Media Parents

The challenges of balancing childcare with a career are relatively well-known; but what of those who find themselves caring for elderly or disabled relatives, whose needs increase with the passing years? asks Writer Ming Ho.

Writer Ming Ho, who writes here for Media Parents on being a carer. Photo: Simon Denton. http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/1121/ming-ho

During the 1990s I was script executive at Zenith Productions, working across a development slate of film and TV drama, including the series Hamish Macbeth (Robert Carlyle:  BBC) and Bodyguards (Sean Pertwee and Louise Lombard: ITV).  I left to pursue my own writing, and co-created a series for Ecosse/BBC Northern Ireland – McCready and Daughter – which was conceived as a vehicle for the late, great Tony Doyle.  (Tony sadly died two weeks before shooting the pilot; it was recast and became a different beast, but that’s another story…). As a contract writer on EastEnders, I was proud to work on some of the show’s most memorable storylines of the mid-2000s, such as Trevor Morgan’s domestic violence against timid Little Mo, resulting in her trial for attempted murder.  (I wrote Trevor’s manipulative evidence, in which he menaces poor Little Mo from the witness box in the guise of wronged victim.)   I went on to write for Heartbeat and Casualty, and life looked pretty good.  But ticking away in the background was a time-bomb: my mother’s dementia.

An only child, I had always been conscious that one day I would be responsible for care of my mum.  My dad had died when I was a student, so there had been just the two of us since the late 1980s.  Mum had been a classical singer in her youth and latterly a teacher: outgoing, warm and generous – much more extrovert than me!  However, she’d been an older mother and retired in 1990.  Arthritis troubled her and she had a knee replacement, which restored her get-up-and-go for a while; but falls continued to dog her over the years, the most serious resulting in six weeks’ recovery from a fractured pelvis.

At the time, I was working on Casualty (ironically enough!), and decamped to her house 100 miles away from my own home, until she was able to look after herself again.  When I went freelance as a writer, I had naively thought that the ability to work from anywhere on a lap-top would be the solution to any such emergencies – I had not reckoned with the relentless demands of a 24/7 production schedule…

Ming Ho and members of the Writers' Guild negotiating team, at New Broadcasting House, having just signed the new BBC TV Script Agreement in 2012. Photo: Anne Hogben.

Mum recovered her mobility, but was never quite the same.  I had been aware that, in tandem with her physical frailties, she had some other issues: she was increasingly repeating herself, and developed peculiar obsessions, rituals, and disproportionate emotional responses –  taking a violent dislike to people who had done nothing wrong – which were quite unlike her normal personality.   There were panic-stricken incidents of locking herself in or out of the house, being unable to remember her PIN number at the cash-point, and repeatedly losing her bank card.  On the surface, however, she seemed fine; friends who saw her maybe once a week for lunch or spoke to her on the phone would not have been aware there was anything much wrong.  I was often the only witness to her increasingly erratic behaviour – and, crucially, she herself did not acknowledge any problem.

As her faculties declined, I gradually assumed responsibility for all aspects of her daily life: finances, admin, shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, household maintenance, appointments with doctor, dentist, optician, chiropodist, hairdresser – all crammed into my fortnightly weekend visits or longer stays between contracts, with daily management by phone or email in between.  At one point, I supervised nearly two months of major building works to remedy subsidence, while juggling commissions for EastEnders and Heartbeat and shuttling the 200-mile round trip sometimes twice a week.  Through all this, mum continued to believe that she was 100% independent and rejected all suggestions of outside domestic help.

That’s the thing with dementia – lack of insight can itself be a major symptom, leaving the person unaware of their own vulnerability and often hostile to intervention.  Eventually, total loss of short-term memory robbed her of the ability to complete even basic tasks unaided, such as making a cup of tea or washing her hands, as well as capacity to follow instructions or reminders. It made her feel constantly abandoned, because she couldn’t imagine the proximity of anyone out of sight and had no sense of time to recall when they were last there.  And by 2011, mum could no longer recognise her own home.

I had to go behind her back to get a referral to social services and a consultant psychiatrist who could give official diagnosis, in order for me to gain a Court of Protection Deputy’s order to formally manage her affairs.  All my life, I had dreaded having to put her into residential care, but when things finally came to a head, (in a crisis I have detailed on my blog, Dementia Just Ain’t Sexy, link below), I knew I had no choice.

Writer Ming Ho with her mum.

I found support online and have met a wonderful community of new people – carers, medics, social care professionals and politicians – whom I would not otherwise have encountered.  Wanting to do something positive with my experience, I joined Uniting Carers, Dementia UK’s network of family carers, who form a pool of educators, media spokespeople, and campaigners on dementia issues.

Former Care Minister, Paul Burstow MP, approached me via Twitter, and invited me to contribute a case history to ‘Delivering Dilnot’, a Centre Forum report he edited, looking at options for funding of the Dilnot recommendations – I spoke at the House of Commons launch on 8 January, and was quoted in the Backbench Dementia Debate a couple of days later!

I’ve recently started a blog sharing personal insight and analysis of the impact of dementia, which has been read in over 50 countries to date, as diverse as Iceland, Saudi Arabia, Mozambique, South Korea, Brazil, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia.  Dementia is, sadly, a universal issue.

As mum’s needs increased, I found it hard to commit to the full-on schedule of long-running series TV; but I kept up my involvement with the Writers’ Guild, taking part in forum negotiations with the BBC and ITV as Writers’ Rep from the TV Committee, and I’m currently Deputy Chair, with a mission to increase our public presence.

And, of course, I continued to write – I’ve almost completed the first draft of a novel inspired by research I undertook for a spec film script, and have new ideas to pitch.  Now that mum’s safely in care, I’m keen to return to my own work in drama and also to explore journalism and factual, using my first-hand knowledge of dementia and social care.  It’s all good material!

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/1121/ming-ho

http://dementiajustaintsexy.blogspot.co.uk/

http://dementiajustaintsexy.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/the-crisis-we-all-dread_8629.html

Writer Ming Ho with Camera Operator Hazel Palmer at the Tiger Aspect Meets Media Parents networking event. Photo: Leila Amanpour.

If you have 3+ years TV experience please join us at www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events. Save the date of June 3rd for Media Parents networking in Bristol, more details to follow.

Congratulations to Lay-Ee Quah, PM on Dara O Brian: School of Hard sums that premieres tonight at 8pm on Dave.

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/4175/lay-ee-quah

If you have 3+ years TV experience please join us at www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events.

Did you know that childbirth is STILL the biggest killer of young women in the world? Shocking isn’t it? If you aren’t shocked by that fact, you’d better check that you are still breathing – I’d put a pound to a penny that you are an actual member of the walking dead. Take a moment. Let it sink in. Imagine all of the human talent that is lost, bringing the next generation into the world, writes Radica Anikpe, who attended International Women’s Day celebrations on London’s South Bank, on behalf of Media Parents.

Radica is a scriptwriter, presenter and v/o artist who has worked for BBC3, MTV and Radio 4. She is currently looking for work.

Celebrity mums, Helen Lederer, Gaby Roslin and Anna Chancellor, on behalf of the White Ribbon Alliance gathered a room full of people to discuss maternity around the world. The idea is to eventually publish a book filled with upbeat tales of maternity and motherhood.

What did we learn? Well, I was a little late to the Southbank Centre, so all hail the lovely security guard, who, sensing my rising panic, escorted me under the belly of the concrete beast, depositing me a mere lift ride away from the venue. So the first thing we learned was not to panic on route. Oh, and don’t imagine, just because the venue is a hop, skip and a jump from your house, that you will actually be able to get anywhere on a Friday night. Stagger, wait, wait and run, would be more accurate.

In Sierra Leone, a pregnant woman keeps her news of the impending arrival to herself, for as long as she can. A Bangladeshi doctor described her first pregnancy being joyfully celebrated at seven months – once the pregnancy is passed any trickiness. Interestingly, a lot of what would be considered “old wives tales” are generally borne out by science: the notion that a baby shouldn’t be allowed to bond with its mother until the placenta is out because a lot of women die during this time, has been proven by science.

The room was full of goodwill and warmth, and I was full of wine and mini sausages. At the end of the chats, we were all asked if we wanted to take a picture with a speech balloon that said; “hello mum”. I went home and kissed my sleeping mother on the head, but if your mama is further away right at this second, give her a call. Go on. She went to hell and back to get you here, least you can do is say hello.

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/4077/radica-anikpe

Radica is a scriptwriter, presenter and v/o artist who has penned words for Davina McCall, Kate Thornton and Cat Deeley, presented for MTV and BBC Three and voiced programmes on BBC2, the World Service and Radio 4. She is returning to work after time out, toiling in the domestic sphere, and is happy to consider any interesting offers.

If you have 3+ years TV experience please join us at www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events. To take part in ITN's corporate networking event please email us through www.mediaparents.co.uk ASAP

I originally studied film and photography at the Polytechnic of Central London, now the University of Westminster, writes James O’Hara. At the time, it was the only degree course in film and photography in the country. I thought I would be a stills photographer, but soon after I graduated I got the opportunity to work at the University of Sheffield’s educational television production unit as a photographer and film assistant, working with 16mm, where the seeds of my producing / directing career were sown.

College days, James O'Hara second from left. http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/4555/james-ohara

From Sheffield I moved to Manchester and joined Multivision. This was a large audiovisual and live events production company slowly taking its first, tentative steps into something new called ‘corporate video’ in the early ‘80s. Although I didn’t know a much about film and video production, I knew a lot more than many senior staff. At least I knew what an exotic shot called a ‘cutaway’ was and why it was needed. It was sink or swim and I’ve always been a swimmer, so I made sure I learnt a lot more about video production, very quickly.

In my early days in Manchester I was P/D on shoots crewed by freelance technicians 20 or 30 years older than me. They’d been DPs, cameramen, soundies, grips and sparks on some of Granada’s biggest dramas – Brideshead Revisited, Jewel in the Crown, Sherlock Holmes. I still dine out on the stories where freelancers never let the facts spoil a good story. I learnt so much from those freelancers; we all did. Manchester still has a rich pool of creative talent and many of the people I work with today learnt their craft working with the Granada old timers.

Directing and interviewing on EU Funding in the North West, Blackpool Pier. Mike Wood on camera and Martin Alimundo sound.

When I first arrived in Manchester we had one daughter, Natalie, and shortly after the move Lauren was born. I feel a bit of a fraud belonging to Media Parents because both my daughters are now in their twenties. They witnessed the long, long hours demanded by the media industry, and the days and nights away from home filming. Despite that, and despite my valiant attempts to persuade them otherwise, both my daughters now work in the media – Natalie is a writer, Lauren a stylist and designer. It must be genetic.

James O'Hara with his daughter Natalie many moons ago!

My career as a P/D – now freelance for over 10 years – continues. Working from home has its advantages, and the advent of post-production software that runs on laptops plus broadband, means my freelance editors and animators have also been able to work from home. In the last couple of weeks I’ve pitched for a short film for one of the world’s most scientifically advanced biotechnology companies, which would mean filming and interviewing Nobel-winning scientists and surgeons around the globe – so fingers crossed.  Next week I’ll be filming and interviewing politicians in Westminster, and we’re about to start casting for a short drama.

I’ve always believed you make about 90% of your own luck. Manchester’s been the other 10%, and I’ve been fortunate to work on some great projects. I’ve filmed and interviewed hundreds of people, from Prime Ministers and Secretaries of State to long-term unemployed and homeless people. I’ve made films for museum and heritage centres, including dramas recreating the Industrial Revolution and a film about John Ruskin.

I’ve been P/D on films and videos for some of the world’s leading brands and biggest business corporations. Along the way, I’ve written pitches and scripts, made presentations, chosen production teams, run shoots of international crews all over the world, directed graphics, animation and edits, always trying to squeeze more and more out of budgets that seem to get smaller every year. As we all do, I’ve juggled multiple jobs, conflicting deadlines and sometimes dealt with impossible client demands, and (most of the time) kept smiling.

James O'Hara directing a shoot for Scholl at the Pie Factory, MediaCity. Ferdia de Buitléar and Ben Tranfield on camera, Mike Mullen sound.

Manchester has always been a city of firsts: cradle of the Industrial Revolution; where scientists first split the atom and developed the first stored-program computer; the most visited city in England outside London…

The media have always had a home in Manchester – we’re far enough away from London to have developed as a true media city. Global ad agencies JWT and McCanns have had offices here forever and, of course, we have Granada/ITV and the BBC, plus some large, successful corporate communications companies specialising in video, live events and digital media.

And yet, over the past twenty years or so, Manchester has transformed and reinvented itself. One of the catalysts was the 1996 bombing, when on a Saturday morning, the IRA planted a huge 3,000 pound bomb outside Marks and Spencer in the city centre.  It was the day before Father’s Day and England was hosting the Euro Cup finals; Russia was playing Germany the following day at Old Trafford. So, not only was the city centre bustling with shoppers it was also full with football fans, many from abroad. Manchester Police estimate 75,000 – 80,000 people were in the city centre that morning. In the explosion, two hundred and twelve people were injured, but amazingly there were no fatalities.  Many buildings were damaged, some beyond repair. Subsequently, millions if not billions of pounds were invested in new buildings and infrastructure and Manchester had a new-found confidence. (Germany won 3-0 by the way).

Now Manchester’s media industry is driving more change, with MediaCity encouraging the BBC to move more key departments to the North West.   As someone who’s lived here quite a few years, it’s become noticeable that Manchester and Salford are becoming almost interchangeable city terms. Actually, MediaCity is in Salford. Manchester and Salford merge into each other, and it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins!

James O’Hara, PD and corporate producer can be found in the Media Parents TALENT section, link below.

• Highly experienced in all aspects of production and direction

• Excellent project management, organisation and communication skills

• Making presentations, writing tenders, concepts and treatments

• Fast and accurate budgeting

• Directing shoots of all sizes, on all camera formats, from the Arri Super 16 to the Arri Alexa, most Sony and Panasonic cameras, Canon DSLRs, Red Epic and Scarlet, high speed camera systems

• Interviewing and establishing a rapport with people from all walks of life including Prime Ministers, business leaders, people with complex medical problems, the young and elderly, homeless, disabled and long-term unemployed people

• Managing complex projects with numbers of films and videos simultaneously going through production; multiple shoots, edit suites and graphic designers

• Arranging and directing location filming across the globe including most of mainland Europe, the United States, the Middle East, India and Japan

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/4555/james-ohara

If you have 3+ years TV experience please join us at www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events. To take part in ITN's corporate networking event please email us through www.mediaparents.co.uk ASAP

Seven Ways to Rise Above Your Research By Emma Lindley

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/5471/emma-lindley

Factual research for a work of fiction is a two edged sword. What you learn can be fascinating but it can also feel like you’ve dumped a big pile of rubbish all over your story that you now need to wade through and decide what’s useful and what’s trash. So how do you rise above your research and find the truth of your own story?

1. DON’T JUST CUT AND PASTE

It’s tempting when you find a juicy story or piece of information to plonk it straight into your script. Consider first how you want to use it, or why it is attractive to you? Does it fit with the story you are writing? If not, bin it.

2. TAKE TIME TO PROCESS

A lot of new information can be overwhelming. It could completely change the direction of your story.  This could be a good thing – or a huge distraction.   Don’t be intimidated.  Wait and see which facts resonate with you and emerge in your writing naturally.

3. CHECK THE TRUTH BEHIND THE FACTS

Special interest groups and their campaigns can be a great resource.  But check your facts are coming from an unbiased source or at least understand the bias at play.

4. LOOK AT BOTH SIDES OF THE ARGUMENT

Don’t just read research that confirms your own world view.  How can you write your antagonist if you don’t know what they believe and why?  You might find something that surprises you and adds credibility to your story.

5. YOU DON’T OWE ANYONE ANYTHING

Your greatest strength as a writer is your independence. Maintain it at all costs and don’t ‘get into bed with’ activists, governments or even people you interview who naturally enough have their own outlook on life.  Stay true to yourself and your story.

6. BUT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for yourself and your writing.  Be accurate and truthful in your portrayals of events and characters in the world you’ve created, especially if your story is based on real events.

7. FOLLOW YOUR INTEGRITY when you write and trust yourself to find your own truth behind the lines.

What’s the strangest fact you have uncovered and how did it change your story?

You can follow my blog at www.emmalindley.net/blog, contact me on the MediaParents site or tweet me @emlin32 on Twitter.

Happy Writing!

I am an award-winning film and TV director, writer and producer with fifteen years experience. My UK director credits include the popular ITV children’s comedy series, ‘My Parents are Aliens’ (RTS nomination), ITV teen drama ’24Seven’ (Prix Jeunesse nomination) and BBC factual series ‘My Life’ and ‘Who are We?’

My US producer/director credits include ‘Anatomy of a Closet’  a one hour fashion doc, and factual entertainment series ‘In Search of Food’ for Ovation TV, both nominated for CableFAX awards. I have written a commissioned feature script for Met Film, ‘The Misfit Club’, and am currently writing my second feature, a detective story set in Arizona.

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/5471/emma-lindley

Within three days of going freelance in 2008 I was offered a brilliant job, writes Director / Producer / AP Natalie Barb.  The rate was right, the credit was one level up from where I had been before. Amazing, right? So lucky, so soon. But I turned the opportunity down. Why? Because I had kids – I didn’t think I could make it work.

Natalie Barb and her family in 2009. Natalie is in the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk

It’s an easy thing to do.  Working in TV, full or part-time can often seem impossible when you have small children, especially when you are freelance and not going back to a staff job. But I am blogging today to tell you it can be done. I wish back then someone had told me the same. My journey to realisation was a slow one but since having kids (and I now have four) I have had some fantastic jobs. They’ve all had different types of work pattern, some more successful than others. You can have a TV career and kids, but you need support – at home and at work.

Four days spread over Five… Here’s a work pattern I made earlier.

My first crack at part-time work was, I thought, a stroke of genius – four days work spread over five while I worked on Blue Peter on the Studio Team and then at Forward Planning. At this stage I was staff at the BBC, so negotiating the hours was relatively easy. Unless I were joining a team that knew me well, I don’t know how easy it would be to swing this arrangement. Still, no harm in asking, right?

THE HOURS:

Officially: 28 per week spread over 5 days,

In reality: more than 28 hours in the office and some picking up in the evenings at home.

THE CHILDCARE:

school 08:15 – 3:30

nursery 08:00 – 13:30

Nanny 13:30 – 18:00 (and one day a week to 19:00)

Natalie Barb makes novelty cakes when not working in TV.

The days were full on. I’d get up, dress the kids, give them breakfast, take them to school, then leap on my bicycle to get to work. I’d then work flat out from 9:00 to 4:00 (except on the studio day.) During this time I was doing things like organising a pantomime Dame Christmas Pudding race around the “Doughnut” at TVC, arranging interviews with A-listers like Madonna, setting up an identity parade of micro-chipped ginger kittens to make sure we knew which was the latest Blue Peter pet and following my cooking passion by thinking up plenty of “bakes”. Phew!! I’d say I was doing the equivalent of a full-time job. But as close to 4pm as I could manage I would rush off home again to pick up from my nanny who would have collected the kids from nursery and school.  So pretty much straight after leaving the office, I was on full-time mummy jobs.

The plus side of this type of work pattern was that I was in the office every day.  My day-off was not interrupted by lots of calls. (Murphy’s Law for part-time workers: contributors will always call back when you are not in the office.) But people did still call after 4pm and people invariably called meetings for 5pm so I was always being briefed after the event on changes and decisions that had been made. But from the point of view of my employers, the regular hours for Blue Peter and production team structure meant that this pattern of part-time work was fine for them (as long as I got the work done, which I did).

On the home front, my kids saw me every day. I got to give them tea and bath and a bedtime story. I certainly was working more than the official 28 hours, but full-timers don’t do 35 hours a week either and I felt my extra hours were in proportion. With no travel and regular work hours, I knew my nanny’s hours were under control – support at home sorted. But man, I worked hard to make sure my nanny was not kept waiting. As a consequence I never had a second to myself and in retrospect I realise I was working on half empty. My advice from my present self to my past self – let the nanny (or whoever is helping you at home) do more. Rushing home and immediately taking the reins, and trying to do so much at home is tough. Ask the nanny to stay a little longer, or have dinner ready for you to put in the oven when you come home. Really there are people around who can look after your children just as well as you. Take the time to find them. The right person will take a pride in their job, want to work hard and they do get to go home and have a decent rest (unlike most working parents).

Truly part-time work. 3 days a week hours to suit you.

THE HOURS

Officially: 3 days per week spread over 5 days to suit

In reality: 3 days per week spread over 5 days to suit

THE CHILDCARE:

AD HOC home help (language student with grown up children wanting to earn some extra cash) up to 20 hours cover/week

school 08:15 – 3:30

nursery 08:00 – 13:30

Natalie Barb's children. "After having my fourth child I wanted to ease myself back into work".

Blue Peter was when I only had 3 children. After baby number 4 and a really tough maternity leave involving long hospital stays for one of my other children, I wanted to ease myself back into work gently. So I did some part-time business development work, production work and pitching for a small independent production company. During this time I scripted, shot and edited several internet films for English Heritage, and ran a training course at the Museum of London in digital production ending in a downloadable walking tour of London. This work was great and pretty much as flexible as you could get. As long as I did the hours at some point during the week, and my work was good, my very understanding employer was happy. I really enjoyed this time, and had the ultimate work life balance. Working three days a week I felt I had time to myself as well as time to look after the children. To be honest, I could have done it all without a nanny, but I had learned the lesson that it’s better to get help if you can afford it – a calmer, more relaxed Mum is a better one in my book.

This work pattern is to be recommended, but these jobs are really hard to come by and I certainly think that on a larger, more full-on production I would feel left out and not part of the team. And in fact some great jobs that would involve full-time work turned up and I was not considered for them, because I was a part-timer. This work particularly worked well because often there were only two of us in the office. BUT the work was, at times bitty, could feel quite solitary and disjointed and it was only when I took on my next job that I realised for me what the short comings of part-time work were. A part-time job felt like a hobby, and not a dynamic career. I think my employer felt that was my view also. It was time to take on some challenges.

Full-time work. “Have you got kids? Did you say 4?? How do you cope?” Cue very surprised face……from work colleagues.

THE HOURS

Full-time and then some.

THE CHILDCARE:

Live-in nanny.

school 08:15 – 3:30

I was going to write about the job, but just writing “live-in nanny” makes me want to say: OMG (that’s not something I normally say, so please imagine the strength of sentiment here) if you have live-in help, the world is your oyster. Not just for work, but you get a social life too. My life was revolutionised when I had a live-in nanny. By now I had learned to really trust your nanny do be able to do all the jobs you do just fine.

It was luck really, an old colleague rang me and asked if I would be interested in a full-time short contract (9 weeks) P/D job on the Chelsea Flower Show. The work involved making insert VTs for the live programmes both prior to the event week and then at the event itself. At this time my husband was away from home Monday to Friday, and the production office was in Birmingham. (I lived in North London). So here’s where I say, you really can make it work. I imagine most people are sensible enough to work in the town where they live and have partners that are at home during the week as well as weekends.

The only way I could do it was by getting a live-in nanny. I found that my costs didn’t go up that much, I didn’t have to stress about what time I was getting home, and I could even get out in the evenings without having to pay a baby sitter a fortune. I was also really pleased to find that having someone live in the house with us was not a huge intrusion on our privacy. During the week I was mostly out, and when I came home the nanny would be pleased for peace and quiet in her own space, and at weekends, the nanny would be away. It is a case of working really hard to find the right person and being clear on the ground rules from the start.

Before you gasp at the thought of me abandoning the home for 50+ hours a week, I still negotiated working from home some days (scripting and logging days).  I could also travel from home to shoots rather than having to go to Birmingham first and I worked with the PM to try and secure the Southern UK shoots. On the work front, what a revelation it was to come back to full-time work and get stuck in. I absolutely loved it. I’ve made some really beautiful films of which I am very proud. With Chelsea comes some fantastic talent to work with – both presenters and celebrities. And with the live events, I’ve had that great buzz of turning around a film that I started at 9am and is on-air by 12.

Natalie Barb : Taken while filming at Chelsea Flower Show - the crane carried a floating garden.

As for me, I stopped being someone’s mother and was myself again. Some people didn’t even know I had kids (perhaps they thought those pictures on my desk were my own and I was an avant-garde naive style dinosaur artist). Yes, my kids missed me and were always so glad that it was a work from home day and I could walk them in to school, or pick them up. But structuring part-time work in this way, is for me, the way forward. I budget for part-time work across the year, but now I do months on and months off rather than days on and days off. That way I spend school holidays with the children when childcare costs can rocket to cover full-time work. It’s no fun having to find nannies for short contracts, but I’ve done it and have always found great childcare. I’ve done it for three years now: Flower Shows and Gardeners’ World with a tiny bit of Royal Wedding thrown in for variety, every year stepping up the amount I have worked. I haven’t looked back and I’m now working to diversify away from gardening and the BBC (any tips on how to achieve that would be happily received).

Before motherhood I spent years working so hard on my career, and I couldn’t bear throwing away all my efforts to just be on the periphery of the action, or not in the action at all. I’m also aware that my children will not be with me forever, and when they have flown the nest, I don’t want to be found floundering wondering what I will do with my time.

Biting the bullet and just going for it, no longer saying no to great jobs, but finding a way to make them work for me has been a success. That’s a qualified success, it comes with  exhaustion, compromise, and guilt (I am still haunted by my daughter’s tears when once I didn’t watch her special assembly), but for me working and pushing the limits has been much better than the alternative of staying home and wondering “what if”?

Natalie Barb can be contacted through the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk or you are welcome to leave comments or questions for her below.

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/868/natalie-barb

Danny Baker, Richard Bacon, Fiona Bruce & Brian Blessed have all had their say, I thought it was only right I should air my views too, writes AP Jodie Gravett.

This week sees the end of BBC Television Centre as we know it, and as I watched Madness and Michael Grade pay their respects last week, I got caught up in the emotion and nostalgia of it all. I reminisced about the time I found myself in the TVC basement being serenaded by Phil Collins, and when a friend barged Brian May out of the way at the Green Tea Bar. I searched high and low for the photographs of the time I abseiled off the roof of Studio 1 to raise money for Children in Need. I reminded friends of when we snuck out of the Watchdog studio to watch Franz Ferdinand record the TOTP special, and not to mention the one and only time I had a meeting on the hallowed 6^th floor with the new BBC3 controller, only to be drastically late as I went round and round in circles in that doughnut!

Jodie Gravett snaps BBC TVC in its last days. http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/4945/jodie-gravett

Today with a clear head and in work mode, at a meeting across the road in the old Centre House, I looked out of the window at that now forlorn doughnut against a backdrop of a dull snow filled sky. It struck me, it’s not just a loss for the onscreen talent who’ve been lamenting on BBC4 and Twitter. It seemed to me, as a lowly freelancing AP who is simply lucky enough to count that building among many of her work places, that a whole community has been wiped out.

W12 meant only one thing. There was a buzz amongst the people still languishing on the tube as it neared White City; anticipation, excitement, a sense of belonging even. It felt like something happened in that part of town, and even if you didn’t work for the BBC you were still part of it. What will happen to the man who sells the Big Issue at the station? Will that underground bar on Shepherds Bush Green finally submerge? And what will become of Shepherds Bush Market (or casting pool and prop store as I like to call it)?

That sense of community, that buzz , I just can’t imagine it at Portland Place. The bars and coffee houses of Soho don’t need those BBC people with their silly passes dangling by their crotch. And when you see a bunch of people on a Tuesday night daring each other to do the most pull ups on the hand rails of the tube train at Oxford Street, you can’t be sure that they’ve just tipped out of a live studio situation, high on the electricity of it all, like you could at a station near the end of the Central line!

I know. I need a reality check, times change, maybe it’s arrogant of me to think the people of Shepherds Bush care. TV production won’t stop because of this. The Grade II listed building was out dated and costly, and its inevitable end has been on the cards for years; I even made an internal film about the proposed move to Salford when no-one believed that would happen. BBC4’s tribute last week was uncomfortably white and male, silently highlighting that there is a desperate need for change in some areas.

But still, I wanted to point out, it’s not just the on-screen talent, actors, and BBC royalty who will miss this extraordinary workplace. That building, a melting pot of creativity, gave me some opportunities that I don’t think any other building could ever offer. After all, where else would you sit next to Jeremy Paxman on your work experience lunch break?

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/4945/jodie-gravett

If you have 3+ years TV experience please join us at www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events.

On Tuesday 26th March Cineflix Productions threw open the doors of its UK headquarters to meet Media Parents talent. MD Camilla Lewis welcomed the crowd of 45 freelancers, speaking about the flexible approach that Cineflix has adopted: “Presenteeism doesn’t exist at this company. We see flexible working as commercially viable, but also realise the value of having children as a massive motivator… Above all we would like people to come back and work with us at Cineflix again.”

Camilla Lewis, Cineflix MD: "Presenteeism doesn't exist at this company..."

Media Parents mingled with the Cineflix and talent team, including Cineflix Productions’ Creative Director Rob Carey and MD Camilla Lewis, in an informal networking evening. Huge thanks to all at Cineflix, particularly Director of Talent Jessica Wilson, and Libby Barr, Operations Manager, for all their work in setting up the event internally. Herefollow photos and quotes from the evening. If you would like to hold or take part in a similar event please contact us through www.mediaparents.co.uk

"Above all we would like people to come back and work with us at Cineflix again" said Cineflix UK's MD Camilla Lewis, before meeting Media Parents freelancers.

Rob Carey, Creative Director for Cineflix, welcomes the crowd before mingling. Jessica Wilson, centre, Cineflix Director of Talent, looks on.

"I have been through a lot of job sites and networking events since my arrival in London and Media Parents has been great - everyone is so accessible and helpful." Cindy De Pasquale, PD / SP

Cineflix Exec Sue Davidson talks to Clare Richards, PD. Jessica Wilson, Cineflix Talent Director in background. Clare Richards "I am useless at networking but I had a really good time and met some great people, I will definitely come to the next one."

Cineflix Production Exec Paul Day with freelancers. Abdullai Adejumo, PD: "I'll admit to being a bit tentative about attending because I sort of dread networking events but I had a fantastic time. Everyone was really friendly and Cineflix themselves were so welcoming."

Carrie Britton, Talent Manager, will be joining Cineflix from the BBC to cover Jessica Wilson's maternity leave.

Gail Morrison, PM, with Media Parents Director and SP Amy Walker. "I found work through Media Parents after taking five years out to have my children - and I haven't looked back since that job. Tonight has been the first time I've been able to attend an event and Cineflix have created a great atmosphere."

Cineflix Exec Nick Cory-Wright with Exec Producer Gillian Tierney: "Thank you so much for organising such a useful and friendly event. I met lots of great people and hope to catch up further soon".

"I found it interesting, informative and enjoyable. I think the small nature and informal way of networking, not to mention all at cineflix made it a huge success." Caroline Long, PM

Cineflix Exec Jane Aldous, left with Media Parents freelancers. "Thanks for Tuesday night.... it was good to see people I haven't seen for years! Look forward to any other events you might have coming up. Who knows, the worst may happen and I might end up with a job!" Mike Ratcliffe, SP

"A really nice atmosphere and a great mix of people both from within Cineflix and Media Parents. Had productive chats about forthcoming series with the Cineflix execs and also Jessica Wilson." Sally Weale, PD/ SP

Cineflix Jnr Production Exec Ruth Cody, centre, has also found work through Media Parents!

PD Meyrick Cook, left, was happy that he'd found work through Media Parents too. "Just wanted to say thanks so much for organising the networking event, it's the first one that I have been to and it was great to meet other freelancers, as well as the people from Cineflix. Once again thanks a lot." Annette Simpkins, PD

“Thanks for organising the event it was enjoyable. You will be happy to know I chatted to a number of fellow Media Parents and also had a good catch up chat with Camilla and Nick Cory-Wright.” Glenn Barden, SP

Huge thanks to everyone from Cineflix and Media Parents who attended and made the evening a great success, see you at another one soon.

If you have 3+ years TV experience please join us at www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events.

New comedy writers will have their work showcased at the Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival and the New York Television Festival. Call for applications now open!

London, 27 March: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and Rocliffe today announced a call out for scripts from emerging comedy screenwriters for a chance to showcase their work in front of the cream of the UK and US television industry at two major international television festivals. For the first time, the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum will take place at the Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival (GEITF) in August, as well as for a third consecutive year at the New York Television Festival (NYTVF) in October.

Places for both events are open to British UK-based comedy screenwriters who have not yet had a television series commissioned, although they may have broadcast writing credits. The successful entries will be selected by an industry jury of comedy professionals from the UK and US. The jury for the NYTVF in 2012 included Jennifer Saunders, Chris Addison, Vicki Pepperdine, Andrew Newman, Damon Beesley, John Morton, Kevin Cecil, Mark Freeland, Shane Allen, Margot Gavan Duffy, Jill Offman, Saskia Schuster.

Last year's winning entry was performed by actors in front of an audience. See link below for how to apply.

BAFTA, with its branches in New York and in Scotland, and Rocliffe are offering this opportunity in partnership with British Airways, GEITF and the NYTVF, and the chosen writers will receive:

• ·         A BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum showcase featuring professional actors performing their work in front of an industry audience at MGEITF or the NYTVF. Audience members across the festivals will include representatives from BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Sky, Comedy Central, Sky, FOX, FX, VH1, MTV, IFC and major independent production companies;
• ·         Feedback during the event from top TV industry guests – gaining vital tips and encouragement. Previous guests at NYTVF have included Jenni Konner (Girls) and Phil Rosenthal (Everybody Loves Raymond);
• ·         One-to-one development mentoring sessions by top UK and US comedy commissioners and independent production companies;
• ·         A MGEITF festival pass and/or a New York Television Festival ‘Official Artist’ pass;
• ·         Pitch training;
• ·         Travel and accommodation for the festival for which they are selected;
• ·         One-to-one meetings with top UK talent agents;
• ·         Bespoke industry networking opportunities.

The writers who took part in last year’s NYTVF have received a very positive reception to their work. Writing partners Matthew Barry and Kayleigh Llewellyn said: “Winning BAFTA Rocliffe New York 2012 was akin to being awarded a Golden Ticket into the industry. It was the launching pad we needed to bring our project to the attention of the top comedy commissioners. Since returning from New York our script,Grey, has been optioned by Company Pictures and is currently in development with the BBC for a BBC One primetime series. We are also developing a second project with Objective Productions and have signed with a top literary agent. All of these opportunities were afforded to us because of BAFTA Rocliffe.”

Sarah Courtauld has been hired as a writer on a new sketch show, The Kerry Howard Show, slated for BBC Three in 2013, she also won the Hasbro Studios development deal with a children’s TV concept, Buckle and Swash at the NYTVF in 2012.

Jury Chair Andrew Newman, said: “We encourage any budding comedy writer, whatever their background, to apply. Participants will continue the legacy of the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum which, for over 13 years now, has helped launch the careers of new writing talent.”

Director of the Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, Louise Benson said:

”The TV Festival is constantly seeking ways to identify and support new talent so I’m very proud to be partnering with BAFTA and Rocliffe. The scheme will join a suite of opportunities we provide for stars of the future and I can’t wait to see the finalists’ work in Edinburgh!”

Founder and Executive Director of the NYTVF, Terence Gray, said: “We’re honored to continue our relationship with BAFTA and Rocliffe and look forward to welcoming the 2013 writers to the NYTVF in October. There’s an incredible demand for great comedic voices and creators in the US television market right now and we’re thrilled that this unique partnership provides a viable State-side showcase for great UK-based talent.”

Farah Abushwesha co-founder of Rocliffe said: “We have seen first-time writers plucked from obscurity to become the next new players on the television comedy stage with both option deals and representation. It proves UK talent has universal appeal.  This scheme is about supporting new writers, finding the diamonds in the rough, giving their work the polish it deserves and ultimately helping them gain paid employment.”

The closing date for entries for the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum at the Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival (GEITF) and the New York Television Festival (NYTVF) is 22 May, 2013. Applicants must submit a ten page extract from their sit-com or sketch show for consideration for the schemes. Each script will be considered for both events albeit different writers may be selected for each event.

All writers who submit receive an industry standard report to enable them to progress their idea.

@BAFTA and @Rocliffeforum will hold several online tweetups to answer writers’ questions, using the hashtag #EnterRocliffe.

Full application details and terms and conditions can be found at:

http://www.bafta.org/about/supporting-talent/rocliffe/.

On Tuesday 26th March, Cineflix Productions will be inviting 45 people from the Media Parents talent section to its London HQ for an evening of networking. Attending from Cineflix will be…

Camilla Lewis, MD, Cineflix Productions UK

Camilla Lewis Managing Director, Cineflix Productions UK

Based in the London production office, Camilla Lewis is in charge of increasing Cineflix’s prime-time factual and factual entertainment commissions from all the UK’s major channels. She is also the Executive Producer for Claimed and Shamed, and World’s Maddest Job Interview. Working alongside Rob Carey, Global Creative Director, Camilla reports to Simon Lloyd, CEO of Programming.

Prior to Cineflix, Camilla was the Head of Factual Features at Talkback Thames where she oversaw the producer’s factual brands including some of the U.K.’s biggest rating formats such as Grand Designs, Property Ladder, Great British Railway Journeys, and Four Rooms.

Camilla began her career producing factual and current affairs strands including WATCHDOG. In 2001, Camilla became Deputy Editor of TOMORROW’S WORLD before being appointed Head of Factual at CBBC, where she commissioned and executive produced all factual programming, including RTS and BAFTA winners. In 2003, she became an Executive Producer in the BBC’s specialist factual department, responsible for output including, Trauma and Should I Worry About…?

Jessica Wilson Director of Talent, UK, Cineflix Productions

As Director of Talent for Cineflix in the UK, Jessica Wilson works closely with production and senior staff to determine hiring needs on a show-by-show basis. She develops and executes recruiting plans, and maintains and establishes new relationships to expand talent searches. Jessica reports to Pixie Black, Head of Talent, and is based in the London office.

A BAFTA Award-winning Series Producer, Jessica has more than 15 years television experience in talent management, producing, and directing. Prior to Cineflix, she scouted talent for BBC, and acted as Series Producer on Children in Need, Wild About Art, and Gimme A Break. Among others, she was a Senior Producer on The Apprentice, Executive Producer on My World, and the Producer/Director of Behind These Hazel Eyes, a one-hour documentary on Kelly Clarkson.

Nick Cory-Wright Senior Executive Producer

Reporting to Simon Lloyd and Rob Carey, Nick Cory-Wright oversees all of Cineflix’s output. Nick has also served as the Executive Producer of Claimed and Shamed, For Rent Seasons 4 and 5, Pet School, Design Dealers, Urban Legends, Eat Yourself Sexy, and Colin & Justin’s Home Heist.

Before joining Cineflix, Nick was Executive Producer and Series Producer on a number of successful series for the BBC, C4, and Five in the UK, and Discovery and TLC in the United States.

Nick’s career has spanned a wide variety of subjects, styles, and formats. He has produced music and arts documentaries, comedy, factual, light entertainment programmes, and the taboo-breaking Eurotrash.  Nick’s credits include Johnny Vaughan Tonight on BBC2, Orcadia on C4, I love the ‘80s for BBC2, The Curse Of for Five, The Most Annoying for BBC3, and Share the Shame on TLC.

Paul Day Production Executive

Paul Day is a Production Executive at our CPUK office in London, overseeing programmes including Claimed and Shamed, Salvage Hunters, and East Coast Trains. Paul joined Cineflix in 2009 as Vice President, Branded Content Partnerships. He brought a seasoned approach to developing and promoting ad-funded production opportunities, web-based initiatives, and digital platform content.

Paul has nearly two decades of experience in the television industry. Prior to Cineflix, he was Director of Branded Content at Eyeworks and was Head of Production for Atlt Productions, managing a wide range of programmes such as live music shows, daily entertainment magazines, and award-winning documentaries. Paul also served as Head of Production at Brighter Pictures (Endemol).

Rob Carey, Creative Director, Cineflix Productions

Rob Carey Creative Director, Cineflix Productions

Rob Carey is responsible for the creative direction and development of the company’s entire range of programmes in all genres in the U.K. and North America. Rob works alongside CEO of Programming Simon Lloyd, Head of Development Iain Taylor, and Programming EVPs Joe Houlihan and Charles Tremayne. Current Cineflix shows that Rob co-created include Gemini Award-winning Nazi Hunters (History), Gemini Award-nominated William Shatner’s Weird or What? (Discovery), Family Food Fight (Channel Five), Campus PD (G4), Eat Yourself Sexy (W), World’s Greenest Homes (Planet Green), Dinner Party Wars (Food), The Unsellables (BBC), Animals At Work (BBC), and Robostar (BBC).

Before joining Cineflix in 2007, Rob was Head of Factual Entertainment for At It Productions, and Creative Director, Factual Entertainment and Features for Mentorn Productions. At Mentorn, Rob co-created and Executive Produced Britain’s Worst Driver which grew into the highly successful ‘Worst’ franchise, producing 10 series over four years with the format selling in more than 25 countries.  In 2008 he won the Rose D’Or in Montreaux for another format he created for the BBC, Hider In The House, which has also sold extensively worldwide. Rob has produced and directed many Factual Entertainment shows including The Real Holiday Show, Moving People (Channel 4), Take My Mother-In-Law (ITV1), and Work Out (Bravo US), in addition to factual projects including Osama Bin Laden – The World’s Most Wanted Man, Most Evil Men In History (Five), and Disaster Masters (BBC One).

Sue Davidson Executive Producer

As an Executive Producer for Cineflix Productions, Sue Davidson oversees the development of new factual entertainment projects in the UK, and is currently working on a documentary series about the East Coast train line for Sky 1. Sue is based in Cineflix’s London Office.

Before joining Cineflix, Sue served as a Factual Entertainment Commissioning Executive at BSkyB. Prior to that, Sue was an Executive Producer at Renegade Pictures where she worked on BBC2’s series World’s Most Dangerous Roads and Beeny’s Restoration Nightmare for C4. She was also a Commissioning Editor, Factual, at Channel 5 where she was responsible for programmes such as Extraordinary People, Combat Chefs, My Strange Brain, and Highland Emergency.

Sue has worked as an Executive Producer, Series Producer, and Producer/Director across a variety of factual programmes throughout her career.  Her credits include The Apprentice and Junior Apprentice (BBC1), Brat Camp (C4), Bad Lads Army (ITV), Little Angels (BBC 3), Posh Plumbers (BBC1), and the Royal Television Society-nominated Gold Fever (BBC1).

Executive Producer Jane Aldous will also be attending, along with Ruth Cody, Junior Production Exec.

Amy Walker and Claire Brown will be attending from Media Parents, with a host of brilliant Media Parents talent.