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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.

It’s never easy at the best of times filming in a supermarket; Tiring night shoots under a shrinking window of store closing hours and a long list of ‘must have’ shots and food close ups. Throw in Christmas dressing and snow effects – all of which need to have magically disappeared before dawn, and you really ramp things up.

Add to all of that the pressure of COVID-19 restrictions, with the need for endless checks, an even slower pace, and the safe management of crew, extras, production, and Morrison staff. So hat’s off to everybody who was involved in the making of the Morrison’s 2020 Christmas campaign – a fantastic example of when all the process comes together.

I am often asked my favourite part of a production; whether I love the thrill of the shoot (especially so when sod’s law or nature works against you), or the developmental stage as the creative idea unfolds during pre-production.

I have to say I love the shift when key people come on board – the director, the DOP, the set designer, or the location manager whose lateral thinking seems to peak most on the jobs with the shortest schedules, or when the budget dictates no overnight stays.

I also enjoy a healthy head to head with the 1st AD while we thrash out the best use of available shoot time, which provides an ironic smile when the weather works against what we both agreed was the best day for that pre-dawn call.

Above all, I love the challenges a production places on the budget once you are past the go ahead stage, forcing everyone to come up with solutions that will take the creative idea in different, and often even better direction.

Working with clients as a senior producer at the Central Office of Information meant I also gained the advantage of having an insight into the ‘other side’ of the process.

Understanding how the lack of transparency was causing frustrations on both sides and causing problems later on, it rewarded me with one of the most valuable assets on any job – have a solution ready up your sleeve that you can present in a way that suits all.

There is no greater experience than having stood on a set and the lead actor doesn’t turn up, or in the middle of a field when the tail-end of Hurricane Shazam hits an area of Wales that previously had enjoyed the best micro-climate in the UK, but its those challenges that often provide the best outcome.

Delivering a final edit to a happy client is a great feeling, but knowing that you got there by working as a team, with an equally happy crew and director, is the part of the job that leaves me feeling most satisfied.