Orlando Wood and Lee Pavey Talk Young Producers

Tomorrow evening (Thursday 6 March) a promising young group of hard-working agency producers (listed below) will gather in the Secret Garden Room at Shoreditch house, having earned a place at the table for Biscuit Filmworks and Electric Theatre Collective’s Young Producers Dinner.

An annual event set up to recognise and reward the talent, chosen by their respective heads of production, the dinner also provides a chance for them to meet and interact with their esteemed industry peers in what has been a successful and enjoyable night of networking since its inception in 2011.

With memories of their own careers paths and of starting in London with Biscuit and Electric Theatre Collective respectively within the past few years, EP Orlando Wood and producer Lee Pavey know all about what it means to have your work and effort noticed.

Below the pair tells us more about tomorrow’s annual get-together, including how it came about, what the producers can expect to take away from the night and about their hopes for the future of the scheme.

Tell us a bit about the Young Producers Dinner?

OW: The Young Producers Dinner is an opportunity for us to recognise assistants and junior producers who have contributed significantly to their production departments over the last year. PA's and young producers work incredibly hard to learn, deliver work, and make names for themselves all the while working late and working weekends for very little money. We thought that this would be a nice opportunity for us to recognise them and take them out for a nice dinner.

In addition to that, we think it’s important that these producers get to know each other. Lee and I met when I was an assistant at W+K Amsterdam and he was a junior producer at The Mill. We have grown up together in this industry and relied on each other for help throughout our careers. That’s another important function of the dinner. Producers are only as good as the people they can rely on for advice. It’s important to ask questions of your peers and hopefully it’s an opportunity for these producers to meet and get to know one another. Who knows, maybe they will end up meeting someone who helps define their career.

Why did you decide to start the scheme and how was the idea conceived?

OW: It started when Lee and I started our companies. We were brand new and trying to get people to pay attention to the work we were doing. Very simply, we said that it felt like when we were young producers; working very hard without knowing if anyone was noticing.

LP: Over my entire career, I’ve always tried to work with and support young talent like directors and creatives but it seemed that young agency producers were, at times, the unsung heroes of the production, putting in long hours to support the rest of the team.

When we started Electric Theatre, we wanted it to be a company that helped and promoted emerging talent. So after many conversations with Orlando it seemed like a natural fit so we decided to partner up and the Young Producers Dinner was born.

How is the scheme judged and what do you look for when assessing the talent?

OW: We ask the heads of production at various agencies who has worked extra hard or demonstrated added commitment over the past year. They suggest someone and then we get in touch and take them to dinner. So, we don’t have any role in assessing the talent. We, of course, look at their work and familiarise ourselves with it as a way to get to know the producers better, but the responsibility for picking the invitees to the dinner rests solely with the heads of production.

LP: The producers are picked by their own head of TV, which for me is one of the nicest parts of the event. This way, we are rewarding individuals that each head of TV wishes to say thank you to, for putting in the hours and going that extra mile over the past 12 months.

What can you tell us about this year’s crop of talent compared to previous years?

OW: There’s very little difference, really… They’re all highly motivated, smart people who care about good production and making good work. That’s what’s great about this event; it brings these like-minded people together. I will say that there’s a lot of work they’ve done that makes me very jealous. A lot of work that I wish I had worked on and it shows what a high standard of production these guys are learning. There are fantastic campaigns for Blackberry, Vodafone, O2, Credit Suisse, Baileys, Talk Talk, Lloyds, Three and Coca-Cola. They range from big budget to low budget. They encompass event production, documentary production, animation and big-budget work, all expertly produced.

LP: Every year I’m amazed by the quality of young producer talent at the agencies. Last year’s group were an incredible bunch and I look forward to meeting this year’s producers.

How have the previous dinners gone and what happens at the event?

OW: They have been great. The first year, we did it around Christmas, but had very little turn out. What we noticed is that the assistants and junior producers are the ones most likely to be on “playout duty”, sitting in post houses and versioning the last-minute ads that need to go out before Christmas. So, we moved the dinner to the New Year. It’s always a very nice, but very relaxed atmosphere for everyone to have some fun and blow off some steam.

LP: In past years, the dinner has always started out very civilised, with everyone on best behaviour as they get to know each other. Then further into the evening, as the drinks flow and people chat about what they have been working on and their story into the industry, it’s like everyone has known each other for years.

How important is it for the industry to champion and nurture good emerging talent?

OW: Vital, especially with producers. But it’s seldom the case that anyone takes the time to recognise and nurture production talent. There are many venues to recognise creative and account people who are coming into their own, but not with production.

As production changes constantly, it’s important to motivate young talent and help them grow their contact base to ensure they’re as tapped in as possible to new technologies, new ways of working. Increasingly, producers are being asked to know about more than just traditional TV advertising. They need to be versed in digital, event planning, technology creation, and entertainment/content production.

LP: It’s vital. Our business model here in the UK is really unique and the way we consistently produce amazing talent is testament to this. Also in times of austerity when bonuses and pay rises are few and far between, events like the Young Producers Dinner mean even more.

And do Biscuit and Electric Theatre help or guide the talent in any way?

OW: We make it clear to all the producers we meet that we’re more than happy to help in any way we can. We don’t have a specific mechanism for guiding the talent, but the relationships we’ve created at the dinner lead to the producers feeling comfortable asking us questions they may not normally ask. We have stayed in touch with producers from previous years and I often get calls from them just to ask questions about the way they should approach a project. Even when it’s not something we can or would get involved in. That’s the most important production skill – knowing what it is you don’t know, and asking for help and advice.

LP: We hold regular VFX workshops so producers can get to know a bit more about what we do. We know how baffling it can be walking into a visual effects house, so the more we show and teach people about VFX, the more they understand about the process and how much time and work goes into each aspect.

What are your hopes for the Young Producers Dinner in the future?

OW: Very honestly, I just hope it can stay as nice, fun and enjoyable as it currently is. If it does grow, then I would love to start including producers from other markets. The thing we most want to preserve is this event as a venue to recognise young, talented producers. Perhaps we could have a more educational component of it. The wonderful thing about our job is that it’s always different and there’s always something to learn, it would be a thrill to contribute to the education of emerging talent.

LP: We hope that agencies continue to send their brightest talent and that the young producers are pushing to be selected. Long term, I would hope that when we look back in 10 years time at the producers who attended the first event, a few have become heads of TV.

What advice would you give to young hopeful producers looking to make an impact in their field?

OW: Stay inquisitive and don’t be afraid to do things differently. The best ideas in advertising haven’t been seen before, so if you want to make a mark, be prepared to change the way you approach your job.

LP: Work hard, be nice and don’t be afraid to ask for advice from people you are working with.

The young producers invited to this year's dinner are as follows:

Adam Henderson, Chi

Andy Roberts, Ogilvy

Ashling McGrath, Publicis

Catharine Griffiths, Beattie McGuinness Bungay

Charlotte Jude, JWT

Darapen Vongsa-nga, Saatchi & Saatchi

Emily Rudge, Wieden+Kennedy

Hannah Needham, WCRS

Jemima Bowers, BBH

Jen Gillen, Grey