Media Parents

“I just wanted to give you some feedback from the Cardiff networking Event”, writes mum back into work [name removed on request]. So if you are a parent currently out of the work place, take heart and read on. Then read a bit more below about the Media Parents GEITF Back to Work Scheme that we will be launching next week. “I met with Tess Cuming the Head of Factual Entertainment at Boomerang that night and she was incredibly encouraging about me returning to work after a long career break.”

“Tess rang me a few weeks later, asked if could I come in for a week to help with development. I’m still here! I did the initial week and was then asked to cover for the Producer of their Channel 4 show “Posh Pawn” which was great, and I’ve been working development producing ever since. I just wanted to write to you to thank you for organising the event, it has enabled me to return to work in my previous role in production which I didn’t think was possible with a family ( I think I mentioned to you I was thinking of switching roles as I thought it would be more office-based). Boomerang have been incredibly supportive, offering me flexible hours and understanding the juggling act of being a mum and returning to work!

Camera operator Duncan Fairs also attended the Media Parents event in Cardiff.

I’ve had to turn down the opportunity of more work here for the summer as my husband is on a month long shoot.  Boomerang want me back though and have been so encouraging.  I’ve been very impressed with the ethos of the company and their philosophy towards working parents – I couldn’t have received more support, and it has been a pleasure to work for them.

Tess Cumming meeting another freelancer at the Cardiff event.

I’ve also had other offers of work through the event and have had to turn them down – all in all a successful outcome! I just thought I’d let you know my experience!”

Thanks for letting us know! And if you are in the same position please join www.mediaparents.co.uk and apply for our Media Parents GEITF Back to Work Scheme next week. Last year the scheme saw four parents return to TV via the Edinburgh TV Festival and mentoring from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Endemol. More information next week, here is some from last year :

https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2013/07/media-parents-launches-new-“back-to-work”-scheme/

Media Parents is about to launch its GEITF Back to Work Scheme, please join www.mediaparents.co.uk and watch this space for details.

THE PUMA PRODUCTION MANAGER BOOTCAMP

Sunday 7 & Monday 8 September 2014

Best Western Country House Hotel, Thornhill, Cardiff

TWO DAYS of intensive, interactive and inspirational practical training for Production staff and freelancers.

BURSARIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR UP TO 80% OF THE COST, INCLUDING TRAVEL THROUGH

• CREATIVE SKILLSET CYMRU: http://creativeskillset.org/who_we_help/creative_professionals/funding_training_wales/cymru_freelance_fund
• Reduced fee for those who do not qualify for a bursary please contact Puma direct.
• Media Parents members and BECTU members qualify for a reduced fee of £300.

Christine Pyke

Ric Michael

http://www.pumaeventsandtraining.co.uk/2014-production-courses.html

07979 917 768 (Christine Pyke) 07976 895 946 (Ric Michael) www.pumaeventsandtraining.co.uk @PumaEvents

Cardiff Flyer Residential Bootcamp

Media Parents is about to launch its GEITF Back to Work Scheme, please join www.mediaparents.co.uk and watch this space for details.

A Long Gestation… Media Parents talent Gaby Koppel writes about the commission that happened through Media Parents and will TX on Sky Living, Friday 11th July at 8pm.

Gaby Koppel attended the recent Media Parents CV Bash in London, along with 100 others.

Exactly three years ago wrote for the Media Parents blog, little realising the amazing consequences my contribution would have for me and two others.  It was to lead to a series that starts airing on Sky Living at 8pm this Friday.  The piece I originally wrote was a brief but heartfelt comment on ageism in the TV industry and ended with a link to the feature I’d written for the Independent about inherited breast cancer. Weirdly, what happened next had nothing to do with either of those two subjects.

Of course, the connection between the two must have seemed tenuous in the first place.  I was the link. I’d left the BBC in 2008 after a decade of series producing documentaries and features.  The decision came about partly because I felt my age was beginning to affect how people saw me, and also because I yearned to go back to my first passion – print journalism. Pursuing a ‘portfolio career’ of writing and producing explains how I came to be the author of a very personal newspaper article describing how I told my three children that I may have passed a deadly cancer gene on to them.

If you’d asked me then what I expected to happen as a result of the blog, I’d have answered with a shrug. Maybe some readers would take in what I’d said on either of the two issues and even be inspired to act.  It would be nice to think I was an agent of change even in the most minor contributory way.

But a few days later I got an email which changed everything.  It was from a young producer, Lauren Pushkin. She explained that she’d been shooting a documentary on spec with another producer Melissa Cortizo under the working title ‘Becoming Mum’.  They had both been struck at how overwhelming, exhilarating and exhausting the experience of becoming a parent was for them and as they said, ‘nobody warns you’.  They had been filming other women on that same journey, and now they wanted to get their work onto television but weren’t quite sure how to start.

So why me?  Well, they’d read my blog piece and thought I might be able to help. I thought it sounded a bit iffy – after all, who shoots a documentary on spec? At the same time I was hugely intrigued and it was a subject I understood all too well though my children were in their teens by then.  In my newly freewheeling freelance career I had the time and energy to dig deeper.  So when Lauren and Melissa got me into their edit and showed me their rushes, my chin nearly hit the floor.  These guys were serious.  They had assembled a great line-up of characters and shot some truly compelling moments with them. And not just moments either – they had followed stories through for a full six months.

I was overwhelmed with admiration that two young women both with small children could find the time and resources to shoot most of a documentary series with so little help or support from elsewhere.  If they could do this by themselves, then with some infrastructure behind them I thought they would really fly.

Fast forward three years, and the series is about to air on Sky Living. Once it was commissioned by Siobhan Mulholland at Sky TV I stood back, feeling that my job was done. As the months have gone by, I’ve been aware that the long journey has been tortuous at times. Very much like the process of becoming mothers, becoming producers of a six-part broadcast series has been a challenging experience for Lauren and Melissa, their achievement all the greater for that.  But with their talent, energy and huge reserves of creativity, I’m sure this is just the beginning.  I look forward to watching their careers progress.

In one very apt sense, I feel I was the midwife. I simply helped the baby come into the world – of course I’m both amazed and proud to see how she has grown.  Without Media Parents it may never have happened.

Nine Months Later Starts: 8pm Friday 11 July, Sky Living

Gaby Koppel is a freelance Series/Edit Producer and writer, currently working on A Place in the Sun – Home or Away (Freeform Productions for Channel 4)

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/314/gaby-koppel

Media Parents is about to launch its GEITF Back to Work Scheme, please join www.mediaparents.co.uk and watch this space for details.

Well done to media parents PD Ros Edwards, and editor Brian Campbell who worked hard on this show and a big well done to all the team at Raise the Roof who worked on this. Amy Walker series produced this and got the job through Media Parents so thank you for that – hope you can tune in tonight at 8pm, Channel4. It’s been a heck of a lot of work!

Kirsie Allsopp upycles the nation's homes in this series starting tonight on channel4.

More related blog posts including one on diverse casting coming soon.

This Thursday Media Parents is holding a Summer CV Bash at ENVY. We’re being joined by a host of indies, ITV and the BBC. Plus about 60 talented and experienced freelancers. The plan is to put faces to names and to see how freelancers can sell their expertise better on paper. And someone from the BBC Academy is also coming along to advise people on the best ways to present themselves on social media. Some of the freelancers will be parents returning to the workplace, others will be experienced freelancers, not necessarily parents, who see the value in meeting employers. Here follows a list of everyone who has sent a biog back so far.

Alice Lister, Head of Production, ClearStory

During ten years in the industry, Alice Lister has managed and produced projects in the UK, New Zealand and the Middle East for a variety of international broadcasters including BBC, Discovery, National Geographic, Disney, Channel 4, Channel 5, TVNZ & Al Rayyan. Her recent production credits include prime time series such as Out of Empire presented by Jeremy Paxman, The Seven Ages of Britain presented by David Dimbleby and Michel Roux’s Service.

Amy Walker, Director, Media Parents

Media Parents Director Amy Walker has seen a million CVs and heard a lot of CV advice. She is well-placed to advise on what different indies like to see on CVs. Amy continues to work as a freelance Series Producer as well as overseeing Media Parents. Currently making a series with Kirstie Allsopp for Channel 4 that starts airing at 8pm on July 8th, her previous series is airing on Discovery UK, fronted by Bear Grylls. Amy has worked for all the major broadcasters, in the UK and across five continents for many years. Read more here: http://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2013/aug/01/parents-working-in-tv

Cat O’Gorman, Head of Production, Rockabox Media

Cat started out in TV in 2005 at RDF working on a variety of shows including Shipwrecked, Wifeswap and The Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work.  She continued in reality TV working at some of the top indies – Talkback Thames, Endemol and TwoFour. In 2010 she went back to RDF (Zodiak) to work in the digital department as in house PM for 3 years on multi-platform projects including Being Human for BBC 2, Gadget Geeks for Sky 1 and co-pro branded content for Renault TV, BBC Worldwide, Tourism Australia and Domino’s Pizza. Cat then spent 6 months helping set up the AudioVisual Department of PR agency Hill and Knowlton.

In April this year Cat joined Rockabox as maternity cover for the Head of Production. Most recently she has managed the global campaign for Monsoon’s Autumn Winter Collection as well as overseeing operations for the in house design studio.

David Postlethwaite, Media Parents

David Postlethwaite comes from a background in production. He was a production executive at the BBC, working across a wide range of programming,  before becoming Head of Production at a number of independents. He has worked with Amy and Media Parents since its inception and realises the importance of flexible working in the modern world.

Ezim E-Agwuegbo, Recruitment Advisor, ITV

As a Recruitment Advisor within the in-house recruitment team, Ezim takes a proactive approach in delivering a best in class recruitment service to the whole of ITV. From gathering detailed job requirements, effective campaigning, candidate screening, conducting interviews and managing the recruitment process from end to end. Ezim is always keen to connect with professionals especially within her focus areas; Commercial sales, Creative, Competition, Post Production, Marketing, Legal and Internal Communications to discuss your potential career at ITV.

Josh Moore, Head of Client Services, ENVY

Josh is the Head of Client services at ENVY. Part of his responsibility is the hiring of the junior post production staff, and mentoring them from runners until they move on to technical positions within the company.

Overseeing training alongside the heads of each technical department to ensure runners are being developed as skilled employees who can further their career within the company.

Kerry Jones, Media Parents

Kerry Jones (nee Scourfield) is celebrating her first anniversary with Media Parents> She covers jobs and talent in the North & Scotland. After working as a Style Director at TONI&GUY, Kerry moved into TV as a Hairdresser and Makeup Artist. She worked on a variety of factual programmes from Watercolour Challenge to The Big Breakfast. Kerry moved into feature films and worked with Danny Boyle, Mike Leigh on Vera Drake, and a variety of British directors on quality period features.

Kerry left TV and London to bring up her two girls in Liverpool, but is now looking forward to working flexibly in yet another different area. She is excited to be helping parents to juggle the logistics of childcare and parenting with TV.

Gavin Ricketts, Director, Napoleon Creative

Gavin runs Napoleon Creative, a video production company and animation studio. We work doing short form videos for corporates and also doing graphics for TV shows. We’re looking to meet production managers and directors. Gavin has also written a book called Clearly Creative CVs, which helps crews win more more work.

Nikki Tilley, Head of Production, Pioneer TV

Nikki left the world of drama to join Pioneer in 2000 as a researcher and has gone on to work on numerous hours of programming across the genres ever since.  Her directing credits include Million Dollar Machines (Travel Channel) and two series of Extreme Homes (HGTV). From there Nikki went onto manage projects such as How The Earth Was Made (The History Channel),  Worlds Deadliest Places (NOVA), Birth of Europe (NGCI), Megafactories (NGCI) Secrets of the Manor House (PBS) and The Year The Earth Went Wild (Ch4/Discovery).  Nikki was made Deputy Head of Production in 2011 where she became heavily involved in all elements of production within the company whilst supervising a major new eight part series for Discovery Science (How the Earth Works). Nikki became Head of Production in 2012.

Paul Birmingham, Production Manager, Brook Lapping

Paul has been a Production Manager at Brook Lapping Productions for over a year now working on documentaries for ITV, More 4, PBS and Sky. Before that he was a PM at Mentorn mainly working on a presenter led BBC Three documentary and a science commission for Discovery, with a number of years prior to this as a Production Co-ordinator both inside and outside the BBC. The majority of Paul’s career has been working on arts programming.

Paul Buller, Editor, BBC College of Production Website

Paul Buller is editor of the BBC Academy’s College of Production website, a site packed with skills, tips and know-how for anyone working in or wanting to work in the broadcast industry.

Paul has worked in broadcast for over 17 years, producing programmes for all the major broadcasters, and regularly hosts masterclasses and sessions on how to sell yourself online.

Petra Von Schalien, General Manager, Springshot Productions

With a background working primarily in Sports and News Broadcasting, and having managed FA Premier League client accounts for Nordic broadcasters Viasat, TV2, SBS/Discovery and Canal+/MTV3 as well as produced and overseen all onsite (live/pre-recorded) productions for three seasons. Also helped set up a crewing services supplying specialised broadcast freelancers and kit to cover breaking news, sports as well as corporate events (UK Election, G20 Summit, Champions League etc), and has worked on a variety of media projects (from corporate and e-learning to documentaries) as project manager or a consultant.

Currently freelancing as a Media Consultant and acting General Manager for a London-based production company, overseeing the production of a feature length BBC-commissioned documentary.

Rachel Platt, Series Editor, Reef TV

Rachel started out as a print journalist before working in live television for about 4 years. She has since worked for RDF, Endemol, Topical, Real Life and now Reef. At Reef Rachel have worked as a series producer / series editor/ exec producer for the past two years. Productions include Sarah Beeny’s Selling Houses, Selling Houses with Amanda Lamb, French Collection, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Sarah Cox, Production Manager, Leopard Films

Sarah has been working in the media industry for 14 years, mainly in factual and factual entertainment programmes, initially as a production co-ordinator and then for the last 8 years as a production manager. Sarah has worked within various companies such as Prospect Pictures, Optomen, Blast Films and currently at Leopard Films.

Media Parents next networking event is our summer CV bash on July 3rd, please join www.mediaparents.co.uk.

As Media Parents announces its next London networking event on July 3rd https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/media-parents-summer-cv-bash-3rd-july-tickets we share some photos of our latest event in Cardiff, attended by 100 brilliant TV professionals, the BBC and several indies including Boom Cymru and Dragonfly Film & TV who sponsored the evening.

The Cardiff Media Parents event. Freelancers had scheduled timed appointments with BBC Wales and indies. At our next event in London on July 3rd appointments with indies will be on a first come first served basis.

Networking can be an intimidating prospect for some, but further down this blog freelance PD Paul Leyshon writes about his transformation from networking sceptic to evangelist. https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2014/06/5-minutes-at-the-media-parents-cardiff-event-with-paul-leyshon-pd/

Boom Pictures' Tess Cumming meets a freelancer.

On July 3rd we’ll be joined by a host of companies at our Media Parents Summer CV Bash. This informal event offers freelancers and indies the chance to meet each other, and freelancers can benefit from advice on how to sell their talents better on paper. See this blog for great tips to get your CV in shape first:

https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2013/10/media-parents-cv-tips-from-the-cv-event/ The July 3rd event will be held in the same lovely venue, entry is by guestlist only.

BBC Wales' Head of Factual and Music, Judith Winnan, meets a freelancer.

Christopher Hutchins, Head of Production Talent, Natural History, Features, Documentaries, Daytime, BBC Television putting a freelancer at ease.

Boom Pictures Cymru MD Nia Thomas at the Media Parents Cardiff event.

Paul Islwyn Thomas of Bulb Pictures gets down to some music chat.

Dragonfly Exec Sarah Swingler was recruiting for One Born Every Minute at the event, with Dragonfly HoP Yvonne Bainton.

More photos will be uploaded shortly.

Media Parents next networking event is our summer CV bash on July 3rd, please join www.mediaparents.co.uk.

Sunita Shroff is a Presenter, Actress, Property expert, Red carpet reporter and now Events Producer! Here she writes about her first event at BAFTA on July 6th.

Sunita Shroff, a Media Parents networker http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/collaborator/3533/sunita-shroff

Sunita was born in Scotland to Irish and Indian parents. She was raised in Greece and therefore brings a  cultural mix to the table.

Sunita has become a familiar face on our screens presenting a mix of shows across various networks. Her last project was Secret Location on Channel 4. Sunita is also an actress and has appeared in some of Britains favourite soaps, dramas and films! You will next see her on BBC1′s Doctors as a frosty Matron.

Sunita became a mum nearly 4 years ago to lovey Mimi and now wants to be able to juggle it all! Hence Media Parents is so incredibly helpful!

An ebullient character, Sunita has chutzpah in the bucket loads. Her passions include fashion, travel, personal development and all things mind body and soul!! In addition, Sunita loves Film, so much so she’s a host at BAFTA and now producing her first event there with the amazing Dr David Hamilton who inspired and motivated her a few years ago during one of his incredible talks. In fact there are still a few tickets left. Take a look here for more info www.drdavidhamilton.com or http://drdavidhamilton.com/?page_id=13

Sunita is also developing some formats and getting ready to film pilots.

More about the event, in Dr. David Hamilton’s words:

How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body
Why Kindness & Compassion are Good for You
5 Steps to Boost Your Self-Esteem

- You’ll learn tools, tips, and strategies for using your mind to impact and heal your body that you can use on yourself or pass on to loved ones or friends.

- You’ll learn how kindness and compassion impact your arteries and how to make the effects actually work for you.

- And you’ll also learn powerful tools, based on cutting edge neuroscience, for developing your self esteem (self-love) and learn how to, well, just feel good about yourself.

- And you’ll have some laughs

The venue is BAFTA in London, on Piccadilly, in the Princess Anne Theatre.

Afterwards, we can all have drinks in the private BAFTA members bar from 5-7pm.

How does that sound? I imagine you might expect this to be a very expensive event, given the venue. Actually, it’s one of my least expensive events all year and we wanted to keep it that way to make it accessible to everyone.

A couple of years ago, I’d likely be reading about this event with someone else speaking there and not me. But amazing things happen when you start working on self-love.

For more information contact Sunita through Media Parents: http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/collaborator/3533/sunita-shroff

Media Parents next networking event is our summer CV bash on July 3rd. To be there please join www.mediaparents.co.uk.

Shooting PD Paul Leyshon and I met on twitter @paulleyshon @mediaparents when he was complaining that he’d never had work through a TV jobsite, and was fed up that he had great credits in Wales but couldn’t get a break into network TV. I tweeted that if he joined Media Parents we’d get him work. I was confident because we have the largest number of jobs per capita on a TV jobsite, and therefore the best odds of getting work. We’re also really determined to do whatever we can to help freelancers get breaks. So now I’ve asked him to write about what happened next.

Paul Leyshon is in this crowd of about 100 people at the recent Media Parents event in Cardiff. http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/6085/paul-leyshon

About 12 months ago I reluctantly attended a Media Parents networking event in BBC Bristol, writes Paul Leyshon. I say ‘reluctantly’ as I’ve never been one for ‘selling myself’ and had my preconceived ideas of it being full of some nerdy people talking shop about some recent tractor documentary they’d shot in Azerbeijan. But I had nothing to worry about.

What I got was a room full of interesting professionals swapping stories about all sorts of genres, and numerous talent managers and exec producers happy to give me advice on how to rearrange my higgledy-piggledy CV, and how to sell myself better. If someone had made a documentary on Azerbeijani tractors they were keeping themselves quiet. This event came at a time when I was finding that everything in Wales was going ‘in-house’ and I needed to plant some seeds with London and Bristol based companies. At this point I’d probably applied for 200+ jobs online with various websites with no luck.

I’ve since had a couple of private meetings with some of those talent managers and taken their advice on how to rearrange my CV and how to promote myself. The result? Several months work on a Channel 4 production and a repeat contract, a few bits and bobs elsewhere, and the BBC Academy using my website as an example of how to promote yourself in a recent freelancer’s fair. http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20130702112135250

So when the opportunity came to attend the recent Cardiff Media Parents networking evening, rather than seeing it as an occupational hazard as I would have done in the past, I jumped at the chance. With my current contract ending in August (it’s now been extended til October) it was an ideal opportunity to chase some work.

Again, working on a ‘speed dating’ basis, the opportunity was there to meet some more London, Bristol, and Cardiff based exec producers and Head of Factual and Music for BBC Wales, Judith Winnan. It was also a chance to meet some old work colleagues and some new friends I made in the Bristol evening last year, catching up on what’s kept them busy in the past 12 months.

Paul Leyshon amongst some of the 80-strong crowd at the Media Parents networking event in Bristol in 2013.

On the night I had some positive meetings with execs who knew my name, and knew of my work, but had not met with me before. As clichéd as it sounds putting ‘a name to a face’, or vice-versa in my case is always a good step. I also had meetings with some very helpful people from Love Productions and Dragonfly who were very good with their advice. I had a phone call this week from one of the companies that I met with so it just goes to show how useful these networking opportunities can be.

For someone as cynical as me I’ve found both networking evenings really helpful and directly or indirectly I think I will reap the benefits down the line. Who knows, I may even take that ob-doc job on Azerbaijani tractors!

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/6085/paul-leyshon

For networking, jobs and great events please join www.mediaparents.co.uk.

Media Parents’ latest networking event is on Tuesday 29th April in Cardiff, kindly hosted by the BBC and sponsored by Boom Pictures and Dragonfly Film & TV. Stop Press : Christopher Hutchins, Head of Production Talent, Natural History, Features, Documentaries, Daytime, BBC Television and Paul and Rhodri from Gorilla will also be joining us tomorrow now. We have more than 80 freelancers attending and company members should bring us up to 100 people. Get polishing those CVs! We’re delighted to announce that Judith Winnan, Head of Factual and Music for BBC Wales, will also be joining us at the event.

Judith Winnan, Head of Factual and Music, BBC Wales will be at the Media Parents networking in Cardiff on Tuesday

If you are an experienced freelancer working in factual or drama we’d love you to join us. We introduce freelancers to employers in a relaxed environment, without the pressure of an interview. Our networking events combine timed “speed networking” sessions, and informal networking. You don’t have to be a parent, you just need to be experienced, as our events are open to people with three or more years’ TV experience. The jobs we advertise are sometimes flexible, sometimes standard TV mayhem. To join us in Cardiff you must be on the guestlist so please see the bottom of this post for details. Meanwhile, here are some of the people who’ll be joining us:

Yvonne Bainton, Head of Production, Dragonfly will be at the Media Parents networking event in Cardiff on April 29th

Yvonne Bainton, Head of Production, Dragonfly

Yvonne became Head of Production in 2013 and had previously worked as a line producer and production manager on some of the biggest shows in factual television, most recently series three of 24 Hours in A&E (Channel 4) at The Garden.  Prior to that she spent two years working on The Apprentice at Boundless Productions.

Yvonne spent eight years as resident line producer at Windfall Films, bringing complex and challenging projects to the screen, including the BAFTA-winning specialist factual series Inside Nature’s Giants (Channel 4/National Geographic), and innovative reality dramas Born With Two Mothers and Richard Is My Boyfriend (both Channel 4).

Dragonfly Executive Producer Sarah Swingler is Bristol-based and will be meeting freelancers in Cardiff at the Media Parents event on April 29th

Sarah Swingler, Executive Producer, Dragonfly

Sarah is the Dragonfly executive in day-to-day control of the company’s flagship series, One Born Every Minute, which she runs out of our satellite headquarters in the West Country. Sarah joined Dragonfly in January 2010.  Since then, she has overseen many of the company’s key programmes, including One Born At Christmas, World’s Toughest Trucker, and The Hotel.

Before joining Dragonfly, Sarah was an executive producer at Darlow Smithson Productions, where she oversaw a wide range of UK and US peak-time output.  Her DSP credits include the BAFTA-nominated Tsunami: Caught on Camera (Channel 4/TLC), Killer in a Small Town: The Ipswich Murders (Channel 4), and Megastructures (FIVE/National Geographic).

Sarah helped to devise the format for the first episode of global format phenomenon Wife Swap, which she also directed.

Nicky Searle, Dragonfly's Head of Talent, has been a staunch supporter of Media Parents and will be joining us again in Cardiff on April 29th.

Nicky Searle, Head of Talent, Dragonfly

After a production career in music, entertainment and event television, spending most of her time interviewing bands and working with key presenters she moved across to talent management in 2007. Most recently she set up the talent department at NBCUniversal International, and prior to that oversaw all production recruitment at Optomen. In six years of talent management she has worked across a variety of genres, from specialist factual to constructed reality.

Nia Thomas, MD, Boom Pictures Cymru

Nia Thomas, MD, Boom Pictures Cymru

Nia Thomas joined Boom Pictures (formerly Boomerang) in 2000, having worked previously for the BBC and a number of Cardiff based indies.  Now Managing Director of Boom Pictures Cymru, the Division of Boom Pictures that includes Welsh production companies Fflic, Alfresco, Bulb Films, Boom Kids and Apollo, Nia’s production experience crosses a variety of genres, including children’s, entertainment, factual, music and events.  Nia is a board member of TAC and Creative Skillset Wales.

Boom Pictures operates in a variety of sectors, including programme production, television facilities and talent management, and creates entertainment, factual, sport, music, drama and children’s programmes for television, radio and online.

“From small acorns grow great oaks. It all started with youth and music programmes, and we’re incredibly proud of these roots which will continue to flourish within Boom Pictures.” Nia Thomas, MD

Siwan Phillips, Unit Manager

Siwan Phillips, Unit Manager, Boom Pictures Cymru

Siwan Phillips started her media career at the BBC in 2001, working in Radio, TV and Marketing. In 2007 she joined Fflic Cyf (a Boom Pictures company) as a TV Production Manager, specialising in lifestyle and children’s programming.  Siwan moved to the newly created Boom Kids division in 2009 as Unit Manager for both ‘Cyw’ and ‘Stwnsh’ services, managing an annual TV output of over 250 hours.   She currently works as the Unit Manager for Boom Pictures Cymru, and has wide production experience across all genres as well as a keen interest in Post Production processes, live studio & OB Programming.

Joanna Adams, HR Manager, Boom Pictures

Rhodri James, Technical Director, Gorilla Group

Rhodri James, Technology Director, Gorilla Group

Rhodri is the Technology Director of Wales’s largest facility Gorilla Group. Located across multiple sites in Cardiff and London, encompassing edit suites, dubbing theatres, several studios and outside broadcast vehicles, the company is becoming a heavy weight in the consolidating facilities market.

Having worked at facilities such as Barcud Derwen and Men-from-Mars, reseller Tyrell Corp and more recently the BBC, his experience is broad from working with film Post Production to setting Broadcaster requirements.

Paul Owen, Operations Director, Gorilla

Paul Owen, Operations Director, Gorilla

Gorilla is the largest television facility in the UK outside the M25. Paul oversees over 50 staff at Gorilla, which spans 3 sites in Cardiff, as well as one in Soho.

Gorilla houses over 90 edit suites, as well as HD Studios and Outside Broadcast Facilities.

As a certified training instructor, Paul takes care of the training requirements for the company.

Paul also still works hands on as an editor on many of the company’s high profile jobs, and is heavily involved in the company’s event management, which includes clients such as Sony, Nissan and Disney.

Paul Islwyn Thomas, Creative Director, Bulb Films

“We collaborate with the best talent to develop projects that are distinctive, make ‘noise’ and are talked about “ Paul Islwyn Thomas

Peter Rogers, Creative Producer, Bait Studio

We work with a diverse range of clients across TV, film, music and advertising, using our design skills to create enticing and arresting visuals for a variety of platforms.

Judith Winnan, Head of Factual and Music, BBC Wales

Judith Winnan, Head of Factual and Music, BBC Wales

Judith Winnan started her television career at BBC Wales as a researcher on live programmes and went on to produce and direct documentaries for local and network transmission in the Factual department.  She then joined a Cardiff based independent production company, Fulmar West, where she was responsible for a wide range of programmes for C4, Channel Five, network BBC and BBC Wales and eventually took over the running of the company. She returned to BBC Wales in 2008 as a Commissioning Executive and has been Head of the Factual & Music department since 2011.

Christopher Hutchins, Head of Production Talent, Natural History, Features, Documentaries, Daytime, BBC Television meets a freelancers at the Bristol Media Parents event. He will attend the Cardiff event with 99 others!

Christopher Hutchins, Head of Production Talent, Natural History, Features, Documentaries, Daytime, BBC

Chris is a vocal advocate of flexible working, and spoke in favour of this at the Media Parents flexible working meeting in Bristol here: https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2010/12/media-parents-flexible-working-meeting-bristol-–-who-said-what-1/

Catrin Whitmore, Head of Production Talent, BBC Wales

Catrin Whitmore, Head of Production Talent, BBC Wales

Val Turner, Production Executive, Factual and Music

Val Turner, Production Exec Factual & Music

A mum of 3 who has managed to have a fun and interesting career alongside bringing up a family – certainly a juggling act and part-time working from time to time has made that possible.  Background in recruitment and staff scheduling – as well as training and development.

Over thirty years’ experience in TV and Radio production in BBC Wales – in Radio Wales, Radio 3 and 4, Drama, Education, Events, Factual and Music (both local and network). A wealth of experience specialising as a  location Production Co-ordinator/Production Manager on most continents around the world – before taking a more central role in Factual and Music supporting the Head of Dept planning the wide range of output we deliver currently, from Composer of the Week and The Choir – to Cardiff Singer of the World, Young Musician, Proms in the Park, Choir of the Year, Doctor Who Prom, and various music docs – to One Show inserts and Crimewatch Roadshow on the network Daytime slate – to Crimewatch and Coast on the network Features slate – to Call Centres on the Documentary slate – to Xray, DVLA, 24/7, Weatherman Walking, Welsh Towns, Welsh Greats on our local slate.

Zoe Rushton, Talent Manager, Factual and Music

Zoe Rushton, Talent Manager Factual & Music

Zoë Rushton started at BBC Wales back in 2000.  She originally worked unpaid to gain whatever experience she could, this led to fulfilling a childhood dream of working in television.  Zoë cut her teeth on Educational and Children’s programmes for BBC and S4C, before moving to more general, entertainment programmes for both radio and television.  In 2005, when the new wave of Drama in Wales began with the return of Doctor Who, Zoë started on the long-running BBC Three series Doctor Who Confidential and worked her way up to Senior Producer.   The success of the brand led to other backstage shows and DVD extras, for the likes of Torchwood, Sherlock and Being Human.

In 2012, Zoe became the Talent Manager for the BBC Wales Factual & Music department, developing staff, crewing up for shows made in Wales, such as Crimewatch, The One Show and a wealth of Features and Documentaries.

Zoë is a committed RTS committee member and was a judge for the RTS Wales Student Awards.  She has a real passion for helping to develop new talent in the television industry.

Louise Ring, Talent Coordinator

Louise Ring, Talent Coordinator, Factual and Music

I am responsible for co-ordinating staff for productions  within the Factual and Music department. I am also building relationships with Independents and freelancers from outside the business. On a daily basis I deal with the Talent Manager, Production Managers and Producers, Recruitment and HR  to ensure we are recruiting the best staff for our productions. Duties include pulling together CV’s, organising meet and greets, booking interviews, helping with schedules and working with the schedulers. I am a main point of liaison for the team.

Julie Scott, Head of Production, Drama

Julie Scott, Head of Production, Drama

I love helping to make television drama which people want to watch and have been lucky enough to work with terrific Executive Producers – Julie Gardner, Piers Wenger and Faith Penhale on their dramas here in Wales written by great writers, including Steven Moffat & Russell T Davies.

As Head of Production, I manage the productions from the development phase, working with the Editorial team to devise how & where to make the dramas, planning production schedules , budgeting , fund raising, through the production shoot , post production and delivery of the episodes to the Channels and Co producers.

I have worked on popular Science Fiction dramas such as Torchwood, Sarah Jane Adventures, An Adventure in Space and Time & our successful children’s drama Wizards vs. Aliens  for CBBC.  Also Upstairs Downstairs & the immensely enjoyable Eric and Ernie. I worked closely with the project team who built Roath Lock studios and moved Casualty from Bristol to Roath Lock.

I had the pleasure of working as Production Executive on the formative series of Sherlock, Being Human, Merlin, Spooks & New Tricks. My last major series as an Associate Producer on an in-house production was on Pride & Prejudice 18 years ago when Colin Firth as Mr Darcy swam in the lake en route to Pemberley.

Tom Morrey, Drama Talent Manager

I am responsible for all of the recruitment and contracting on BBC Wales Dramas. Working closely with the Line Producers and HoD’s this covers the engagement of fixed term contracts, freelance and casual roles.  The role also involves the training and development of our existing teams, meeting individuals who wish to begin or further their career in Drama and running the BBC Drama Apprentice Scheme.

I am also here to offer advice to production on various subjects including contracting, rates, BBC Policy and Guidelines, expenses, payroll and anything else they come up with!

Leanne Bowcott, Talent Coordinator, Drama

Leanne Bowcott, Talent Coordinator, Drama

I am responsible for the day to day running of the core activities of the Talent Team. The duties include coordinating the recruitment process from initial request through to hire, monitoring the freelance engagements on all of our Productions to ensure they meet BBC and HMRC Guidelines and to liaise with partners in Production Management, Finance, HR and Scheduling.

I manage the CV’s that are sent in to BBC Wales Drama, ensuring they are saved on to our database and sent on to the relevant Productions as required.

Catherine Morrissey, Talent Manager, Sport and Interactive

Catherine Morrissey, Talent Manager Sport and Interactive & Learning

As the Talent Manager for Sport and Interactive and Learning, I work across 2 very diverse and busy departments which is equally challenging and rewarding but means that I get exposure to working with a wide variety of people and skill sets.  I enjoy recruiting in new talent to supplement our existing staff base, helping out with new productions or one off commissions.  But also working with managers on the best way of developing people both personally and professionally to ensure that the BBC remains a vibrant, creative and supportive place to work.

Craig Jones, Planning & Production Advisor, Editorial

Craig Jones, Planning & Production Advisor, Editorial

I work with the Head of Production Talent Wales and liaise closely with the Talent Managers/Coordinators to ensure we have appropriately skilled staff to work across all editorial productions when needed. I am responsible for raising/extending contracts, raising/extending attachments and setting the leaving action at the end of contracts for all staff working for the BBC in line with production needs. I am also responsible for investigating financial under/over recoveries based on salary paid to staff and cost reclaimed against each editorial area.

Julie Scott, Head of Production, BBC Wales Drama

No longer attending.

Erika Hossington, Series Producer, Casualty

No longer attending.

Wendy Wright, Line Producer, Casualty

No longer attending.

Serena Kennedy, HoP, Love West

Serena Kennedy, HoP, Love West

I’ve been working in television for 19 years. In my capacity as PM and HoP I have looked after series and one offs for all the major broadcasters; BBC, ITV, Channel 4, FIVE, UKTV, Bravo, Discovery. Previously, I was Head of Production at RDF Television West and Maverick Television. My credits span docs, ob docs, daytime, features and new media content amongst others and include high profile shows such as Wifeswap, Secret MIllionaire, Dickinsons Real Deal, Oz and James Drink to Britain, Embarrassing Illnesses, 10 Years Younger and How to Look Good Naked. I’ve worked with companies including Firecracker Films, Doghouse Media, Nutopia and Keo Films.

Sian Gale, Cult Cymru, pictured centre, to left of Media Parents' Amy Walker

Siân Gale, Project Manager CULT Cymru

Siân, like many people in the industry, has a portfolio career.  She currently juggles managing *CULT Cymru, with working as a tutor and consultant specialising in equality, diversity and business skills.  She is a member of the Wales Committee of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

As a lone parent of two young dependent adults (18 and 20) she is aware of the barriers faced by parents in the industry and is a strong advocate of equality and diversity in the media. *CULT Cymru (Creative Unions Learning Together) is a BECTU led project funded by the Welsh Government.

Amy Walker, Media Parents

Amy Walker, Director, Media Parents

Media Parents Director Amy Walker continues to work as a freelance Series Producer. Currently making a series with Kirstie Allsopp for Channel 4, her previous series is now airing on Discovery UK, fronted by Bear Grylls. Amy has worked for all the major broadcasters, in the UK and across five continents for many years. Read more here: http://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2013/aug/01/parents-working-in-tv

David Postlethwaite, Media Parents

David Postlethwaite, Media Parents

David Postlethwaite comes from a background in production. He was a production executive at the BBC, working across a wide range of programming,  before becoming Head of Production at a number of independents. He has worked with Amy and Media Parents since its inception and realises the importance of flexible working in the modern world.

how to join us in Cardiff on April 29th

Please email your CV, with your name, job title and genre in the title bar, to events@mediaparents.co.uk – and please tell your friends to do the same.

For networking, jobs and great events please join www.mediaparents.co.uk. Our next event is in Cardiff on April 29th, please email your CV with your name, job title and genre in the title bar to events@mediaparents.co.uk