Rosie. Junior TV Producer - Advertising

Rosie is a twenty-four-year old Junior TV Producer from Cobham. She has been in the Advertising Industry for nearly two years.

How did you get into your field? What inspired you?

‘When I was growing up I was always fascinated by adverts and television programs. Most people hate ads, but they drew me in and I was so eager to understand more about how they help create a brand and iconography that people adore or loath, or aspire to attain.’

What did you study at school and university and did this help you get into your field?

‘I studied art, business studies and geography in sixth form. This is where my passion for creativity in business and its interaction really flourished. I then went on to study Business Management at Nottingham University where I specialised in marketing orientated courses.’

Do you recommend any particular studies, courses or degrees for your field?

‘Advertising is a tricky one, there are few unis with courses that specialise in it, but from my experience the course you do doesn’t necessarily matter unless you want to be on the creative frontline of things for example a director, editor or creative - for those roles, more specific creative training and portfolio building is required.’

‘To be a producer you simply have to demonstrate a good understanding of taking in information and turning that into an action to make something happen. Social interaction and project management is key. From my experience the majority of producers studied Business, Geography or English and a lot more never went to uni - they simply worked their way up and gained hands-on experience over the years. It’s an industry highly focused around networking, if people like you and you show passion you’re half-way there.’

What does an average day look like in your role?

‘My day to day includes briefings with account teams on new ads, then liaising with the creative team to see what they want to achieve from their script. Constant communication with production companies to find the appropriate director for a job who will bring the script to life. Budgeting that job, finding an awesome editor, then post house or VFX studio to pull together all the content we shoot. As well as lots of sound sessions across radio and TV adverts. You basically interact with every person in the creative process, have to manage expectations and keep things ticking along. Budget and time management is key, as well as keeping everyone happy and everyone’s input heard.’

What is the best part of your role?

‘All the amazing people I meet. Whatever your role is in the Advertising Industry everyone has such a passion for creativity and you’re constantly interacting and building relationships within the network. There’s equally so much to learn as the world of advertising keeps evolving e.g. trends and issues around stereotypes. It’s a very exciting time and even for a beginner, there’s no wrong question - every day is a new challenge, a different project or new potential.’

What is the worst part of your role?

‘While this huge network is great it’s also challenging keeping everyone happy and on track. People can have differing opinions, clients can push back - it’s a fine balance between creativity and hitting targets. As a result it can be a very high pressure role during campaigns. There’s a booked air date and you cannot switch off from the project until you’ve hit this. Which can often mean working out of hours, or over weekends when it’s crunch time. Your heart’s got to be in it to be willing to do that.’

‘While it’s a brilliant industry full of life, it can also be a very emotional one as you take a huge pride in what you are producing, when things go wrong you have to keep a smile, reassure everyone and fix it.’

How important is work/life balance to you and how much spare time do you have?

‘Despite what I said above there are weeks when the work/life balance is great. A lot of the role is interactive so you never feel alone, half the job itself is socialising. But equally there are weeks where you’ll feel over stretched - as a producer you are often the key driving cog keeping everything going so there’s no option to just stop as the whole production will stop.’

‘Having a great team of fellow producers to help motivate you at this time is crucial. I’m extremely lucky to have an amazing TV family at my company. Any day good or bad, I can go to them and we all support each other, make each other laugh, and give honest opinions on tricky decisions. I also have a great group of friends outside of work which makes that down time feel even more special.’

Do you have any hobbies?

‘I did when I was younger, sadly I’ve become very stereotypical! I like to go to the gym, go on long walks, read a good book on holiday, and go to the pub with friends in my spare time! A new thing I’m enjoying more is a bit of cooking.’

Do you have any advice for people looking to start a career in the same field?

‘Never be scared to approach anyone or ask any question even if you think it shows you have no experience. Although I got a uni degree I didn’t get into my company on a grad scheme, instead I started on reception. I got to know the company, how it worked, it’s culture, it’s clients, I made an effort to meet people, and was super eager to do work experience when I could with the TV department. After 6 months people in the team got to really like me, I built personal relationships with producers - they saw first hand my interest, honesty and passion to learn. And that’s how an opportunity to move to the team opened up. In advertising there’s no quick way to the top, it’s your ability to interact, engage with people and demonstrate that you are willing to put in the work that will get you far.’

Have you ever experienced any uncertainties about your career? What did you do to overcome them?

‘Advertising Production is a slow burner. I’ve had uncertainties looking at my friends’ career progression in other industries, how quickly they’ve been promoted, received pay rises etc. And in in my role that doesn’t happen so quickly. On bad days I can hate the process and question my passion, but for every bad day I have there’s double the amount of good days which remind me I’m so much happier doing this job - project based, creative, interacting with people, in and ever-changing, ever-challenging world. Sometimes it is that unknown that excites you and drives you to love what you do. Ads are always going to be a thing and I take a huge pride in seeing our ads on TV. The effect they have on people is huge. I take pride in being a part of that and the opportunities for advertising in the future.’

Who is your biggest female inspiration and why?

‘I find it hard to pick out one female. For me it’s not so much the big names, it’s the day to day women I see, smashing their goals and passions - through trial and error and in spite of good or bad projects, never giving up on their dreams!’

‘Finding what you love and want to do is no easy business. It can take people years to work it out! Don’t rush yourself of feel any pressure to settle for a job.’

‘For me the biggest female inspiration is the woman who looks forward to her Monday (as much as you can I mean we’re all human), and regardless of any financial incentive, goes to work because she enjoys it. That is a woman who is winning at life. You always come first, and you should be in a job which helps your grow and achieve your own targets as much as you can help it!’