Inside Story - TV Producer



Darren

Age Range
26-35

Countries of Work
UK

Study and Career History
Film and Television course, Southend College BTEC, Southend College Live TV The Big Breakfast (Assistant Producer) Live with Chris Moyles (Producer) Currently: Live with Christian O'Connell (Producer).

How long have you been doing the job?
8 years

Did you decide on your career path or did it all happen by accident?
I knew I never wanted a 'normal' job. After school I thought, 'Well I can either go and do a normal job in the city like my friends or I can do what I really want to do which is media."

How did you get your "Glamour Job" ?
I just got really lucky. I met this girl I was at college with who got me some work experience on Live TV and it went from there.

What does the job involve?
I do roughly 12 to 14 hours every day. I do either 2 or 3 shows a week which doesn't look a lot when you look at it on television but the amount of crossing the t's and dotting the i's that you have to do, because we have to follow the ITC guidelines. We can be as crazy and as mad as we want but it's all got to be legal, moral code, professional. We can't offend people and we have to be non-biased and non-political.

Describe a typical day at work.
Apart from everything mentioned above, we also have to write all the gags and read the papers for the latest topical issues. The show has a very quick turnaround so we don't have much time. Some jokes go down really well and others don't. There's also location filming and competitions that need to be organised.

What do you like most about the job?
The excitement and the people. Also the adrenalin.

What don’t you like about your job – if anything?
The hours. Also, friends from home can become different with you. They think you're being boastful and going on an ego trip when you tell them what you did at work that day but that's really what happened! You have to keep your feet on the ground.

During your teenage years did you have much vocational guidance from school, university, family or friends? What was your biggest influence?
My dad took me to the Saturday morning pictures when I was 10 or 11 years old and I just thought, "Well that looks fun, that's the job for me." When I was at school I wanted to be a graphic designer or comic artist and made about £20 designing and producing around 7 issues of my own comic strip to sell.

If you took end of school examinations did you get exam results you were happy with from your education?
I took my GCSEs but was unhappy with the results, I felt as though I'd messed them up. It didn't make a difference anyway, none of the positions I've gone for have ever asked me about my qualifications.

Do you think that what you studied in school or in your further education was right for the career you are in now? Any regrets?
I did a 2 year BTEC at Southend College and you got to produce your own TV show once a week so that was fantastic.

Have you taken further studies since leaving secondary or tertiary school. If yes, what did you study and why did you decide you needed more qualifications?
I did a BTEC in Film and Television and a BTEC in European Studies. I also took GCSEs at college in Media and Communications. As well as enjoying these subjects, I hoped the extra qualifications would help me to get a job. At first I wanted to be a comic artist but then I found that the pay is terrible unless you're absolutely amazing.

What was your first job?
When I was 15 I got a job as a runner on the Creature Comforts adverts, the ads with the Nick Park plasticine characters. My first full-time job was when I was 18 and I went to work at Live TV. I was news assistant to Richard Bacon.

What has been your most bizarre or challenging job to date?
I had been working at Live TV for two months when they got me involved in a stunt outside parliament. I was dressed up as Prince Charles, a friend was dressed as a rabbit and Richard Bacon (Blue Peter, the Big Breakfast) was dressed as a reporter. The idea was, we'd jump in front of the Queen's carriage, stop the carriage and basically get thousands of pounds of free publicity for the channel. However, all the police snipers were up on the roof and saw us do it and immediately we were surrounded, pinned down before we got anywhere near. We had to write a formal apology to Buckingham Palace and the Queen, a formal apology to parliament and a formal apology to a guy called Black Rod. As a result of the stunt, I was banned from parliament.

What is your ultimate goal.... is this it, or do you have a pinnacle you have yet to reach?
To retire at thirty-five to get a break from all the stress! I'd like to go to Australia and become a scuba diving instructor. Also perhaps I'd like to have my own production company one day and make documentaries.

What are your top tips for personal success?
Get in there and learn as much as you can, as quickly as you can and meet as many people as possible. Work evenings and weekends. Make sure people know you are reliable. If they ring up and say there's an emergency, make sure they know you will get on the plane at 2am and fly to Scotland. Be reliable, chase the work. Sometimes people see me in a pub and when they find out I'm a producer they give me their CV, and I'm impressed by that. Also, try to get into terrestrial television. It's very easy to get pigeon holed in this industry. If you go to Channel 756 on satellite that no-one's ever heard of, you'll never be taken seriously by the big 5 channels. It can be a snobbish business.

Any comments?
I find the bigger the celebrity, the more relaxed they are. We had John Malkovich on the Big Breakfast once and he was settling down, making cups of tea for everyone. The problem we get is people that have just made it and it can rush to their heads. They're sometimes arrogant and demanding and you just think, "You're gonna last about two minutes mate," but most stars are really cool. I have the Big Breakfast bird table in my front garden as a memento of the great time I had there. It's signed by Matthew Modine and Johnny Vaughan.

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