’s experiences.

DLD College London Principal Rachel Borland said: “We have a large number of inquisitive and talented students here at DLD who benefited from the prestigious visit.

“Helen was delightful and gave our students a lot to think about. It was an interesting and informative visit and we can’t thank her enough for her time.”

During Helens 11 years at the magazine, Empire Magazine was nominated for and won numerous awards, including website of the wear and team of the year at the 2009 Bauer Publishing awards and digital product of the year in 2012 for the podcast, which was also recognised as one of the best new podcasts by iTunes.