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The following was a Newswriting and newsgathering exercise.

Samuel Howitt is an atheist. He is also a big fan of Charlie Brooker, Depeche Mode and the films of David Lynch.

 Sam Howitt has met Robin Williams.

1992 was a good year for Aldershot; already known as home of the British Army, it received another feather in its Kevlar helmet when Sam was conceived to the fertile womb of a fair English maiden named Wendy by the virile Scottish seed of an Army engineer named Jon.

1993 was yet better; it was when Sam came into the world and it would never be the same. Travel is a requirement of an Army family and travel they surely did, moving to a long forgotten town in Germany in Sam’s early years before returning to the British Isles and Newcastle; Northern Ireland; Swindon and the great city of Glasgow – birth place of his father, Jon.

Jon served bravely in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina yet still found the energy to sire a brother to Sam. Benjamin must be, oh, about 16 now.

Although this is his first time living away from his parent’s home, Sam once blazed a trail across Europe to paint Germany red with his school friends. He’s also recently been on a trip to New York City where he took in a good few Broadway shows such as Warhorse, Chris Rock’s The Motherfucker with the Hat and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo – the play that Robin Williams grew that beautiful beard for. He’s a nice guy, is Mr Williams  – Sam got a picture with him and an autographed scrawl to go next to Mr Rock’s.

Teesside University was Sam’s first choice; he has a background in media, business and English, and it his intention to get the skills and confidence out of this course to ensure a career in journalism – perhaps he has a future writing the stories of the Guardian and the Huffington Post, the likes of which he adores to read now.

As for extra curricula activities, Sam is a keen musician who has taught himself to play not only the guitar but also the electronic keyboard, drum kit and bass guitar; yet he won’t be pinned down on style or influence – he doesn’t want to pigeonhole himself.

Sam just joined the TV and film societies, he’s a real movie buff; he loves Kyle MacLachlan and Dennis Hopper’s heated performances in Lynch’s Blue Velvet. But hopefully Sam’s university life won’t ever get as twisted as that dark story, especially not with Sam’s XBOX gathering dust at home and only a Nintendo Wiimote to shake beyond belief.

In the words of Blue Velvet’s Jeffrey – “He is a very sick and dangerous man.”

Sam Howitt was talking to Chris Parlett

Tags: Journalism, Middlesbrough, Students