I sent my Grad Link article to a good friend of mine who is a senior producer at a top ITV company. He suggested some additions (below) Many of his suggestions are tongue in cheek, some are controversial and they all give food for thought. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on what he has written. For obvious reasons I'm keeping his identity a secret!
A senior producer (not me!) writes...
"I’d add that, as a producer, I’m really not interested in the rubbish film they made for their dissertation about the ‘important issues of homelessness in Wolverhampton” – If I want a director I’ll hire an experienced director, not a student with a Spielberg complex – if I’m looking for a researcher I need to know they can talk to people, aren’t afraid of the phone, can cast a few people and know the difference between researching and googling…
Also – tell them to make tea – they don’t do it enough – I have one work experience a week and I only ever remember the names of the ones who bother to make me tea – nobody has ever felt upset that they’re being offered too much tea – plus it gives you face time with the whole team. I’ve a lad who’s working for me at the moment who makes tons of tea and I’ll definitely employ him in the future – any researcher can write a bad brief but only a few can make a good cuppa.
Also – I’m not interested in their opinions about my programme unless they’re positive. I had a numpty in last week who spent ten minutes telling me what was wrong with my show – he’s not getting any work from me anytime soon. If I want their opinions, I’ll tell them what they are – I’m not interested in a 20 year old emo’s thoughts.
Oh - and never say you want to be on camera – if I get a whiff that the person who’s sent me their CV wants to be a reporter / presenter, I immediately file their CV in the round filing cabinet – this goes for anyone with a photo on their CV."
A senior producer (not me!) writes...
"I’d add that, as a producer, I’m really not interested in the rubbish film they made for their dissertation about the ‘important issues of homelessness in Wolverhampton” – If I want a director I’ll hire an experienced director, not a student with a Spielberg complex – if I’m looking for a researcher I need to know they can talk to people, aren’t afraid of the phone, can cast a few people and know the difference between researching and googling…
Also – tell them to make tea – they don’t do it enough – I have one work experience a week and I only ever remember the names of the ones who bother to make me tea – nobody has ever felt upset that they’re being offered too much tea – plus it gives you face time with the whole team. I’ve a lad who’s working for me at the moment who makes tons of tea and I’ll definitely employ him in the future – any researcher can write a bad brief but only a few can make a good cuppa.
Also – I’m not interested in their opinions about my programme unless they’re positive. I had a numpty in last week who spent ten minutes telling me what was wrong with my show – he’s not getting any work from me anytime soon. If I want their opinions, I’ll tell them what they are – I’m not interested in a 20 year old emo’s thoughts.
Oh - and never say you want to be on camera – if I get a whiff that the person who’s sent me their CV wants to be a reporter / presenter, I immediately file their CV in the round filing cabinet – this goes for anyone with a photo on their CV."
RSS Feed