Media Parents

Recently I was asked by Funny Women https://funnywomen.com/ to share my tips for making Comedy, Entertainment, and ‘Funny Fact Ent’ TV with a room full of people. But how to condense a 20-year career into a tight half hour, that’s remotely useful to the audience, without sounding like Alan Partridge reading aloud from his autobiography? Tough gig, writes Series Producer, Series Edit Producer, and Writer Anna Coane…

Comedy Producer Anna Coane, right, with Nic Lamont c/o Funny Women

I’ve been a comedy geek since I was a kid (my best mate and I would perform our ‘sketches’ in school assembly, under the shared delusion that we were French & Saunders). As a TV freelancer I’ve produced and developed scripted and unscripted comedy in many guises -  sketches, stand up, sitcoms, hidden camera pranks, travelogues, chat shows, panel shows, and archive formats. For shows including The Graham Norton Show, Frank Skinner On Demand, The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, Tonight With Omid, Julian Clary’s Greatest Xmas Adverts, The Comedy Bus, and The TNT Show. I’ve also been brought on board to ‘find the funny’ in factual formats too.

So on a cold, dark, windy evening in November, I found myself in a quirky board games café in Rochester, in front of an expectant audience, and host Nic Lamont – a brilliant actor and writer I’d last worked with 12 years ago on BBC3’s comedy newcomer vehicle Live At The Electric.

I eased in with a few anecdotes – that time in my pre-kids 20s I had to find a doula for Olivia Colman and her newborn on the set of Peep Show, that other time money was saved on extras by casting me in a speaking part opposite Paul Kaye in Strutter. But then onto perhaps more useful take home from my TV journey…

Anna Coane on the Media Parents Back to Work scheme at Edinburgh TV Festival

With Nic and I reconnecting this time as mums, and because in addition to making comedy for grown-ups I’ve recently made children’s TV (Big Fat Like, Meet The McQueens, I Can Do It You Can Too, for CBBC/CBeebies), I decided to share some headlines from my experiences of writing comedy for young kids, as a genre that the aspiring writers and stand ups in the audience might turn their pens to. Kids laugh at different things to adults, and children’s TV comes with constraints, and a whole load of compliance, so it’s a creative challenge that can really focus the comedy mind and exercise those writing muscles.

anna’s comedy writing tips

First up I suggested watching what your kids/nephews/nieces laugh at when watching films, TV or online content.

I found that visual and physical comedy lands better than wordy dialogue, so use props, mime techniques, slapstick and prat falls – adults/authority figures getting things wrong or falling over is hilarious.

But tone is key – on the shows I’ve made we were required to make sure young viewers weren’t left believing the presenter/performer had genuinely hurt themselves or others.

And always beware imitative behaviour (featuring activities or actions that might be dangerous if kids copy them at home).

It’s also important to know the target age group (3-year-olds being different from 10-year-olds), and pitch any dialogue and references accordingly.

Sketches about school life might not resonate with pre-schoolers. Likewise gags that rely on cool on-screen text or written graphics won’t mean much to younger kids who don’t read yet.

Silly or scatological sound effects were always a winner (kids find farts funny, who knew?!).

And you can’t rely on swear words to get laughs. Shit.

I’ve been asked back to be a guest speaker at a Funny Women workshop for female /non-binary comedy writers – Stand Up To Stand Out Winter Warm Up at London’s Groucho Club on Saturday 1^st February 2025. I’m delighted that it’s with Nic Lamont again, and Funny Women founder Lynne Parker. There’ll be techniques on writing, performing, and creating comedy, and using humour in everyday interactions, at work or play. Media Parents subscribers who those who identify as female or non binary can get a 50% discount (email info@funnywomen.com for details). So if you want to supercharge your comedy, get a confidence boost, or are just comedy curious, come along and get some tips in a friendly, supportive environment. I promise no anecdotes this time.

Anna’s writing agent is:

https://www.gloriousmanagement.com/artists/anna-coane

Log in to view Anna’s Media Parents profile here:

https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/2251/anna-coane

Our next event is on Jan 30th. Scroll down the blog for more info www.mediaparents.co.uk - the jobs and social networking site for short term, part time, job share and regular hours jobs in media. For free events for subscribers, join here:https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/signup/?t=freelancer

“How did you get into Branded Content?” is the question I am often asked these days. With British (and global) TV facing a grim decline, short-form content seems to have become the industry’s golden ticket, writes PD & Edit Producer Anika Pilnei. *Open to job-sharing for non-shooting PD and Edit Producer roles* – message via Media Parents to connect.

PD Anika Pilnei on a shoot https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/18539/anika-pilnei

To be honest – I stumbled into Branded Content by pure chance – and quickly fell in love with it, having worked primarily in TV before. I have produced and directed across Specialist Factual, Factual Entertainment, and Documentary, focusing primarily on History & Archaeology, True Crime, and Travel, Adventure & Food. My work spans both retrospective and observational storytelling, often featuring in-depth master interviews across multi-episode series.

My journey in the world of Branded Content began as Creative Producer [Middle East & Asia] for an international De Beers Jewellery campaign celebrating women in the Arts. The success of that campaign led to more projects, including campaigns for Earth Day, Destination Canada, Canon, Barclays, Amex and Meta, where I worked as both Director and Producer/Director.

https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/18539/anika-pilnei

My language skills and cross-cultural expertise, which had previously opened doors in TV, proved invaluable in Branded Content as well. And, I am genuinely fascinated by people, their life stories, their perspectives, fears and aspirations.

The key to creating authentic stories, whether it is 30”, 5’ or 60’, is to listen and observe without judgment. Understand your story and your subjects, get close, but always respect their personal boundaries. Know when to push and when to pull back. It works in TV and basically everywhere else – a truly ‘transferable skill’!

Creating short-form content is just as fun and demanding as long-form. The core principle remains the same: story is everything. But with short-form, you have to make every second count. You have to deliver a powerful message with greater precision, be visually bold and creative, and push boundaries. C Suite contributors are equally high-maintenance as major TV personalities, social media influencers throw the same anxious temper tantrums as your already famous TV Chef.

Anika Pilnei across a crowded room at Media Parents Autumn Drinks. To see more pics from the event go here:https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2024/10/media-parents-autumn-drinks-gallery/

Over the past decade, I’ve successfully navigated both the TV and Branded Content worlds (with TV being my longer-standing home), refining skills such as multi-camera directing, shooting across various aspect ratios, crafting “insta-worthy” visuals, and adapting to the nuances of corporate environments. While I’ve grown to appreciate the unique challenges of working within the “belly of the corporate beast”, my passion for TV and the art of classic, long-form documentaries remains as strong as ever.

In TV, favourite projects include sensitive access-driven works such as Manson: The Lost Tapes (ITV) and the award-winning landmark series Jerusalem 24 (ARTE). I love working with archive —  be it historical, personal, or extensive law enforcement footage, and in the past, I have dipped my toes into producing dramatic recon as well.

While my professional work is very ‘peopley’ as Snoopy would say, I am increasingly dedicating my time to environmental initiatives and (animal) charities, hoping to work with Foundations and Initiatives beyond TV and Corporate to utilise my storytelling skills to drive meaningful and lasting change in an increasingly challenging and sometimes upside-down feeling world.

To book Anika for branded content or TV work please go here: https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/18539/anika-pilnei

Carlee Davis has recently joined the Media Parents team, covering jobs and talent throughout the UK.

Carlee Davis, pictured at the Wildscreen Awards, will be working on the Media Parents team - welcome!

Having worked in media production for the past 20 years, Carlee decided to take an extended maternity leave after having her third child 2 years ago to enjoy time with her husband and children. With a busy home life looking after three little people, plus an excitable Labrador (by the name of Audrey), Carlee is excited to be helping parents to juggle the logistics of childcare and parenting with TV – especially as she has first hand experience of doing so.
To contact Carlee re posting a job or about Media Parents talent search just hit the contact tab above.

From her first media job at Endemol West back in 2004 Carlee has worked on a variety of entertainment programmes before moving to BBC Bristol to work on The One Show inserts, and three series of Wanted Down Under.

Carlee also spent a number of years working as a Production Co-ordinator on BBC dramas such as Casualty and Bonekickers with Hugh Bonneville. However it was when Carlee moved into the world of natural history in 2011 that she discovered her love for working on landmark series such as BBC’s David Attenborough’s Life Story, Thailand:Earth’s Tropical Paradise and most recently National Geographic/Disney+ award-winning Queens.

When Carlee gets any spare time she likes to raise money for various charities close to her heart – usually by running. The trainers need a little dusting off since running her second half marathon back in May but she hopes to pick this up again in the new year.

Welcome to Media Parents Carlee!

Our next event is on Dec 5th, scroll down the blog for more info www.mediaparents.co.uk - the jobs and social networking site for short term, part time, job share and regular hours jobs in media. For free events for subscribers go here: https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk

Doon Mackichan has written (hilariously and often painfully) in her memoir about her principled career choices and where they’ve got her as a staunch feminist. You can imagine. Now motherhood is shaping her decisions, Mackichan is a lonely voice in this looks-obsessed industry calling out botox, writes Media Parents Director Amy Walker.

Doon Mackichan on the banks of Loch Rannoch with Media Parents Amy Walker

“I don’t want to shame women who want to do things to their faces because it’s completely their face and they can do what they like. I think what we have to be responsible for, is the legacy we’re giving to younger girls. So if you’re a mum and if you are like ‘Oh I just hate that line’ – when your daughter sees her first line, she’s going to hate that line. So we’re just teaching our daughters that we are not happy with our faces, so we’re basically under the tools of the patriarchy…”

We’re sitting on a bench beside Loch Rannoch in the Scottish Highlands, where Doon is running her creative writing and wild swimming retreat. I privately wonder if she is carrying the black marker pen she famously uses to deface cosmetic surgery ads, but I guess there won’t be too many billboards around here.

“Plastic surgery has never been so massive – the blue circles of shame made us hate ourselves – so beautiful young women hate themselves and their bodies” Doon continues, “So if we’re just going – ‘oh it’s just a little freshener’ – that’s actually very insidious because that’s bleeding into a culture that says ‘I don’t want to see an older face’. We are role models. It’s everywhere now, even some of our favourite actresses are succumbing to it. They have work done to keep working…”

Personally, I’m relieved to hear this opposition to botox from Doon – it’s refreshing and inspiring to have an unbotoxed public figure unrepentantly sticking two fingers up at the cosmetic industry. We need more feminist icons like her to be open and honest and lead a separate path, loudly. Reflecting on the conversation later, I realise I feel a pressure lifted that has sat on me for at least a year, and I’m not even on screen. My close friends are pretty much divided down the middle in terms of botoxers and notoxers. They talk to me about it – the procedures or the resistance – and those who are resisting are frequently told by other women that they need work.

photo credit : Doon Mackichan

Don’t be mistaken – Doon does have physical advantages over many of us. She is beautiful, tall, built like a greyhound, clever, funny. She has been cast opposite Jon Hamm, say no more: “I have to have a word with myself when I see myself on screen – because you see yourself in high definition – that was a terrible, terrible invention” she says, her eyes crinkling with laughter. “HD is every thread vein – imagine you think ‘I don’t like that photo because I don’t like my neck’ – imagine you’re just a moving photo which is effectively what that is… I want to be someone whose face moves and whose face is her history. I don’t like looking at faces that have been “done” – I can’t bear watching them. I feel very passionate about botox because it’s filtering down an image of self-hatred” says Mackichan.

But touched up faces are undoubtedly the majority of faces on screen these days, and Doon is likely making a decision that could cost her roles. Nonetheless, she is insistent that her career choices haven’t been solely financially motivated, and has been open about using Universal Credit to keep herself and her family afloat during lockdown. It’s surprising to learn that a performer of her standing was in that position, and yet in the Guardian long read publicising Doon Mackichan’s book and career, amongst many things, she reflects regretfully on being “a little bit poor”.

Like many creative freelancers at the moment, Doon may well get poorer if the government doesn’t step up its efforts to jumpstart TV and the creative arts. Despite her recent BAFTA nomination, the future of the BBC sitcom Two Doors Down, in which she plays “foul-mouthed, half cut and self-centred” alcoholic Glaswegian housewife Cathy, is uncertain after the sudden death of writer and friend, Simon Carlyle. The team behind the show bravely and subtly put alcoholism at the centre of a Christmas special – if you haven’t seen it is remarkable, funny, authentic. Production of Season 3 of her Amazon show Good Omens also looked uncertain for while. Most of us it seems are walking this precipice of talent, luck, contacts, persistence.

photo credit : Morag Jamieson

Even so, Doon is principled about the work she will and won’t take – she enters into everything with best feminist intentions and on her own terms. She has written in her book about holding out against the advances of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity – a line she won’t cross. I do think she could clean up in the jungle – I’m convinced she would massively increase the devoted following her character Cathy has in Scotland (we dine in a private room at the highland hotel so she is not continuously mobbed), her earnings from that alone would likely buy a London flat. But it’s not an argument I’m going to win. “I would lose my integrity if I went into the jungle – my whole career has been about trying to guard that” says Mackichan firmly. Likewise her face. “Hopefully it’s going to pass, this [botox] fad, but I’ve got a feeling it’s embedding. The only way to stop it is to show girls botox is not the only way.”

photo credit : Morag Jamieson

Doon’s way is generally not the easy way. In her book she is creative, determined, battling her demons. In front of me at the lochside she tells me she is often described in interviews as cold, but she definitely sees herself as a sister. And the sisterhood has brought us here, to surprisingly sunny Loch Rannoch, on the swimming and writing retreat.

“I started a cold water swimming group through the pandemic. Three of us started in Hastings, socially distanced… and by the end it had swelled to 103… Coming out of the water I would just feel ‘Wow! My mental health is recovered’. When I got back to London I just remember thinking ‘I want to give this to more women’”. And so she has. Along with Travel Matters, Doon runs this annual retreat. The one I attend is an interesting mix of people who have never cold water swum before, alongside women with a compulsion to hurl themselves into freezing water daily; published writers, women who have not enjoyed creative writing since school, and quite a few in between.

https://www.travelmatters.co.uk/scotland-wild-swimming-writing

“Cold water swimming is a quick fitness fix” Doon tells one of the women as she emerges from the water, energy renewed. “Fitness in three minutes!” And who would deny this busy, determined career woman and divorced mother a quick fix? She has seen a path to taking others along on her ride. After three days, everyone on the retreat is embracing the water and the writing at their own level of comfort, some beyond. There are writers who arrived blocked, one cold water swimmer who slammed on the brakes when the water reached her ankles on day one – she is now up to her goosepimpled knees. I’ve used the cold swim part of things to get into gear for October’s #Dipaday, which has inspired me to take part in the November 3^rd https://marchforcleanwater.org. As for the writing side of things, you’re reading some of it.

Doon is a charming facilitator, offering writing prompts, and sparse but strict rules for the daily two-hour creative period: no laptops and complete silence. The only water regs are to listen to the health and safety briefing and to make some noise on entry. The group is fairly socially diverse, and expertly curated by Doon, who definitely earns her whack by hosting nightly drinks and dinners with the retreatants, where we largely laugh and laugh. [There is booze, it’s not that kind of retreat].

For Doon’s part, cold water swimming helped her write her memoir “My Lady Parts: A Life Fighting Stereotypes”. She wrote it during the pandemic. “It wasn’t written for publication, I just sat down and wrote a chapter each day, working backwards from the present… What a cold dip does is it just blasts out all those voices that tell you what’s the point in doing that? Not sure I would have done it without the swimming, not sure I would have been quite as alive.”

As for so many of us, lockdown was not an easy time, we are still coming out of its shadows, and many of us with or without domestic responsibilities are grappling its legacy in creative terms. “Our focus is completely punctured by so many things in our day – admin, life, children, partners, parents – ageing parents – it’s ridiculous” says Mackichan. “You don’t have to do that all day, you can set aside two hours – two hours is a long time, you can get a lot done.”

Wild swimmers at Loch Rannock. Just do it. Join some of us at marchforcleanwater.org London Nov 3rd

Media Parents will be publishing short pieces of work from the retreat drawn from family life. If you would like to write for the Media Parents blog, please get in touch.  For more information about Doon Mackichan’s retreat click here.

Our next event is on Nov 6th, scroll down the blog for more info www.mediaparents.co.uk - the jobs and social networking site for short term, part time, job share and regular hours jobs in media

Thanks everyone who joined us for our freelancers monthly hello in November. Followed by…

Media Parents members gleaning edit producing tips from Jo Woolf

Edit Producing is one of the more family-friendly roles in TV and one that TV Trainer and Exec, Jo Woolf, decided to move into over 15 years ago when she started her family. Having joined us for Media Parents Autumn Drinks, Jo is offering a free intro to Edit Producing.

Jo Woolf Edit Producer Training

Jo now runs Edit Producer training as well as working on productions and on Wednesday 6th November she is running a special session for Media Parents members with her top tips about Edit Producing, including a Q and A.

If you are new to edit producing, or want a refresher, then this 1 hour free session, hosted by Media Parents Director Amy Walker, is for you. For more info about Jo take a look at her website at jowoolftv.com

Jo Woolf, left at Media Parents Autumn Drinks

www.mediaparents.co.uk - the jobs and social networking site for short term, part time, job share and regular hours jobs in media. For free events for subscribers go here: https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk

Returning to TV as a Producer/Director after my second break in 25 years seems like a bold move when 60% of the industry is still out of work writes Edit Producer Heidi Perry. I’ve tried to reinvent myself as a charity communications manager and PR a few times but I always find I’m longing to do what I do best; collaborating with contributors and finding the gold in hours of rushes to tell a powerful story. Unscripted TV of any kind – I actually love it all – is in my DNA. On a shoot or in the edit, everything makes sense. And I know that the more experience I have of life and of other kinds of work, the more I become a better Producer/Director or Edit Producer. To this end I attended Media Parents Autumn Drinks and had a surprisingly great time, meeting some great hirers and freelancers.

Heidi Perry, centre, was on great form at Media Parents Autumn D. Pictured here with ClearCut MD Rowan Bray, hosting

While travelling with my family last year, I made 5 episodes of Shamba Shape-Up, a popular farm makeover show that goes out to 8 million viewers across East Africa. Filming with a Kenyan crew was an incredible experience and made me want to go back to TV more than ever. So I’m jumping back in! So far I’ve had some feature doc development work with Blackbox Multimedia and I’m putting feelers out for edit producing or directing. The commissioning landscape has changed considerably since I last left, but adaptability is a superpower possessed by anyone working in TV, and I have it in spades. I also have a passion for TV that I can’t shake and valuable experience I know I can put to great use.

Heidi Perry on location in Kenya

The first time I left TV, after a trip to Cameroon undercover filming Crime Scene Wild for Animal Planet, it was because on my return, my two-year old daughter Nina gave me one look and strolled nonchalantly away. It was clearly time to stop going away all the time and luckily, alternatives came along: the first at Immediate Films directing charity fundraising films that would raise £1 million at high-profile events. The second was making films for the Ministry of Justice about the issues faced by vulnerable women in the criminal justice system. Making films with a purpose honed my storytelling fast and I learnt how to impact an audience in different ways.

Heidi Perry shooting in the Cameroon for Animal Planet

When my daughter was older, I tried TV again. I’d missed the camaraderie and collaboration of team-working across a series. I did some development in BBC Specialist Factual, a Hairy Bikers’ food history series, an Antiques Roadshow spin-off obs doc, a few series of Bargain Hunt. Then I fell in love with fixed rig filming as a P/D on One Born Every Minute and The Hotel for C4.

Although bouts of edit producing made TV more compatible with parenting, when my relationship ended, I struggled as a single mum on freelance contracts. So I took an offer of a secure job in a national children’s charity. People asked if I missed TV and I’d call to mind squeezed budgets and crazy hours, trying to convince myself and them that I didn’t, but in truth I missed it unbearably. Now it feels wrong not to be doing what I love so much. So here goes again…fingers crossed!

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for Media Parents Autumn Drinks – we had a great time! Freelancers met with hirers including ITN, All3Media, Dragonfly, Yes Yes Media both in the room and live from the event on zoom. We were so well looked after by the ClearCut Pictures team led by Rowan Bray and Phil Knowles – thank you! Watch this space for more, join us at Media Parents to join in!

Join us inside... Media Parents for networking, jobs, training and community https://www.mediaparents.co.uk

Big Fish Little Fish Head of Children's and Young Audiences Ros Attille has a serious discussion about fashion with the ClearCut team. Richard studies the floor

Dragonfly's Head of Talent Gayl Paterson chats with freelance PD Tom Colvile

“Thank you for a lovely evening!” Jo, Exec Producer

Freelancers Mav Brown PM and Tom Colvile, with Story Films' LP Donna Blackburn

All3Media's Annie Conlon, centre, and PM Michele Smith left.

“Glad it was fun,  it felt very retro to be meeting in person!   I think it was a mixture of reassuring those who are looking for work and networking for those in work, seemed a really positive event.” Rowan, ClearCut Pictures

Producer Katie Flamman with Offline Editor Daren Tiley, very pleased to be back on the blog after all this time. Editor Liz Convey behind

PD Lorraine Molloy, left, made it all the way from Cornwall. PD Heidi Perry with ClearCut MD Rowan Bray. Thank you so much for lovely hosting

“Thanks for a brilliant meet up last night, it was really nice to catch up with some familiar faces, and meet some new ones too. And it was so nice of Clear Cut to host again.” Anna, Producer / SP

Huge thanks to Offline Editor Alex Kirkland who hosted a simultaneous zoom from the event, joined by freelancers and companies

Tinopolis' Katie McAfee was no sooner through the door than she was zooming - thank you Katie

“It was great to have you around and I’m glad everyone enjoyed themselves. Was good to see everyone get over the initial awkwardness and socialise.” Phil, ClearCut Pictures

Director of Production Sarah Buckenham from Yes Yes Media meets with a returning freelancer

Thank you Zara McFadden ITN for making everyone laugh on zoom

“Great to meet the other night. Really good event and good energy in the room!” Jim, SP

I love this pic of Producer Julie Dawson-Wills

Box to Box's LP Emily Freshwater and Scripted PM Richard Godfrey had a laugh with the zoom attendees

“This is just a quick note to how much I enjoyed yesterday evening’s Autumn Drinks at ClearCut Bloomsbury. Thank you for arranging the evening and making sure that I was meeting other invitees that might be relevant to my career.” Richard, PM

“A quick thank you for organising the event last night. It was great (and a bit strange) to be among so many people. And thanks also for all you’re doing to support everyone just now.” Tom, SP

Media Parents' Amy Walker with returner Steph Carpanini - thank you Jo Woolf for the photo!

A good time was had by all. It can be a lot to get to an in person event after working remotely, or looking for work for a while. The energy in the room was great, and the garden was good to escape to too!

“Thank you so much for organising such a lovely event last night. It was so nice to meet yourself and so many others in real life!

Thanks also very much to Clearcut for hosting – and I’m so sorry that we outstayed our welcome! How did it get to 9pm so quickly?!” PD, Eliza

Spot the back of Little Bird TV SP / Exec Matt Holden. Thanks Jules Seymour for the photo

Yes Yes Media's HOP Sarah Buckenham with Lucy Maxwell, Community Development Manager from Film + TV Charity. FTVC have available funding for freelancers who need stopgap help to pay rent and bills, and also have free available counselling support for freelancers - get in touch with FTVC to find out more

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for Media Parents Autumn Drinks – we had a great time! Freelancers met with hirers including ITN, All3Media, Dragonfly, Yes Yes Media both in the room and live from the event on zoom. We were so well looked after by the ClearCut Pictures team led by Rowan Bray and Phil Knowles – thank you! Watch this space for more, join us at Media Parents to join in!

www.mediaparents.co.uk - the jobs and social networking site for short term, part time, job share and regular hours jobs in TV

Back in the Game: My journey as a new Mum and job-sharing Edit Producer

Juggling life as a new mum and diving back into the world of TV post- production felt daunting! writes Edit Producer Sarah Mckenzie Webb. But after 10 months of maternity leave, I was eager to return to work, and ideally I needed something that would let me be the mum I wanted to be while still flexing my creative muscles. That’s when luck stepped in – I landed a job share on a show I know like the back of my hand: Married at First Sight UK.

https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/18399/sarah-mckenzie-webb

This opportunity was perfect for dipping my toes back into the TV pool. I was paired with Lydia Akonas, another lovely mum and very established Producer and together, we had all the ingredients to whip up something great. I brought my seven series of MAFS UK/AU experience to the table, while Lydia added her fantastic background in big entertainment shows and reality TV.

Our setup was pretty ideal: Lydia took the reins from Monday to Wednesday, and I wrapped things up on Thursday and Friday. Working consecutive days gave our editor, Will Porter, the continuity he needed and kept our workload smooth and steady. We kept in sync with phone calls, WhatsApp messages, sharepoint documents and by cc’ing each other on every email. We made sure that every note or piece of info was shared between us, so no one was left out of the loop, nor needed to repeat themselves.

One of my favourite parts? The voice notes Lydia would send at the end of her days – long, detailed updates that got me pumped to jump back in. It’s a system that worked brilliantly for us and, honestly, made me realise that job sharing is my new secret weapon for balancing work and motherhood.

Between Lydia and me, with our combined experience on shows like Britain’s Got Talent, I’m a Celeb, Celebs Go Dating, Love is Blind, and Big Brother, we managed to craft an episode that was even better than before. Two producer brains (plus our awesome editor) really do make magic!

https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/18399/sarah-mckenzie-webb

This gig has shown me that I can have the best of both worlds – doing what I love while being there for my daughter. It’s a balance I’m excited to keep in my future projects.

Now, I’m on the lookout for my next Edit Producer role. Ideally, another job share with a fellow talented producer. If you’re reading this and want to chat, whether over a real or virtual coffee, hit me up via Media Parents. Let’s make some TV magic together!

https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/18399/sarah-mckenzie-webb

Our next event is Autumn Drinks in London www.mediaparents.co.uk - the jobs and social networking site for short term, part time, job share and regular hours jobs in media. For free events for subscribers go here: https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2024/08/event/

September is synonymous with the back-to-school rush when reality slaps us hard in the face as summer memories fade and we resume our 9 to 5 timetable writes Senior Producer Jodie Chillery.

September is also Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, giving us an even harder dose of reality faced by an increasing number of families worldwide, many of whom would do anything to endure the routine slog of back-to-school preparation. So would you settle in on a cosy September evening for a 90 minute documentary on the subject?

You’d be forgiven for finding alternative viewing, but if Nile Rodgers and Joely Richardson can throw their weight behind it, then perhaps so can you. If you need further persuasion this opening paragraph from The Telegraph’s TV review might do it.

“A documentary about children with cancer might sound like punishingly grim viewing. A sort of misery safari for rubberneckers to wallow in tragedy. Kids Like Us (Sky/NOW) defies all such expectations. This feature-length film is uplifting, frequently funny and really rather beautiful.”

I wrote about my experience working on this project here (https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2024/03/5-minutes-with-senior-producer-jodie-chillery/) back at Easter. Now I can shout about it, and it is possibly the most shouted about film I’ve been involved with. When I started out on BBC’s Watchdog, long before social media and when BBC1 primetime consumer affairs shows regularly courted 8 million viewers, I used to get a bit excited, butterflies as the title music rolled and we went live to the nation’s households.

As the years went by, traditional TV audiences diminished along with the novelty of my career, that buzz I felt as a fledgling runner never quite replicated. Last week, Kids Like Us, a 90 minute feature documentary produced by Echo Velvet in association with Children With Cancer UK and available now on SKY/NOW TV was played out on Leicester Square’s IMAX screen with over 700 people in attendance. A VIP red carpet event sponsored by pladis Global  and hosted by Cineworld was a spectacle that the factual documentary genre rarely enjoys. If September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month, what more awareness could you want with Nile Rodgers, Sophie Capewell, Ashley Cain, Tracey Ann Oberman and Brentford manager Thomas Frank all making an appearance.

Jodie Chillery's profile: Jodie Chillery Senior Producer (also available now for job opportunities!) Jodie has had work through Media Parents and now wants more! To contact Jodie log in to Media Parents and click here: https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/4945/jodie-chillery

This glitzy affair must surely be a career highlight worthy of that kind of juvenile excitement first felt back on Watchdog. Yet, amongst the glitz and glam of the evening, something way more significant occurred, perhaps the real career highlight and most definitely the reason you should tune in.

One of our contributors hugged me and whispered “Thank you, you’ll never know how grateful we are for giving us a voice, filming with you has been life changing for all of us.” I don’t recall a contributor saying anything quite like that to me before, not with so much emotion for sure. For me it cements the importance of documentary programming and if we were able to give these kids a voice, they now need to be listened to, it’s the least they deserve. Available now Kids Like Us on SKY/NOW TV.

Jodie Chillery Senior Producer (also available now for job opportunities!) Jodie has had work through Media Parents and now wants more! To contact Jodie log in to Media Parents and click here: https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/4945/jodie-chillery

How have you been filling your time when not working? Asks Media Parents Director Amy Walker. (Media Parents is running a series of free courses for freelancers so job applications hit the spot and it’s been great to meet so many talented freelancers through those. Make sure you catch the networking workshop before Media Parents Autumn Drinks!)  I love wild swimming and as well as all the sh*t in TV, I am infuriated by what’s happening in our waterways, so I’ve signed up to Surfers Against Sewage A Dip a Day in October largely to raise awareness of how often we cannot swim in the water these days due to dumping. I’ve enlisted champion wild swimmer Doon Mackichan (Toast / Two Doors Down / Smack the Pony) to help me face the brown water problem.

Actress Doon Mackichan will be cold water swimming with media parents Amy Walker in September

This weekend Doon is running her annual wild swimming and writing retreat in Scotland. I’m heading there to try to get my creative back after this soul-destroying period in TV, and partly as a way to limber up for October’s Dip A Day. Scotland, in my experience, is always a season ahead of England, so I figured if I can swim in a loch in “skins” in September, the English Channel in October is going to feel practically Mediterranean.

If you know me you know I don’t do things by halves, but actor and stand up Doon Mackichan is way beyond me in those stakes. Her book My Lady Parts details her dynamic progression from cold water to cross channel swimmer; motherhood successfully raising a child through leukaemia; and countless freelance career battles that anyone in TV can relate to and be inspired by. All this with a sense of humour and a strongly feminist punch.

Amy Walker, Media Parents Director looking warm and dry. Brace yourself for October's Dip a Day (photo: Robert Ludovic)

The TV situation, the sewage situation – both cr*p. No real solutions in sight yet. So let’s face it, if this slightly risky experiment to boost creativity and immunity doesn’t work, at least with Doon I will hopefully die laughing.

To sponsor Amy’s Dip a Day go here. Actually we have raised more than the target already so if you would like to join me in supporting a charity that gives families Christmas Dinner and Christmas gifts who would not otherwise receive them then please go here: https://survivingchristmas.co.uk/ I’ll swim for that!

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