Some of the most rewarding projects I’ve worked on were as client services producer at the Central Office of Information, a sadly demised, brilliant working model which constantly won awards, while working as a non-profit making organisation.
The TV and Moving Image department (who were responsible for all the wonderful, archived films now stored at the BFI) was broken up by the then incoming government of David Cameron, and I fully believe a cost comparison – with work now spread amongst pitching agencies mainly in central London, would make people’s eyes water. I for one would love to see the results.
What was a hugely satisfying part of the job was being responsible for increasing the transparency that existed between agency, production company and client – which in this case could have been Road Traffic Safety, NHS (Anti Smoking/Obesity/HPV jabs), or DirectGov (where I met and still work with one of my most favourite and long standing clients). As a result, the whole process became a far more enjoyable and collaborative experience for everyone, one which I aim to still bring to every job I work on.
Explaining to clients on a shoot day what a Grip does, or why it takes an hour to prep and light a reverse angle of a shot, opens up and results in interesting and easy conversation, while also emphasising the all important understanding that the knowledge only works when combined with hard-earned experience.
The COI also attracted the enthusiasm of many top directors for a number of reasons, not least of all the incredibly emotive and impactful subjects (who can forget the award winning anti-smoking or road traffic safety ads), as well as the fact – as one director put it, there was no ‘pack shot’ i.e. the ad within the ad. I reached out to many directors who agreed to come on board, including Peter Cattaneo who directed The Full Monty, and Steve Bendelack/Spitting Image/League of Gentleman/Mr Bean’s Holiday, who commented on one of the projects we worked on together that it would help get him to the pearly gates…
Not least of all, having produced for many directors in pretty much all filming situations, it provided me with another, incredibly important point of view; that of the client and the marketeers who were also generous in the experience they shared with me.
When I was later offered my third curveball role, heading up a dedicated TV department for a large global brand at a well know ad agency, I was once again able to combine all my experience, although ironically I soon learned the boundaries within one of the biggest agency groups in the world were some of the most limited I’d come across.