Media Parents

Media Parents PD Laura Leigh filming on location in Essex before the TOWIE fight.

Being offered the directing job on a single doc is a dream for most PDs. Being given a four-week shooting period, and a contract of 10 weeks from prep to final post is, frankly, dream over. I turned it down twice, writes Media Parents Director, Amy Walker. Not so much because of the challenging shoot and edit schedule, but because, if not handled sensitively, this doc about controversial kids’ beauty parlours could potentially impact the small businesses of the women – mums – who ran and depended on them. And I am passionate about supporting independent businesses. And women.

I took the job. Not only did we have a short time to turn the production around, we also had logistical challenges in that the production office ran from Bath, and the shoots were in Essex and Sussex. I had worked for the indie before so I made a bold suggestion – a job share could make the schedule and budget work.

I had worked as a Series Producer with a talented PD called Laura Leigh. Born in Essex, Laura had returned to her roots with her husband and one-year old. She was a great shooter and could manage the Essex contributor shoots, whilst I, not a shooter, could cover everything else with a crew. This meant Laura could also continue to shoot whilst I took the production into the edit.

I put it to Laura. We talked at length about how it could work. We knew each other well and had worked together before so had done a lot of job share groundwork already. Laura came with me to sign up the Essex contributor. She was a dream – your slightly wayward friend from school who you love but cannot save from herself. She got on like a house on fire with Laura. We were away.

Media Parents PD Laura Leigh filming in Essex

We would do the first few shoot days together (we had just ten budgeted days), then split them geographically. We meticulously planned each shoot (as much as one can) both logistically and editorially. We agreed shotlists and lists of questions, hypothesized scenarios based on recces. We had a long phone call the night before each shoot, each of us made separate shoot notes, and a longer download call at the end of each shoot day, with many emails in between.

Laura Leigh shot most of the footage on a P2. We chose this camera because, as Laura was recently pregnant at the time, we needed a lighter weight camera that was still acceptable for the broadcaster’s delivery requirements. Shooting on this tapeless format meant that — aside from working with sound recordist Jasmine Allodi who is also adept at data wrangling ­­— we had to bring in a DIT. The team excelled themselves when, during a break from filming our contributor started a fight with someone from the cast of TOWIE. It was picked up on the mic and thanks to the digital set up we were able to salvage the audio and use it over other shots until the camera was rolling on it.

We were delighted – and I will admit I was a bit envious as it wasn’t my shoot – but there is no I in job share. On their next shoot I got a text from Laura to say that the contributor (and effectively our crew) had been ejected from the audience of The Wright Stuff Extra for shouting abuse – so there are swings and roundabouts.

Media Parents' Director Amy Walker with creative jobshare partner PD Laura Leigh (right).

I am really proud in TV terms of what our team achieved. Massively assisted by the job share we made a 44-minute, single doc in 10 shooting days over the course of a four-week shooting period. Alex Kirkland is a fast, clever editor, who brought the offline edit home on time and budget in just four weeks. He also has a good tenor voice for cheering up a day that has gone beyond reasonable length.

To join us Media Parents TV Job Share event sign up to the guestlist here and send a CV to the address on the link : https://mediaparentstvjobshareevent.eventbrite.co.uk

Join Media Parents for training, events and great jobs - www.mediaparents.co.uk

Curious about job share in TV? Think creative jobshares can’t work? Think again. Join us on May 16th for an evening at Hat Trick, hearing from supportive companies (see guestlist below), existing job shares and meeting potential job share partners in the crowd. If you’d like to attend please send a CV to the address on this link when you sign up to the guestlist : https://mediaparentstvjobshareevent.eventbrite.co.uk

who’s coming?

Jacquie Glanville

Production Executive, BBC Drama

Three Girls' Production Consultant Jacquie Glanville will be joining us at Media Parents TV Job Share Event

Jacquie Glanville is mentoring returning Drama Production Coordinator Paula Watkins as part of Media Parents HETV Drama Return to Work Programme. Both will be attending our TV Job Share event, read more about Jacquie’s credits here.

Jessica Sharkey & Jessica Djanogly
Joint Directors of Production, Hat Trick

Jessica Sharkey with Hat Trick's Joint Director of Production Laura Djanogly at a 2010 Media Parents Job Share Event

Jessica Sharkey and Laura Djanogly oversee the whole range of programme output from the Hat Trick Group from initial development and budget negotiations, through production to delivery. Jessica and Laura will share job share tips at the event.

Laura joined Hat Trick as Head of Production in 2001 before joining forces with Jessica in 2004. Prior to this she was Programme Finance Manager at Channel 4 looking after Arts, Sport and Entertainment, a role which followed 14 years in the freelance production world working in Comedy, Entertainment and Documentary.

Jessica joined Hat Trick as Joint Head of Production in 2004.  Prior to this she was Production Executive at Alomo Productions, a role which followed 14 years in the freelance production world working in Drama, Comedy, Children’s and Documentary

Clare Voyce
MD, Minnow Films

Clare joined Minnow as Head of Production in 2008, looking after their output : http://www.minnowfilms.co.uk/filmography/index.html.

Prior to this Clare was at Blast! Films where she production managed various documentaries and drama docs including Accused (BBC2), Boys from the Brown Stuff (BBC2) and A Very British Sex Scandal (Channel 4). Clare also production managed Blue Suede jew, Hair Wars, Million Dollar Pigeon and Beautiful Young Minds.

Lisa Cox
Director of Production, Ricochet

Lisa Cox is Director of Production for Ricochet.  As such she has supported all kinds of flexible working including job sharing Series Producers.

Lisa joined Ricochet back in 2000 and has worked across all of Ricochet’s output, and her credits include Supernanny for C4, the long running documentary series Born To Be Different, returning formats such as Cowboy Builders (Five) and Food Unwrapped (C4) as well as popular BBC daytime series like Britain’s Empty Homes,  Family Finders and Channel Patrol.

As well as supervising all of Ricochet’s production, Lisa is a key part of the management team, responsible for the company’s financial planning and oversees all operational aspects of the business. Lisa has also been a mentor several times for Media Parents Returners.

Cat Fox

Head of Production, Comedy Entertainment, Tiger Aspect

Cat Fox, Head of Production Comedy Entertainment, Tiger Aspect

https://www.tigeraspect.co.uk/career-pathways/cat-fox/

Keri Atkins
Production Executive, Kindle Entertainment

Keri has worked in the TV industry for many years. She’s been involved in a broad range of TV programming for a variety of broadcasters since she started as a Production Secretary on C5’s first ever children’s commission in the late 1990s.

Working on a variety of drama, children’s, factual entertainment, animation, live and documentaries, Keri originally arrived at Kindle Entertainment as a Production Manager on the first series of the popular BAFTA award winning series for CBBC, Dixi.

Sunshine Underhill Jackson
Senior Producer & Co-Founder, Amplify

Previously an award-winning documentary film editor (twice BAFTA nominated), coming up through the cutting rooms Sunshine worked with a great many directors, and became adept at finding their strengths and supporting their weaknesses. She has supported, amongst others, job sharing Edit Producers.

In 2013 Sunshine made the leap to editorial producing, and in 2015 was Series Editor on the first series of ‘Hunted’ for Channel 4. In March 2016, as Series Editor on ‘Eden – Paradise Lost’ for Channel 4, Sunshine took challenging rushes and created the ‘utterly extraordinary’ and ‘stand out’ second series. In 2016 she dipped briefly back in to the cutting room to cut the first episode of the multi-award winning ‘Exodus – Our Journey to Europe’, a series about the refugee crisis.

Sunshine has 2 children, and during her maternity leave authored ‘Little London’, a book about adventuring in London with kids.

Anouk Berendsen
Head of Talent, All3Media

Anouk Berendsen, centre, with Media Parents HETV Drama Returners at BAFTA

Anouk joined All3Media in June 2016.   She is the point of contact for all senior creative talent within the Group and for talent looking to join All3Media.   Anouk has a unique insight into programme-making, spanning multiple genres and multiple broadcasters. She is passionate about creating new opportunities for established creative talent.

Before moving into talent management, Anouk worked as a freelance TV producer for over 15 years across a range of genres, from popular documentaries, factual entertainment and reality TV shows to prime-time entertainment. She started her career at ITV launching the hit daytime show Loose Women. She has subsequently produced large-scale ambitious projects such as The Match (SKY1) and Only Fools On Horses (Sport Relief, BBC One) and also helped launch BBC One’s new Saturday night format Last Choir Standing.

Tamara Durnford
Talent Manager & Production Manager, Development, Maverick TV

Maverick's Tamara Durnford (right) at Media Parents CV Event in April

One half of a job share herself, Maverick’s Talent Manager Tamara is responsible for helping find off-screen talent. She oversees Maverick’s talent database and network, building and developing relationships with all levels of production and development staff from runners to series producers. She work closely with executive producers and production management to staff projects and help develop the skills of our talented staff. Alongside, Talent Managing Tamara is also the Production Manager for Maverick’s Development team; supporting them in the day to day running of the department.

Sophie Milligan
Talent Coordinator, Raw TV

Sophie Milligan (left) at Media Parents Christmas Drinks

https://www.raw.co.uk/work

Emma Sayce
Job sharing Edit Producer

Job Sharing Returner Emma Sayce (left) at Edinburgh TV Festival with her Media Parents Sponsor Endemol Shine Global HR Director Bella Lambourne

Emma Sayce won one of the Media Parents Back to Work Scheme places at Edinburgh last year. She is being mentored by Shine MD Tania Shaw, and is sponsored by Endemol Shine. Emma is currently job sharing as an Edit Producer at Maverick TV – a role she won through Media Parents – ask her about it at the event.

Milla Harrison
Job Sharing PD / Edit Producer

PD Milla Harrison (left) with job share partner Alicky Sussman

Ask Milla how it’s done at the event – read more HERE.

Amy Walker
Director, Media Parents

Media Parents' Amy Walker and Joanna Gretton (right) who job share!

Amy Walker has job shared as a Producer Director and as a Series Producer. Find out more about it at the Media Parents TV Job Share Event and here.

If you’d like to attend please send a CV to the address on this link when you sign up to the guestlist : https://mediaparentstvjobshareevent.eventbrite.co.uk

To see job types attending please scroll down this blog or click here :

https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2018/05/media-parents-job-share-event-may-16th/

Join Media Parents for training, events and great jobs - www.mediaparents.co.uk

I am a 3D Designer working in Production Design, set design, live events arena, writes Lynne Boon. I am based in Hastings but work globally as you will see. Recently I worked as Production Designer for a live broadcast for Minecraft, Minecon Earth.

Lynne Boon's Minecon set for Minecraft

Minecraft is one of the biggest brands around at the moment and it’s amazing success of the brand is really down to the Minecraft community and creators who continue to build Minecraft worlds on line. They share the excitement and drive of being part of this wonderful community.

Minecon Earth is a live event, broadcast globally. Minecon Earth was a new venture away from the standard live event held at an arena to move to a global internet audience. It took place in Atlanta, in front of a live audience of 300 people and broadcast to millions across the globe.

I was the Production Designer on the event and the whole show was created around the live chat show feel. Set designs moved on and off stage to transition from scene to scene. Sets included NY apartment, US chat show set, Minecraft Grass Biome scene and Minecraft Desert Scene with big song and dance number at the end.

I worked very closely with the Producer/ Creative Director of the project, to take their vision and ideas and bring them to life and make them real.

I produced 3D visuals, showing the sequence of sets and how they changed from scene to scene, storyboards, presentations to the whole team to explain the show flow and how the space worked.

Once the concept was signed off and agreed, then I moved onto technical drawing, CAD plans, sections, detail drawings, drawing it up so the contractor could build and install it all. This covered rigging, building of sets, lighting, materials, props hire, everything that is required to build sets, then I joined the production team on site to install and see the show go out live.

I worked with a great team to make this event happen, marketing departments, stage directors, script writers, lighting designers, rigging team, sound designers, AV kit supplier, media designers, logistics, production managers, show callers, live broadcast producers.

The show ran for 90mins and was inserted with video clips, to update the Minecraft community of all the new and exciting things that are coming this next year, including, live updates, Preshow event, Community high lights, competitions, live mob vote, new server updates, cos play contest, Minecraft games updates were announced and whole show was hosted by Will Arnet and Lydia Winters brand director of Mojang with a series of guests.

If you need help and support on any of your projects, bringing ideas to life, visualising your concepts so you can pitch your idea to others, help with set designs, or the more technical aspects of CAD drawing, taking to contractors, build implementation, just give me a call it would be great to sit over a frothy coffee and have a chat about how I can help you.

https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/15308/lynne-boon

Join Media Parents for training, events and great jobs - www.mediaparents.co.uk

Join us at Hat Trick on Wednesday 16th May for Media Parents TV Jobshare Event. The event is being supported by companies including Hat Trick, Ricochet, Minnow Films, Tiger Aspect, Raw and Maverick TV. Hear from TV partnerships making it work, discover which companies are amenable, and find your jobshare match in the crowd. Get a FREE ticket here : https://mediaparentstvjobshareevent.eventbrite.co.uk/

Media Parents' Director Amy Walker with creative jobshare partner PD Laura Leigh. Amy has also jobshared as a Series Producer.

So far we have unmatched freelancers looking for jobshare partners with these job titles :

PD

Edit Producer

DV Director

Series Producer

Executive Producer

Production Executive

Production Manager

Post Production Manager

Editor

AP

Researcher

Producer

We still need jobshare matches so help us by using social media to publicise the event, so we increase chances of finding suitable jobshares on the evening.

Please share this link : https://mediaparentstvjobshareevent.eventbrite.co.uk/

and tag us @mediaparents #tvjobshare on twitter. Thank you!

Please send us a CV to events@mediaparents.co.uk marked with your job title and #tvjobshare to secure your place.

If you are a TV type living in or able to work out of Hastings then hopefully you have heard the news that Hastings Borough Council is submitting a bid to be a smaller Channel 4 hub. If you would like us to pass on your details please send us an email via www.mediaparents.co.uk contact button detailing your job type ASAP. Meanwhile more news from Hastings… Media Parents is sponsoring The Posh Club.

Over 60s and volunteers living it up at The Posh Club, currently being sponsored in Hastings by Media Parents.

The Posh Club is a weekly glamorous performance and social club for older people held in five locations across London and the South East including Hackney, Elephant & Castle, Crawley, Brighton and Hastings. Each three-hour event is styled as a tongue-in-cheek ‘posh’ 1940’s afternoon tea with three live show business turns, volunteer waiters in black tie, vintage crockery and an in-house pianist.

It is a glamorous event, held in the heart of the community in elegantly transformed church halls and other grass roots spaces and emphasises dressing up, regular access to live performance, social connectivity and intergenerational volunteering.

The Posh Club launched in Hastings in late March and has been a huge hit, with each show playing to capacity crowds of 120 older people a week. Guests have been treated to sword swallowers, string quartets, cabaret, singers, hola hoopers and Elvis impersonators. The whole of the ten week season is now booked up but The Posh Club hopes to return later in the year if funding can be secured.

You can also read a review of The Posh Club, Hastings Independent here and a new article in Vice about The Posh Club, Hackney here.

To submit your details to the Channel 4 creative hub bid please contact us.

Join Media Parents for training, events and great jobs - www.mediaparents.co.uk

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for our recent CV event, it was great to see so many connections being made – and even job shares being discussed ahead of our May jobsharing event. Special thanks to companies who joined us including jobsharing talent managers from Twenty Twenty TV, Maverick TV’s Tamara Durnford, Brinkworth Films, Outline Productions and Haresh Patel, who is looking for a flexible producer / business getter for his new VR / AR venture. A good time was had by all. If you’d like CV tips please scroll down, and in the meantime here are some photos of the event, also see our twitterfeed @mediaparents.

Many thanks to everyone who joined us for another great Media Parents evening

Twenty Twenty's job sharing Talent Managers Kate Farnaby and Sophie French have also job shared as Series Producers

Zoe Russell-Stretten from Brinkworth Films (left)

Well done to all those who attended their first Media Parents event, we know you'll be back!

PM jobshare Monica Rubio and Sarah Bell were networking as a pair https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2018/03/5-minutes-with-job-share-post-production-managers/

Thanks to Maverick's Tamara Durnford for meeting so many freelancers

Outline Productions' part time Production Exec Emily Freshwater came into town on her day off for the event - thank you Emily!

RDF West's Emily Knight took the late train back to Bristol after meeting freelancers who will work out of Bristol and Cardiff.

If you'd like to know more about Media Parents events drop us a line and scroll down the blog.

Media Parents' Amy Walker offers free CV advice at any time to Media Parents members.

"I've never seen so many cocktail sausages in my life". Let's leave it there.

FOR MORE CV TIPS PLEASE GO HERE https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2014/01/new-year-new-cv-new-job/

Join Media Parents for training, events and great jobs - www.mediaparents.co.uk

I’ve been a member of Media Parents for about 4 years since they helped me get back into TV after an 8 year break. I was a Media Parents Back to Work Scheme winner, and was mentored by Katy Brewer. I had to start again as a Production Co-ordinator but I didn’t mind, I was just happy to back in telly!

Helen Landeau's latest production is the landmark BBC series on Stephen Lawrence.

Since returning I’ve production managed for CBeebies and CBBC, a single doc on The Mersey Sound, and had the most wonderful opportunity of being the Production Manager for ‘Stephen: The Murder That Changed A Nation.’

It was hard work but ever so worth it and I’m so proud to be part of this creative team. We were often filming last minute and getting a cameraman and oh – those backdrops! Getting them to France and finding a suitable space in France to film with them – and also getting them into Downing Street was no mean feat! Finding the locations for drone filming in built up areas was a particular challenge, as was NATS paperwork. Filming protocols in Eltham meant working extensively with Greenwich Council, and filming drama recon with kids during the Beast from the East – working around snow in March – was unexpected to say the least!

The reaction even surpassed the production team’s expectations! Twitter was on meltdown and we were trending No 1 in the UK. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see all three episodes, you still can on BBC iPlayer.

Helen Landeau will be available in May.

https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/9357/helen-landeau

https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/9357/helen-landeau

Join Media Parents for training, events and great jobs - www.mediaparents.co.uk

Join us on Wednesday 25th May for a Media Parents networking event – CVs at the ready! Meet companies including Warner Bros, All3Media, RDF Media, Outline Productions and Brinkworth Films over a glass of wine to discuss vacancies or bring a CV and gain valuable CV insight from industry experts.

Companies attending are looking to meet Series Producers, Shooting PDs, DOPs, PMs, PCs, strongly editorial Producers and APs, people for development roles coming up, Line Producers, Event Producers, part time researchers, part time project manager / business development person for a start up company. Anyone (variety of roles) with Fact Ent experience especially experience in any of the following: food with big talent, art based shows, rig shows, big event style fact ent ie. formats which are big set-ups. People who will work out of Bristol / Cardiff / West Country. Details of the event and the guestlist are on the watercooler at www.mediaparents.co.uk.

Join us on Wednesday for another great Media Parents event in Central London

Details of the event and the guestlist are on the watercooler at www.mediaparents.co.uk.

Join Media Parents for training, events and great jobs - www.mediaparents.co.uk

I’d dreamed of working in the creative side of TV for many years, writes returning Script Editor Jaime Caruana. In November 2000 I took a week off work to write a script, and after sending the unsolicited script to Shed Productions with a storyline idea (twice!) I got a fairy tale break in the industry. A few weeks after resending my script, my phone rang, and it was Shed, inviting me along to their production offices for a meeting.

Media Parents HETV Drama Return to Work Programme Script Editors Jaime Caruana (left) and Becky Evans in conversation at BAFTA

From that meeting with Brian Park, I was offered a 3-month Trainee Storyliner gig on series 3 of ‘Bad Girls’. A dream come true!  I immediately quit my day job and thus began a decade-long career in scripted TV drama, with roles including Storyliner, Scriptwriter and Script Editor, working alongside great talent including Sue Breen, Joanna and Matt Strevens, Cameron Roach, Malcolm Campbell and Daisy Coulam.

I cut my teeth on ‘Bad Girls’, series 3 and 4 for Shed Productions, before working freelance on projects in development, both independently and collaboratively, for Granada and ITV.  I then moved on to the challenging but rewarding, fast-paced world of continuing drama at ‘The Bill’, for talkbackTHAMES, Fremantle Media and ITV. I was proud to have been a part of BAFTA and RTS award winning teams during my time at ‘The Bill’.

I strive for TV drama that constantly moves and surprises me, and am dedicated to working collaboratively with new talent, as well as established.  I particularly champion female talent.

https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/7402/jaime-caruana

After 10 years in the industry I took a conscious career break, for my family.  Now that my children are in full time education, I am itching to get back into the business that I love.  I am thrilled to finally be working with Media Parents, via the Media Parents HETV Drama Return to Work Programme, seeking a work placement.  I want to get my creative juices flowing and make an impact in people’s living rooms, once again!

https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/7402/jaime-caruana

I started my career in film and television in post-production and then worked freelance for all sorts of production companies and projects, writes Megan Toogood. I was a production co-ordinator for Complete Fabrication Special Effects and Modelmakers who specialised in high speed liquid effects and leatherwork, and whose credits included the Harry Potter films for work on the Quidditch costumes. I was a production co-ordinator, then production manager for their production company, Completely Fab, and made commercials for clients including Kinder and Ferrero Rocher. I produced short films and volunteered at the Greenwich film Festival.

Megan Toogood worked as a Production Coordinator for the Quidditch props company Complete Fabrication

My children and my part-time MA in Screenwriting led me to a portfolio career, hopping from project to project, always interested in the novelty of doing something new. But as clients recommended me on to other clients and new opportunities presented themselves, I gradually drifted further and further away from the TV jobs I really wanted and I’ve realised it’s time to steer the ship in the direction I want to go! My varied experience means I’m looking for something like TV researcher, marketing manager, PR, communications, brand manager, publicist, events organiser, conference producer, festival producer, production coordinator, or maybe sales and distribution.

And who can argue with promoting pirate takeover day as a really fun job? asks Megan Toogood

Some of my jobs have been really fun, with a massive sense of achievement. I’m proud of the research I did into communities that are under served by arts and museums – it contributed to a major funding bid from the Heritage Lottery Fund that resulted in a travelling museum project – the Maritime Memories Machine. And who can argue with promoting pirate takeover day as a really fun job?

I was delighted to be shortlisted for the content marketing awards for work with publisher Wiley on their ‘Backfiles’ – a digital product that provides access to research going back to 1791.

It was a buzz to get a very technical product launch featured in industry press. Working with publishers has opened my eyes to the weird and wonderful, from astrobiology to medical devices.

Portfolio freelancer Megan Toogood is now looking for TV projects

Freelancing has helped to become a quick-study, working out what lies at the heart of a project and how best to communicate it to audiences. I’m a strategic marketing and communications planner and a very experienced copywriter. I am happy juggling an enormous array of different projects, in one month last year I worked simultaneously in museums, engineering, higher education, pharma, and the charity sector on a variety of projects that included copywriting, PR, social media promotion and print commissioning. I never miss a deadline.

I’m usually involved in communications work, but I also get projects off the ground and make things happen – I was the convener for a TV industry event for LCC alumni and am a Co-Producer for a series of theatre nights in Waterloo.

With child number one at secondary school and child number two about to follow its time to consolidate the many different experiences into a single role, that I really want, and stop my talent for being headhunted leading me in the wrong direction. I’m not sure what the perfect job will be, but I do feel sure there’s an organisation out there with a strange skills gap to fill and once we meet we’ll be perfect for each other!

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/8957/megan-toogood