<p>Harry, who recently completed a two-year <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/pre-degree/ual-level-3-extended-diploma-in-art-design-famp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art &amp; Design (Creative Media Production)</a> at the college, was discovered by Lily Allen online when she spotted designs that he had been posting and messaged Harry to ask if he could design merchandise for her next tour.</p> <p>Calling himself a Lily Allen “superfan”, Harry, who lives in central Plymouth, first began listening to the artist at the age of six, on his mother’s MySpace account. With a massive collection of Lily Allen merchandise, albums and collectables at home, Harry was creating digital manipulations of existing Lily Allen photography to post on social media as a countdown to the release of her new album when the artist began sharing the images with her own followers. Harry couldn’t believe it when she then contacted him about a collaboration.</p>

<p>“Lily invited me to an intimate show in London the day after the launch of her new album,” Harry said, “so that we could meet up in person. It was an amazing experience to be on the VIP list for a Lily Allen performance, and to see her play in such a small venue.”<br /><br />“Given that I’ve been a fan of Lily since I was six years old, I was over the moon to be asked to create tour merchandise for her. I wear so much of her merchandise already, so this is the perfect opportunity for me. Fans who have seen previews of our designs so far have given extremely positive feedback, so I can’t wait until the official launch.”</p> <p>Neil Rose, Extended Diploma Film, Animation &amp; Media Production Lecturer at Plymouth College of Art, said: “Harry has a real passion for Lily Allen’s music and this is clearly an incredible opportunity for him to push his practice far and beyond the boundaries of Plymouth. I’m really happy that Harry has this chance to fulfill his personal creative potential and potentially use this opportunity to begin building a rewarding career.”<br /></p>

<ul><li><a href="https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/lily-allen-merchandise-superfan-job-2003818" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">See Harry McCarthy interviewed by the Plymouth Herald about working with Lily Allen</a></li><li><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/pre-degree/ual-level-3-extended-diploma-in-art-design-famp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read about our A-Level equivalent UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art &amp; Design (Film, Animation &amp; Media Production)</a></li></ul>