Media Parents

I’ve been working in the world of broadcast documentary for nearly seven years now. I was always one of the ones who knew what they wanted to do. All the way through school and all the way through Uni I was like a broken record, “I want to make films, I want to make films.” I wanted to write and I wanted to direct and I wasn’t willing to wait for the opportunities to come my way. I sold pretty much everything I owned (not much!) at 25 to make my first “proper” short film.

Ana Garcia is in the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/1406/ana-garcia

I had a degree in Film, TV, Theatre and Italian from the University of Bristol, I had read a lot of books, I’d done a weekend course at Raindance – I was sooo ready. I managed to fly a small crew out to Gibraltar, chartered a small boat and convinced a couple of good looking builders to perform for me for free. The premise was fool proof; 2 Gibraltarian brothers (after the funeral of their father who died tragically in a boat accident) sail out to sea and find an illegal immigrant from Africa drowning in the straits of Gibraltar. One brother wants to save him, the other wants to hand him in to the police … !!! It was ambitious! My cast and crew were fantastic but the film has been buried in the deepest darkest corner of my flat ever since. I said when I make my wonderful fantastic tour de force Oscar winning feature, I’ll add the short on as an extra to give other film makers hope. Unfortunately the short is still in the box . . .

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/1406/ana-garcia

Three years ago I began the arduous task of raising funds for my first feature documentary film, Gibraltar. It was a soul destroying, long and painful process but I got there in the end. I somehow managed to get Revolution Films (Michael Winterbottom and Andrew Eaton) to produce it so I had a great team around me. I’m originally from Gibraltar and felt very strongly that the story of the people on the Rock should be told. It’s a great David and Goliath story and I really gave it my everything. My grandfather was one of Gibraltar’s most prominent leaders when Franco closed the border between Gibraltar and Spain, so I had access to great archive but also my family was a part of the story. My family, like many others, were separated by the gates at the border and many never lived to see each other again. It became very personal and for 2 years it completely took over my life. When I finally finished the film, I was proud and happy and relieved! I thought, this is it! Finally people will see I can really direct, I can really shoot, I can really produce – no more AP jobs for me! I expected festival success and instant distribution and broadcast. My moment had arrived! It was all worth it! Idiot! I think I spent a year crying over rejection after rejection. It was horrible. I had beautiful, wonderful critical reviews but no one would broadcast it. It was subsequently near impossible to find work because I had a big hole in my broadcast credits while I was off shooting my feature doc. In the eyes of the industry I was still a researcher / AP, still waiting for someone to give me that golden opportunity . . .

Ana made the jump from AP to PD on Channel 5's Botched Up Bodies which TXed this week.

I did go back to AP-ing and then DV directing broadcast documentary and finally, finally, I somehow managed to convince Transparent Television to let me PD and shoot a prime time two part documentary for Channel Five, Botched Up Bodies. Transparent were fantastic. They started me off as a DV Director and the more I did, the more they let me do. Eventually they gave me the job and I shot, produced and directed both documentaries. First episode TX-ing on Mon 14^th Jan at 10pm (yesss!).

It’s been a steep learning curve but I am proud of my work so far. I still don’t know what the lessons are from having thrown myself so whole-heartedly in to my own independent projects early on. I thought they would get me further faster, but in the short term they slowed me down. Perhaps in 10 years I’ll know the answer.

Gibraltar has been sold to broadcasters in Finland, Australia and Spain and when I finally get Richard Klein to watch it …

I live in hope.

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/1406/ana-garcia

www.gibraltarfilm.co.uk

If you have 3+ years TV experience please join us at www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events. Our next event is a technical catch up on Jan 31st, please email events@mediaparents.co.uk to attend.

Dylan Howitt writes about alternating as a shooting PD and full-time carer for his young child. Read about his work for broadcast, Macmillan Cancer Research and “the tyranny of wiping”.  Dylan’s recent series World’s Scariest… a job he got through Media Parents, will transmit this Spring on Channel 5. For more info and to contact Dylan please see www.mediaparents.co.uk

Getting ready to film the Hurricane Sandy clean-up with the Marines for Mentorn Media. http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/4093/dylan-howitt

I’ve finished a 12-hour day shooting for Macmillan Cancer Support and just made it home in time to see my 2 year old before her bath and bedtime routine. My head is full of the inspiring people I met and filmed with, the heartbreaking stories they told me, as well as multiple worries about did I get all the cutaways and was there too much background noise in that interview we did? I’ll back up the rushes later but right now Sylvie wants to play horsey, read Shoebaby and dress Pooh bear – all at the same time. I make a conscious effort to shift to her level but it takes a while. But then the cares of the day are gone in building tunnels and running baths.

Dadhood and TV…can they mix? I’ve often heard ‘TV is a young person’s world’ so when I knew I was having a child it seemed like it might be time to find something else to do, get a proper job maybe. I’ve loved reading the Media Parents blog to see how other people have been able to achieve that tricky balancing act of being a parent and working in TV. This is the only forum I’ve come across where these things are discussed and it’s been huge not feeling like I’m the only one trying to do both. From my point of view, it’s definitely still a work in progress.

Dylan Howitt on location in La Paz. http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/4093/dylan-howitt

Before my daughter was born I had about 12 fantastic years making films, first as an editor then as a shooting PD, all over the world. Working extremely long days or travelling for weeks at a time in remote locations was all part of the thrill and I often felt I had the best job in the world. Some highlights have included filming sculptors in Mozambique who work with cut up guns for BBC4, a week in Bolivia with Damian Lewis for BBC Daily Politics, and managing to get an exclusive interview with the 17^th incarnation of the Tibetan Karmapa not long after he’d fled to India (for Five).

But as soon as we knew we were having a child my whole attitude changed. I was unsure about whether to take on riskier assignments, turning down, for example, the chance to make a bunch of short films in the Middle East, as well as a job in Afghanistan (still a bit gutted about the former). I actively looked for UK based work and started to worry that I wouldn’t be able to sustain the long hours and insecurity of freelance life and still be a good dad. I had moments when I thought about finding something else to do, at different points fantasizing about teaching, gardening, running a café, or going back to college and trying to make it as an artist – because obviously that would be so much easier than a life in TV. Of course I was too busy working and getting ready for the baby to put any of these ideas into action…

When Sylvie was born though I also experienced the upside of the flexible freelance life. I took off a Scandanavian-esque 6 months which was wonderful for the spirit (if not for the bank balance). I was able to spend loads of time getting to know my newborn and readjusting to our new life, which I strongly believe is something all parents – mums and dads – should be able to do. Also, my partner got a job as an academic researcher on a public health project, requiring us to travel to Ecuador for three different trips, sometimes for months at a time. So again I was able to take off chunks of time and be a full time dad while she worked.

Switching roles like this has been really challenging: it’s basically a constant negotiation about who is doing the childcare and has meant me turning down lots of job offers (which never feels good as a freelancer – will they suddenly stop asking?) But I think ultimately we’ve both benefitted. My partner has been able to sustain and move forward in her career. And I’ve found out what it is to look after a toddler full time, an experience both massively hilarious and utterly exhausting in equal measure. I’ll never be the one who asks “what have you been doing all day?”

I was able to take on a 3 weeks shoot in The States recently only because I knew it would be my turn to stay at home the next time. Having such a duel life isn’t always easy – switching between childcare and professional life is quite a mental switch. For me it takes a couple of days to properly get back into kit lists, shooting scripts, lenses, and colour temperature, after living in a world of potty training, Iggle Piggle, play dates and what someone called ‘the tyranny of wiping’.

Planning things is challenging too, especially when I don’t know if the next job is for 2 weeks or 6 months. But what has given me more options is having what is apparently called a ‘portfolio’ career, which is a posh way of saying I wear various hats. I’m just as happy making films for charities as for TV, and taking on whichever roles are needed while concentrating mainly on shooting and directing. So right now I’m directing, shooting and editing some films for Macmillan. Before that I did a great 2 month stint as a shooting PD for Mentorn on ‘World’s Scariest’ and ‘Superstorm USA’ (for Five and BBC3 respectively), work I got through Media Parents. I’ve made some shorts for BBC Learning, and also been teaching at the Documentary Filmmakers Group and the University of Westminster. All the while perfecting my story-reading and Lego building skills, and getting ready for another 6 weeks in South America in 2013. Like I say, a work in progress…

Dylan Howitt lives in Brighton and works everywhere. Contact him through the TALENT section of www.mediaparents.co.uk http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/4093/dylan-howitt

If you have 3+ years TV experience please join us at www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events. Our next event is a technical catch up on Jan 31st, please email events@mediaparents.co.uk to attend.

Caroline Bingham, Business Development Executive at Pro Motion Hire, writes about her career change from freelance sound recordist to accommodate motherhood, and the Media Parents technical workshop on January 31st that will highlight technical changes over the past year.

Caroline Bingham: "In my late twenties I started to give my future some serious thought and just couldn’t see how on earth it was possible to have a young family and work as a freelance sound recordist."

I’d wanted to work in the television industry since I was a teenager.  I loved the idea of working in documentaries and being able to be part of a team telling people’s stories.  Against school career advice I embarked on a practical media degree and in 1999 headed to London from Sheffield to start on the path of my chosen route, camera and sound operation.  I worked long hours for low pay for 2 years as a kit technician and in-house camera and sound assistant.  The work paid off and in 2002 I took the step to become a freelance location sound recordist.  With the aid of a Skillset grant I attended a residential course at the BBC Wood Norton College in Worcestershire to consolidate my training and so my freelance career began.  I loved being on location and felt privileged to be involved with projects filming diverse and fascinating subjects.

Caroline Bingham networking at a Pro Motion Hire event. For information about the Media Parents Pro Motion Hire technical event please email events@mediaparents.co.uk

However, working as a freelancer is hard.  You have no support, the hours are erratic and you never have any idea when the next pay cheque is going to arrive.  In my late twenties I started to give my future some serious thought and just couldn’t see how on earth it was possible to have a young family and work as a freelance sound recordist.  I had no family close by to call on at the drop of hat to look after children and couldn’t envisage a flexible enough childcare scheme that would allow me to call at 6pm the night before and book my children in for the next day.  I knew of very few female crew members to ask for their advice or use them as role models (Media Parents sadly didn’t exist then) and so started putting steps in place to move into a more secure career choice.  I didn’t want to leave the industry I’d worked so hard to enter and so could only see a change in role as a long term viable option.

"I’ve always felt quite entrepreneurial and wanted to seek more of a business development role and was fortunate enough to have been offered that role, in which I still work today." Caroline Bingham, Business Development Executive.

Using my experience I took a permanent staff position booking crews and equipment for shoots.  I’ve always felt quite entrepreneurial and wanted to seek more of a business development role and was fortunate enough to have been offered that role, in which I still work today.

In 2010 I fell pregnant and to my surprise and shock my husband and I discovered we were expecting identical twins! In the September of that year Connor and Curtis were born and my world changed forever.  It was a challenging first year but I always thought I would want to return to work.  I’d worked so hard for many years to reach a level of expertise, knowledge and contacts within the industry and wasn’t prepared to give that all up. However making the decision to return to work after a baby wasn’t an easy one.  Having two also made the decision tougher with the cost of childcare to consider.  I was incredibly fortunate to be working for Pro Motion Hire which was very happy for me to return on a part-time basis.  I know it’s not always easy for companies to offer this opportunity but felt so grateful to be in a company where being a mother didn’t mean the end of the road for my career if I didn’t want to work full-time.

For more information on the event mentioned please email events@mediaparents.co.uk. To contact Caroline Bingham re Pro Motion Hire, please find her in the Network section of www.mediaparents.co.uk

Being a working mum has given me a new perspective and I believe it has made me better at my job.  I feel a more rounded individual but returning to work was daunting.  I work in a technical sales roles and was very worried about how much the industry would have moved on in the year I’d been away and how out of my depth I might feel.  It was that anxiety that gave me the inspiration to address this issue for other people returning to the industry after a career break such as maternity leave. We are about to host our first workshop highlighting industry changes in the last year, what new camera equipment has been released and what is expected for the forthcoming year.  Media Parents is the perfect partner for us to hold these workshops with.  It’s about offering a helping hand to build up the confidence in those that are at a time in their career where confidence isn’t sky high.  It’s a chance to get the old grey cells whirring again and an opportunity to meet others in the same situation.

If you are interested in knowing more about the January 31st  event or would like to register please contact events@mediaparents.co.uk

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

Thank you so much to Molinare Film & TV Post Production for sponsoring this event, to BAFTA for hosting it, to Claire Brown for organising it, and to everyone else who came along and had a great time.  Here are the first of the photos – more coming when I get a moment over Christmas!  A very Merry Christmas from Media Parents.

Many thanks to the BAFTA staff who looked after us too.  Have a brilliant Christmas and New Year and thanks for supporting Media Parents in 2012!

John Willis unfolds his arms and leans over his desk.  He has been considering his previous answers, about BAFTA, where he is Chairman, and Tinopolis, where he is Group Creative Director. But I’ve just asked him what it was like to be working in TV when he was a father to young children.

John Willis, BAFTA Chairman, Mentorn CEO and Creative Director of the Tinopolis Group in conversation with Media Parents at www.mediaparents.co.uk

“We had our children young – people settle down later now – we had our first when I was twenty nine. It put a lot of pressure on my wife because I worked on location overseas.  I had to go off for three to four months at a time.  In those days you would go off for much longer, so I went off to Australia for four months on a travel series with Alan Whicker.”  Before the days of email.  “You were allowed one phone call home a week.”

“Having children in TV can be one of the most difficult things – that agonizing moment when you miss the school play because your demanding job doesn’t finish at 5. Looking back on it now you miss big parts of your children growing up.  I do remember when my kids could say ‘Mummy’ and not ‘Daddy’”.

As Chief Executive of Mentorn Media, John Willis knows only too well that working in TV still impacts on families, and he says Mentorn tries hard to support family life. “In TV most individuals are sympathetic, but collectively it doesn’t always work out.  It can be hard for both parents to sort out childcare”.  One of the Mentorn Execs works a bit flexibly to help with childcare, another works a four day week, others take time as and when. Although it’s a large company, it feels smaller, and today Willis will be judging Mentorn’s annual Christmas tree decorating competition in his avuncular way. “It’s about the culture and attitude, so if someone says [flexible working] will probably work I always say yes.  People work from home when they need to, or if they take the afternoon off for Sports Day it’s fine if it enables talented people to keep working.”

“I think people undervalue the BBC – it’s criticized, but its maternity leave policies are best in class.  When it comes to job sharing or working from home it can be more difficult for an indie, but it’s not just practicality – it’s about thinking ‘we won’t have that meeting at 5:30, we’ll have it earlier so that person can pick up their kids from nursery’”.

Willis’s illustrious career, moving from early days at Yorkshire Television to become Director of Programmes at Channel 4, MD of LWT, then Director of Factual and Learning at the BBC, has “been driven by curiosity. Perhaps I’m just nosey.  I’ve always wanted to know about people and worlds I didn’t know about, and in TV you open out that world to millions watching”.

He supports diversity on both sides of the camera, not just regarding parents.  As BAFTA’s Chairman he encourages new entrants to the industry from all backgrounds. “Personally I think we work in a privileged industry. I’m keen that it reaches out to people who don’t have the opportunity – to talented people who don’t have the connections.” BAFTA has a mentoring scheme, a great online learning portal called Guru, and is also funding six postgraduates for the first time this year – “Diverse, talented people who are struggling financially.  One of those is a parent”, he tells me with a smile.

I ask whether he thinks earlier commissioning would help parents to keep working. “We’d all like earlier commissioning, but for lots of different reasons programmes get commissioned later than they should.  There are lots of commissioners who are working parents caught in institutional problems but I don’t know if that will ever change, it seems ingrained”.

“The industry needs working parents, not just because you’ve spent a long time training them, but also because when you become a parent it changes your perception of the world.  We must reflect our audiences in our programme makers too. To lose people doesn’t speak well of the industry if people feel that balancing work and parenting is so hard it doesn’t fit.  Good people must feel that there is enough support.”

This year’s Media Parents Christmas Party will take place at BAFTA on December 13^th, kindly sponsored by Molinare TV and Film Post Production.  To join us please reserve your place here :

http://mediaparentschristmasbash.eventbrite.co.uk

For BAFTA’s online learning portal please click on the BAFTA logo below

If you have more than 3 years' media experience see www.mediaparents.co.uk for great networking, talent, jobs and information.

To join us at the Media Parents Christmas Party at BAFTA on December 13th please use this link: http://mediaparentschristmasbash.eventbrite.co.uk

We’d like to thank you for your support for Media Parents over 2012, so please join us at our Media Parents Christmas Party to celebrate. With your help we are placing talented freelancers into jobs all the time, and working with more than 500 companies.

To say thanks, we’d love you to join us at BAFTA on December 13th from 6pm on the mezzanine level of the members bar for some seasonal fun.  If it’s anything like last year the Media Parents Christmas Party will be a great laugh, and a great opportunity to network over a glass of wine with employers, freelancers and execs across the board.

This year the Media Parents Christmas Party is kindly sponsored by Molinare TV and Film Post Production, who will be providing refreshments for early birds.

To join us please reserve your place by using this link  http://mediaparentschristmasbash.eventbrite.co.uk Places are limited so please bag your ticket asap.

If you have 3+ years TV experience please join us at www.mediaparents.co.uk

Not content with creating the best jobs and networking site for experienced TV people, we now bring you the ultimate stocking filler… Our Media Parents coasters are the perfect accompaniment to a mug of tea or a large glass of wine. Made by the same people who make the coasters for the London Transport Museum, and to the same high quality, these gorgeous mats bearing the Media Parents logo measure 90 x 115.  Ta-dah!

If you would like to purchase a coaster at the bargain price of £3.50 including P+P within the UK, or 4 for £12.00 please email us at admin@mediaparents.co.uk  Stuck for other gift ideas? Get someone a job for Christmas – or as near as! Ask us about gift memberships to Media Parents.  You can join a loved one to our talent section for just £15 a month or £75 for a year, or the network (everything but the jobs info) for £35 for a year. Brilliant. www.mediaparents.co.uk

Beth Whittal Williams' mum looked after her 2 and a half week old baby in the car nearby so she could come and meet some people. Amazing!

Huge thanks to the sixty people who came along on November 13th and made it a great night, and to BBC North for hosting at MediaCity.  It was great to meet so many people and hear some inspiring stories of how people are working flexibly, or can arrange it.

Listening to Sinead Rocks, BBC Director of Learning, the Media Parents crowd was full of talent managers, freelancers and MDs.

BBC Creative Director for Learning, Sinead Rocks, kicked off the evening.

Liz Bayliffe, Production Executive for Shine North, works part time.

Question from the crowd: "What can I do in TV with a young child?" "Development, position yourself as someone who can use social media to bring an audience to a show. Don't ask for flexible working, present solutions to a company."

Ian Bradshaw from Title Role said that their company embraces flexible working.

Sarah Murch, left, MD of Blakeway North told freelancers to ask for flexible working, but be realistic in their choice of programmes to target. "Great turnout, really good bunch of people. Sarah said "Media Parents is a really good organisation and very worthwhile. On the flexible working topic, I thought the evening worked really well. The key point is that no one does it for you, you have to work out what's best for you."

Danny Morrisey, Talent Executive for BBC Children's was hugely supportive in getting this event off the ground, special thanks to him and Aesha Zafar for their hard work and persistence. "We met new talent, which was really good, and all my colleagues at the BBC said the same. The topic of flexible working worked really well. I think it was demonstrated that sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't, but that there is a real appetite for it. Especially in BBC children's as it helps to get access to our audience!"!"

Helen Tonge, MD Title Role, with freelancer Fiona Greig. Helen "Great Evening, Amazing turnout. Really pleased that everyone is now aware of what we do at Title Role, so that they can make contact and we can grow our freelancer pool. There could be some jobs coming up... we will definitely be in touch with Media Parents then".

Amy Boscombe, Head of Development from LA Productions talks to Claire Brown from Media Parents.

Louise Blythe from the BBC Academy North spoke about FastTrain.

Carol Mackenzie, True North: "Great to meet new faces. Now we know Media Parents and who you are, we will be in touch as soon as we need to advertise. We are growing really fast, we have 35 people in Cardiff for the Valleys and have 18 Edits already in for next year."

Paula Stringer, Production Executive for News & Current Affairs talks to a freelancer.

Luke Frost from BBC Children's networks.

Tracey Walker, ITV Factual and Entertainment Talent Exec.

There may have been a reason why we couldn't remember names by the time we got home. Thanks for coming, we had a great time.

New mum Christina Wilby talks about juggling her job in TV and her relationship, how her husband re-trained in order to support her career choice, and bridging the North South divide to keep working.

I’ve been working in television for the last seven years and love it. I knew it was for me well back when I was at school, and after I studied at Manchester University I got my first work placement in Religion and Ethics at the BBC in Manchester. It was a great starting point. I was still studying for my Post Graduate Degree while working full time as a runner and they were very accommodating when I had to take time off for my final exams.

Christina Wilby and Ollie. "Early on I had to learn to juggle my career and my relationship with Ollie who I met when I was 17 years old."

Early on I had to learn to juggle my career and my relationship with Ollie who I met when I was 17 years old. Ollie doesn’t work in TV so at first I think it was hard for him as he was alone at home a lot of the time as I often did not know when I would be home. But he has been so supportive and when I decided to go freelance and had to take a number of jobs in London he supported me 100%.

I worked in News and Current, then moved to ITV as a Senior Researcher on The Jeremy Kyle Show. It was this show that really taught me about the dedication needed to work in TV as the hours are long and you have to produce a show every week no matter what.

For the last four years I have predominately worked in London. Mentorn Media  gave me my first job as a researcher after leaving The Jeremy Kyle show, developing the BBC3 series Underage and Pregnant. I have worked for Mentorn a lot and they are a great production company.  I have managed to be able to continue to work in factual documentaries and factual entertainment which is where my passion lies and I finally got to the point where I was able to choose between different jobs that came up.

After four years working in TV, Ollie and I got engaged and decided to move to Canada for a year as we love travelling and wanted to visit my family who live out there. We thought if we don’t do it now we’ll never do it. So we moved to Vancouver where I worked at the Vancouver International Film Festival, and on a 48 hour Horror film which was brilliant. When we arrived back in the UK we were planning our wedding which took place at Kichaka Lodge, a Private Game Reserve in South Africa. Ollie and I love wildlife and Southern Africa and knew this was the place for us to celebrate our big day. I started work on Junior Doctors: Your Life in Their Hands in Newcastle as Story AP which was brilliant but full on as I was away from home and planning a wedding abroad. We got married in October 2010 which was such a special day but straight away after we returned home I was back to London to help in the edit for Junior Doctors.

I love being a mum but love working in television. I had always said to myself I wanted to achieve my goal of being a Producer by the time I was 30 and before I had children. I have been able to achieve this goal and hope to set myself a new one once I get back to work.

I was lucky and worked as Casting Producer on One Born Every Minute, Series Four, in Leeds when Mako was 6 months old, helping out with some last-minute casting. It was hard leaving Mako for the first time but it was nice to get back out there again. I haven’t worked since then although I have been offered various projects in London but decided it was too soon to leave Mako. I decided to join Media Parents as I saw the flexible working event in Manchester which I thought was a great idea.  I attended the event and it was great to see some familiar faces, meet some new people and learn more about some of the current projects happening at the BBC and Indies in Manchester. Through Media Parents I also found out about the Fast Track North event at BBC Salford which I am attending on November 20th.

Mako is nearly 9 months old now and I am looking to get back to work, so I hope I am able to balance being a mother and working in TV – only time will tell.  I am looking for PD work ideally, but AP work if needed in Factual or Factual Entertainment. I have lots of experience in casting and development. I can self shoot but haven’t shot that much for broadcast recently.  I love working in TV because you learn and take away something new from every project you work on and I don’t want to do anything else. I am sure I will end up back in London again but hope I am able to work up North more often than not.

http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/1277/christina-wilby

If you have more than 3 years' media experience see www.mediaparents.co.uk for great networking, talent, jobs and information.