George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Texas. One of 14 flights in 12 days for the World's Scariest Series. Photo by Jim Shreim (not pictured).

We took 14 flights in 12 days for the World’s Scariest series, writes Ginita Jimenez. We landed in New York and worked our way westwards through North Carolina, across 5 States and 3 time zones, touching on a Texas-Mexico border town, the Arizona Desert, the Rocky Mountains, the Tornado wrecked town of Joplin and San Diego’s beach metropolis, ending up in the Hollywood Hills, before returning back to the UK.  This was one of two US shoots for World’s Scariest Series 2, now showing on Channel 5.

Somewhere between North Carolina and Texas. Photo by Jim Shreim.

Ginita Jimenez, AP/Producer pictured, writes about her latest gig through Media Parents on World's Scariest Drivers, TXing tonight at 8pm on Channel 5.

I’m an experienced bi-lingual Spanish-speaking Assistant Producer, writes Ginita Jimenez. For the last five years I’ve worked on a wide range of fast turnaround factual programming in hostile environments in Asia, Africa, South America and Europe. I’ve interviewed a myriad of extraordinary people the most notable being, Mauritanian Nomads, Bangladeshi and Soweto School Children, Welsh Male Choristers who made the fastest selling classical album of all time and a Spanish ex drug dependant who completely turned his life around. Most recently for Discovery, I interviewed engineers at the Alma Observatory in the Atacama Desert, whose mission is to move millions of pounds worth of antenna receptors at a height of 16,000ft above sea level under the duress of oxygen starvation and in wind chills of -25°. Their office is the second highest in the world, the first being somewhere in China.

Luci Romberg was interviewed for World's Scariest 1. Photo by Jim Shreim, PD on World's Scariest Drivers, TXing TONIGHT on Channel 5 at 8pm

Interviewing contributors is one of the most enjoyable parts of my role and I continue to marvel at the walks of life I’ve crossed thanks to working in the media.  So I was delighted when my first job through Media Parents was working on Mentorn’s World’s Scariest Series. A production company I thoroughly admire and a themed series built on the mighty perspective of raw amateur video and emotional witness testimony.

Captain Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who landed his plane in the Hudson River. Photographed by Jim Shreim for World's Scariest Plane Landings.

I was assigned to work on World’s Scariest Drivers, the concluding episode in a series of four, starting with World’s Scariest Flights followed by Scariest Weather and Scariest Animal Encounters. PD Jim Shreim returned to work on Drivers as he’d already PD’d on Greatest Dare Devils (and had done an American shoot too) so he was familiar with the editorial parameters set by Series 1.

Denver International Airport. Photograph 23 of 50,000 airport photos by Jim Shreim on the World's Scariest US Tour.

In addition to producing our Drivers programme Jim and I were assigned to pick up the lion share of Scariest’s US interviews. Due to the extreme nature of these stories, we’re talking dust storms, landslides, tornados and extreme animal and driving incidents, those involved lived in relatively remote areas making the flight path quite a challenge. Additionally, the schedule was fluid in parts at the point of our departure, which is not unusual for a production of this scale.

Two factors made this prospect a little less daunting. Bar our 2 brilliant floating researchers, one PD and AP worked in partnership on their programme throughout the research and contributor finding stages but when it actually came to the shooting phase, due to the multiplicity of several happening at once or PD’s needing to start their edits etc, we were prepped to pick up shoots for each other’s programmes. This meant keeping to the show’s editorial and visual shooting style whilst upping the bar already set by Series 1.

World's Scariest in Los Angeles. PD Jim Shreim (right of frame) with his cousin, film director, James Hickox.

This was no more relevant than to Jim and I, who were essentially picking up a quarter of the series in the US. So the first factor was that communication channels between teams and between the PD and AP regarding story, contributors, scripts and logistics, had to be fluent and precise. And it was. Credit to our SP, Amy Walker for configuring such a resilient and dedicated team (thanks to Media Parents and Mentorn Media’s talent) and for setting the pace.

Whoop Ass Hot Sauce in Phoenix, Arizona.

Secondly, our kit was compact. We always carried the XF305 on board with us and the rest of the kit piled safely (one light, stands, boom, tripod, batteries), just about made 1 trolley, leaving a pair of hands to deal with our personal luggage.

This sounds terribly mundane but small disciplines like this matter when you’re dealing with the physical and mental demands of foreign shoots as intense as this, and when days, nights and flights blend into each other.

We flew and filmed and flew and filmed, so much so that we had airport security searches and pocket emptying speeds off to a fine art like a scene out of Up in the Air.

As luck would have it, one of the interviewees for World's Scariest Drivers was Hollywood actress Kelly Hu. Pictured in LA by Jim Shreim.

We had a great Production Co-ordinator, Marco Calabrese, and Production Manager, Tina Lohmann, who worked around the clock (due to the time differences) to ensure our movement timings were as kind as logistically possible, allowing us to get to the location quickly and get the best possible emotional delivery from our contributors.

New Bern, North Carolina. Photo by Jim Shreim.

On one particular early morning, we set off on a two-flight journey from Phoenix’s desert terrain to the sleepy snow covered town of Granby, Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. We had three interviews to shoot for Drivers that day followed by a two-hour drive which would get us into Louisville for a shark attack interview the following day. Granby however, was host to the extraordinary story of Marvin Heemeyer, who in 2004 took a bulldozer he’d spent 9 months customising on a 2hour rampage through this picturesque Rocky Mountain town.

All three of our contributors, a now Chief of Police, a Senior Investigator and the ex editor of Granby’s newspaper were senior figures at the forefront of Heemeyer’s rampage in 2004. They were nothing but flexible with our schedule, fully cooperative and willing to open up about their experiences on camera.

Media Parents Talent Ginita Jimenez, pictured, was AP on World's Scariest Drivers, TXing tonight on Channel 5 at 8pm.

Three factors made this shoot a stand out experience for me. The first, Jim and I have the same work ethic, love of people and adhere religiously to the principle of teamwork. Secondly, the people we interviewed told remarkable, jaw dropping stories. Tales of heroism and human kindness, witness accounts of the worst and best side of human behaviour and encounters with animals and weather phenomena most of us couldn’t conjure up in our worst nightmare.

Thirdly, I witnessed a very different side of America. Several times Jim and I would marvel at how people perceived our English accents based on their own perceptions of England and the English. Oh that English charm, it opened doors for us!

Talking of which, thank you Media Parents for opening your door to my work with Mentorn Media and for a truly memorable experience, if not for the record amount of flights taken in 12 days, for crossing my path with exceptional contributors and a brilliant series.

See www.mediaparents.co.uk for great networking, talent, jobs and information. To join us please go to www.mediaparents.co.uk See you at our networking drinks on Thursday 17th May contact us via the site for the venue details.

Amy Walker, Series Producer and Media Parents Director will be at FastTrain, accompanied by Claire Brown, Media Parents Employer Liaison, and Claire Seeber, a Writer Director on the Media Parents site – please scroll down this page to read Claire’s brilliant blog piece.

Amy Walker, Media Parents Director looks quite like this but with blonder hair and red specs. See you at FastTrain...

Claire Brown, Media Parents Company Liaison, with her daughter. Claire will be at the BBC FastTrain event.

Claire Seeber with her family. Claire is a writer/director in the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk and will be on the Media Parents stand at the FastTrain event.

If you miss us at FastTrain please join us for a drink on Thursday 17th May from 6:30pm in central London – details of the venue for this can be found on the Media Parents watercooler or you can contact us through www.mediaparents.co.uk for more info.

My friend Steve says I should share this, so I am, writes Claire Seeber. Though it makes me feel a bit funny. I am not being evangelical, I just want to say…we’ve kind of only got one shot, or maybe, if we’re lucky… 2

Claire Seeber with her family. Claire is a writer/director in the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk

A few weeks ago, ‘5 regrets of the Dying’, inspired by nurse Bronnie Ware’s book, came up time again on my Facebook page as my friends read it. I ignored it at first; couldn’t quite bear to read it myself. But why?

Eighteen months ago, one cold November morning, I was suddenly informed, out of the chilly blue, that I might be going to die. Given I was only just 40 at the time, this was a bit of a blow. As you can imagine, my world turned on its head in the space of minutes when a routine X-ray (admittedly taken because of indications I wasn’t very well) showed that I probably had lymphoma…Over the next few weeks, there was a gut-squeezing, breathtakingly hideous realization that actually, there was no probably about it, I did indeed have something nasty called Hodgkins Disease (cancer of the lymph nodes). Every cliche about rollercoasters (and clichés are handy in this context; note the use of ‘world turning’ one earlier) came true as I was hurtled into over a year of biopsies, chemotherapy, radiotherapy…followed by much waiting for scans and results whilst trying my damnedest to live my life normally and fully (whilst getting divorced in the middle of it). Which to a great degree I did…

Still, somewhere, very deeply engrained in my brain, are the words of the first doctor I saw after the X-ray, who, in response to my tearful “Am I going to die?” looked awkward and muttered “I can’t promise you’ll recover.” Given that, at that point, he had no definitive idea what was really wrong with me, it might have been kinder to have fudged it a bit – but he didn’t, though, praise the Lord, he’s now emigrated to NZ so I never have to see him again. Anyway, last week, I read the five wishes when I eventually reminded myself that actually I’m not dying – no more than any of us are. Which is to say that we will all go in the end, despite our warped and unrealistic fear and obsession in the West about living forever (see the whole cosmetic shebang as just one example of a futile search for immortality). But hey, we’re all going to do it, only some of us will do it sooner than others. Die, that is, not get botox.

Claire Seeber with her family. Claire is in the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk

So when a friend asked me the other day how the whole experience had changed me, I thought long and hard about it, especially in the context of those 5 dying wishes, and I’m here to tell you that it changed me irrevocably, but in a good way, I think both for myself and others, apparently! (I’m a bit nicer now – according to my brother-in-law, anyway.)

And so, as someone who stared death in the face last year and then managed to slink out of the room – I wouldn’t quite recommend living each day as if it was your last, because actually that’d involve a whole lot of emotion, stress and cortisol (never good) and maybe doing things that actually you’ll later regret – like telling your bank manager you’ve always wanted to shag him over his desk, or slapping that bitchy mother in the playground…and then remembering you’ll see her every day for the next five years.

But I would say please realize, from here on in, how very bloody short life is and how profoundly great it can be…even if it’s just looking at a tree in the park and realising how beautiful it is. Try and live in the moment, rather like kids do. Hippy dippy crap, I hear you sigh. What help is that with the daily grind of life? But it’s not such a big jump, really. We’re all so caught up in where we’re going, what we need to get there, how hard the struggle is, we simply forget to stop and enjoy the small stuff. Or the very big stuff – like how beautiful the world is (if you look. Admittedly Lewisham High St on a cold February morning is pretty grim, I can bear testament to that – but you know, there’s that jolly woman on the fruit stall who always smiles, the daffodils next door are beautiful, the sky above the towerblocks is clear and blue if you look up….You get the picture). Or you could go and talk to that bitchy mother, pleasantly, and just ask “What is it about me that you have a problem with and could we try to sort it out?”

So what other gems can I share, given my tussle with a life-threatening condition? Well, I also learnt this:

To realise how very much you are loved and how much you love. That was huge and breathtaking. Really. Very quickly, I learnt who was there and who could bear me sobbing down the phone at midnight. Not that I did it very often but it was comforting to know who would pick up – and you know what, there were lots of them! Who would come to the hospital with me and read Heat magazine, paint my nails or let me squeeze their hand very bloody hard whilst the nurse made eight sodding attempts to canulate my ‘delicate veins’. (Of course I had to have delicate effing veins.). Who would ditch a party in favour of the Eurovision Song Contest because I couldn’t get off the sofa that evening after chemo (not as bad as you might think, honestly), and cry with laughter with me at the Moldovians’ stupid hats. And how much more I appreciated my kids, when before I might have been a bit…grumpy. I used to get in bed with one of my kids when they were sleeping and just breath in his energy.

To accept help and, more importantly, to be able to ask for help without feeling a failure or embarrassed. As the eldest child, I’d always been a bit of a ‘coper’ – that was my place in the family, and for one reason or another, I just got on with it. We all fall into places in the family, I think. But it doesn’t mean we have to stay there forever. You have the power to shift things…even if it sometimes it’s arduous and frankly bloody painful. Like shifting myself out of my miserable marriage. God that was hard and it immediately preceded getting diagnosed, and at the time I hated myself for putting my kids through the upheaval – but you know what, it was one of my best ever decisions. And when I see that the dying say they’d wished they’d try harder to be happier, well, you know what. Don’t leave it too late. Because you’ve only got one shot (or maybe two if you’re lucky.)

To try to speak your mind a bit more / to be a little braver. Whilst having been slightly addicted to adrenaline sports, throwing myself off mountains or horseback (not always intentionally you understand), I’ve been largely rubbish at saying how I really felt to people (as I hazard a guess are most Brits are.) And I don’t mean that now I go round saying “God your bum looks really big in that” to my girlfriends. Which of course, it doesn’t, ever, really, girls. But I have tried to express my needs and feelings more. Because all my life I’ve been worried that if I said something someone didn’t like, they might leave me…and now I’ve realized that’s probably not true, and if it is true, they probably weren’t worth having around anyway.

To realise we are not always in control/ to not sweat the small shit Another cliché maybe, but you know what, a blooming good one! Is it really worth getting mega-stressed about the fool who wouldn’t let you go at the lights? Let someone in front of you in the supermarket queue and see how good you feel about yourself.
OK, so I fall short occasionally (ahem). I am often a bit foul still. But you know, maybe not quite as foul as before. And we aren’t in control, not really; we might obsess again about where life’s taking us but sometimes, we just have to go with it. No-one ever plans to get ill, or to fall down the stairs, or to wake up one day and realise you don’t love your partner anymore, but when any of those things happens, we can make choices in how to deal with it, and hopefully they’ll be the best ones for us.

Of course, it wasn’t all miraculous epiphanies in the moonlight. There were many frankly terrifying moments on what was an extremely arduous and lonely journey. But a long time ago, my inspirational counsellor Michele said to me ‘The day you can do patience and solitude is the day you will be able to move forward and find happiness’ and ultimately, facing what I did forced me to do both – patience and solitude, I mean. And I did find it hard to ever say cancer – I used lymphoma instead – and sure, it was a testing time for a couple of my closest relationships, but somehow we got through it.

So now, I must go and spread a little joy (er…get my kids to do their homework); make some decisions about grabbing life (whether to call that man I quite like) but not being desperate, and hopefully on the way, I won’t fall down the stairs, because now I find I walk a little slower. And dance a little harder and sing and cry a little less ashamedly.

Above all else, I hope this doesn’t read as trite. Because, God knows, these were the hardest-learnt lessons of my life and even writing them down makes me a little bit scared in a slightly ‘tempting fate’ way. But hey, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be facing my fears and I mightn’t be able to help someone else just a little on a similar journey – or a very different one – to mine.

Life is worth living whilst you can, in the best way you can, that’s what I really learnt. Please believe it! And the very best of luck with it.

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/159/claire-seeber

First published at http://www.claireseeber.com/ look out for this article soon in The Times

See www.mediaparents.co.uk for great networking, talent, jobs and information. To join us please go to www.mediaparents.co.uk See you at the BBC FastTrain event on Weds 16th May, and our networking drinks on Thursday 17th May.

PD Zoe Fryer directing on location in Japan. Zoe is in the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/23/zoe-fryer

I have been working in television for 14 years on a variety of different productions that have taken me all over the world and given me privileged access into many people’s lives, for which I am honoured, and always grateful to experience.

PD Zoe Fryer's daughter Amber Rose.

I took almost a year out of work after having my daughter Amber Rose (now 2) and at first was very daunted about returning to production and being able to balance television contracts and bringing up a child.

Media Parents has been invaluable in making that transition easier, just the fact that an organisation like this exists to support us all and raise awareness that different ways of working are possible really helps. Having a family doesn’t mean you have to leave the job you love.

While this will always be a juggling act with its tough moments, I have found that if you talk to production companies, they can actually be a lot more accommodating than you might think.

My first job back was for Rockabox Media on a series called First Homes with Gaby Roslin. It was meant to be a full time post, but when I looked at the schedule and their budget limitations, I proposed working on a part time flexible basis, which turned out to suit us all. Ok, some weeks I might have been working six days all over the country, but some weeks were only two days so I had all that extra time at home with Amber Rose.

Through Media Parents I then got involved with the ‘Worlds Greatest/ Scariest…’ series at Mentorn Media.  This was full time but in pre-production I was able to come in early and leave earlier in the evenings so as to get back in time for the childcare. This has been incredibly valuable in enabling me to juggle all my commitments and means that my child care ‘team’ are brilliantly flexible and accommodating when I say, ‘Oh by the way I am going to Japan next week for five days, is that OK?’

Zoe Fryer made films in Japan on the tsunami and Okinawa for World's Scariest series. Zoe is a PD in the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk

I have enjoyed working on this series as it’s a new genre for me and I have learnt a great deal. In the first series, I worked on ‘World’s Greatest Heroes’ which was tough for many reasons, but luckily I was working with an amazing and supportive team at Mentorn Media. A great testament to that fact is that the majority of the PDs from series 1 were back for series 2 recently, and I have also been able to learn a lot from their amazing talent. Although I worked on ‘World’s Scariest Animal Attacks’, all of us (Jules Seymore, Jim Shreim and Jamie Matson) worked collaboratively across the series to span the globe and cover the best stories possible.

Fully armed with many lessons learnt from series 1, series 2 has had increased expectations but ‘World’s Scariest Animal Attacks’ has been incredible to work on, I have really loved every minute.

You’ll be pleased to know that these animal attacks are very very rarely unprovoked – people generally end up doing something to put themselves in these situations, so respect wildlife and you should be fine – although I have particularly enjoyed debates about which animal various members of the production team would rather be attacked by… Tune in to channel 5 at 9pm TONIGHT, Sunday 13th May to see what you think.

Zoe Fryer, PD, is in the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/23/zoe-fryer

See www.mediaparents.co.uk for great networking, talent, jobs and information. To join us please go to www.mediaparents.co.uk

Producer Romy Page in Sydney, where she worked for eight years. Romy is in the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk

I’ve recently moved back to London after an 8 year stint working in Australia. I began my career in London – but packed my bags after 5 years to see what the rest of the world had to offer. It took me 8 years to return… but when you find yourself spending your days working on Bondi Beach filming an obs doc about the Bondi Lifeguards in 30 degree sunshine, where’s the hurry to leave??

When I arrived in Australia, TV production wasn’t quite as slick as the rest of the world. Even now, mainstream news can be fairly insular. But I believe that Australian Production is now very strong, and there are many brilliant TV minds and creative talent out there. Production standards have risen and there are loads of great shows coming out of Australia. Australia has it’s own versions of the big formats: The Voice, X Factor, Australia’s Got Talent, The Biggest Loser, Dancing With The Stars, Masterchef. (Masterchef as a stripped show was devised in Australia of course). It has many big international hits like Bondi Rescue, Bondi Vet, Surf Patrol and many others. And many great productions like Go Back To Where You Came From.

The Australian TV industry is of course a smaller industry than the UK, but then it’s a smaller country… in terms of population! I’d say one of the big differences in terms of TV production is that PDs tend to shoot with crews still rather than being self shooters. There are of course some excellent self shooters in Australia and they are being used more and more as time goes on. But for now, it’s more usual to shoot with a crew. I’ve also found that the PD role is generally split into ‘Field Producers’ and ‘Edit Producers’. Sometimes there’s the luxury of filming a show and taking it through post, but often with tighter schedules those roles on a production are split. Also some of the terminology is a bit different – and I’ve had to translate exactly what I mean in the Edit when I talk about ‘grabs’ instead of ‘interviews’.

Romy Page directing on location in Australia. Romy Page is in the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/2815/romy-page

Since being back, I’ve had to make new contacts and work to get a foot in the door back in to the UK industry which I’m slowly managing to do. Media Parents was a brilliant find for me, and it’s through this site that I got the job on Worlds Scariest Series Two.

As Edit Producer on World’s Scariest Animal Attacks, I took up the mantle from Director Zoe Fryer who had done a brilliant job at PD-ing this show. An invaluable week’s prep time prior to the edit meant I had an in depth handover with Zoe Fryer and AP Jon Hancock, time to get to know the ins and outs of the show, and time to write edit scripts for four of the ten stories in first draft form. I also managed to pick the brains of the other very talented PDs who had worked on the first series, so I was as prepared as I could possibly be stepping in to the edit.

Going in to the edit, it always takes a few days to fall into a rhythm of how you work with a new editor. But working with Editor Rich Cone was an absolute pleasure. We immediately found a way to structure our days, rough cut a story per day – and have a good laugh while we did it. We then had time to refine – and hopefully you’ll agree make a great show!

I had a great time working on World’s Scariest, with such an incredible team. I hope the opportunity comes up again. In the meantime, I’m looking for work, so do get in touch if you need a producer with a slight Australian twang…

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/2815/romy-page

Producer Romy Page who is in the TALENT section of Media Parents

See www.mediaparents.co.uk for great networking, talent, jobs and information. To join us please go to www.mediaparents.co.uk

MyStreet is an exciting opportunity for you to tell your story about your area, through film. Share with the world where you are, who you are and how you live. To enter the competition simply upload your video (1 to 10min. long) at www.mystreetfilms.com by 22nd May 2012.

Take inspiration from our brand new trailer http://www.mystreetfilms.com/#/films/watch/462
What will happen next?
1.  We will review your film, send you a submission confirmation and your film will appear on our site.
2. The 10 best documentaries will be screened at Open City Docs Fest from the 21st- 24th June 2012

3.  At the festival the shortlist will be judged by the Open City Grand Jury, chaired by Nicolas Philibert.

First prize this year is £500 cash For our second prize winner there is a set of state-of-the-art Steady Wings as well as the enviable opportunity of a one-on-one film consultation with award-winning film maker and juror Marc Isaacs. Our third prize winner will receive a tour of the ITV Newsroom with ex-Editor and Chief David Mannion as well as an ipod doc made by Soundfreaq http://soundfreaq.com/SFQ-02RB_Features.htm. All three winners will also receive membership of Shooting people and a subscription to Little White Lies magazine.
We’re looking forward to watching your MyStreet film and hearing what you have to say.
More about Open City Docs Fest here: www.opencitylondon.com

Get involved and spread the word.

Jules lives in Shepherds Bush with his wife and has two daughters aged ten and seven. He is in the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk

After directing World’s Scariest Near Misses for Series One,  through Media Parents for Mentorn Media, I was delighted to be invited back to work on Series Two.  The film I made, World’s Scariest Weather, TXes this Thursday 10th May at 8pm on Channel 5.  Making it took me into a world of tornados, dust storms and flash floods.  

Because of the nature of the subject matter - UGC (user generated content) on weather – there was a huge amount of material out there, but getting hold of the combination of footage, interview and story,  proved to be difficult.  Extreme Weather is a competitive area, and finding original stories and footage we could afford wasn’t easy.  Luckily I worked with a very talented team:   Researcher Sophia Lightfoot tirelessly chased clips and stories, AP Faye Gilbert (also from Media Parents) added her shooting and directing skills, and Alison Hunt seamlessly put it all together in the edit. 

We ended up with a set of strong stories and heart stopping footage featuring some of the most visceral and damaging weather events ever captured, plus Japan’s worst natural disaster, last year’s tsunami. 

Sophia managed to track down a fantastic and untold  story of a couple who survived  a devastating Tornado that hit Joplin, U.S.A.  Producer/Director Jim Shreim shot a great interview with the couple involved which brought the drama and horror of the event to life.  It shows how we all had to work well as a team and trust each other in order to complete a demanding world-wide filming schedule in a short space of time.

After a short break I’m about to embark on something completely different - a  Celebrity Antiques Road Trip for BBC2. Diversity is the spice of life, and in many ways this is what makes production work so attractive, it’s good to be faced with a whole new set of challenges. I’m sure it will be a whirlwind trip and very busy but I’ve worked with some of the team before and feel confident that we’ll be able to pull it off. 

It’ll take me away from home for most of the eight week shoot, but I’ll be back in time for the family summer holiday to Cornwall, where hopefully the Weather won’t be anything like the sort I’ve been witnessing over the last few months!

Jules Seymour is a PD in the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk

I’ve been a PD for over twelve years, working on a wide range of different productions from ob-doc to archive, and I’ve filmed in variety of different locations from fishing boats to prison cells.  A personal highlight was following the “puppy police” as they deliver justice to the animal mistreaters of the Bronx.  

Jamie Matson (not pictured) is in the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk He lives with his family in West Cornwall, but works all over the UK.

After many years as a typical production nomad, with stints in London, new York and Liverpool, 4 years ago I decided with my family to move to west Cornwall. My six year old daughter now wouldn’t want to leave and while maintaining a career in what is a very London centric industry requires a bit of juggling, the promise of good surf and even better pasties makes it all worthwhile.  

I’m relatively new to media parents but the idea of short term contracts and flexible work patterns fits with my own lifestyle.

Jamie Matson's latest production TXes tonight on Channel Five at 8pm.

A second series brings with it a fresh set of challenges.  The format and shape of the series has been bedded down, but the bar has been raised interms of the quality and strength of the stories featured. Several weeks of searching through the archives for just the right content was to follow, searching through hours of aviation accidents as a few themes began to emerge, and if the main message coming though as this stage was to avoid flying on second hand Russian cargo planes in tropical storms then that at least was something…
 
It’s a demanding and complex series, with four episodes shot on three continents, and it requires a large amount of cross over and trust between the teams of PDs and APs.  My own episode featured material shot in Florida, New york, Michigan,  Amsterdam, London and Tokyo by five different PDs (Media Parents talent Zoe Fryer, Jim Shreim, Phil Broadhurst and Jules Seymour)  but, thanks to the close collaboration between teams, it all cut together seamlessly. 

All I had to do now was not to let the material itself turn me into a nervous flyer and all would be well.  The inference of our show is that despite the high drama and jeopardy of the incidents we feature there’s always some chance for survival.  It’s a reassuring message, in amongst the screams and explosions of the material I had been viewing and editing, so I was able to sit back and enjoy my daytrip to Amsterdam to interview the survivors of a hot air balloon crash. Though I did have my camera phone ready, just in case… 
 
It was an enjoyable, and enlightening, series to work on.  I hope you enjoy watching it, and remember, please pay attention to the inflight safety briefing.

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/2904/jamie-matson

See www.mediaparents.co.uk for great networking, talent, jobs and information. To contact anyone on the Media Parents blog please go to the NETWORK part of the Media Parents site. To join us please go to www.mediaparents.co.uk