Some weeks are better than others. There’s a particular week in my career that is up there with the best of them. It was the week I learnt how to get a “yes” out of a firm “no”. It was the week I produced my way into producing.
It was the final week before I finished university when I was offered work experience at Enough Rope with Andrew Denton. My university told me I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t be insured anymore because I had finished my degree.
I’ve always had a healthy respect for authority but I questioned that university bureaucracy would stand in the way of a career-making opportunity. I had to do something about it.
I had no time to waste because the offer had a 48 hour window. This was by far the most exciting opportunity that had ever been presented to me; I couldn’t let it disappear.
I slipped into personal investigating mode and called the insurance company myself. Surely if I had only just finished the degree and hadn’t yet graduated I was still part of the university system? I would still fall under the university’s insurance policy?
A couple of phone calls later and with fine print revised, success. Insurance was granted and I was on my way to meet Andrew Denton.
During that week I was offered a job. I took it. And it was just the beginning. Enough Rope led to The Gruen Transfer, Gruen led to Hungry Beast. I was living on a daily diet of adrenalin, hard work, problem-solving. I was hooked. I was consuming more every day and I wanted to know it all.
One of the first people to take me under her wing was Enough Rope’s Executive Producer, Anita Jacoby, who taught me to know and respect each aspect of production. A notion I have held tight over my TV career. From script editing, to assisting, co-ordinating shoots, to looking after talent, from research to post production.
It’s all about attention to detail. Whether you are making your boss a tea or organising a crew in China.
So what I have I learnt about producing? There isn’t a rule book. One day it’s tracking down an Olympic bobsled, another day organising dinner for your 30 crew in the middle of the bush, the next explaining to an 80-year-old Jesuit Priest why they might like to be involved in a comedy television show called Plonk.
To me, the most important thing is believing in what you make. I feel lucky to have started a career in an environment surrounded by people and ideas I cared about. It infused me with the DNA to pursue projects I’m passionate about. As a result, I can continue to produce with gusto.
If I could offer up three bits of advice to anyone wanting a career in production it would be:
- Never take no for an answer
- Success is up to you
- Breathe