Oh, and if you are lucky, something they also remember.
What made you get into the industry? 📹
What I’ve always loved about visual production is the collaborative feeling attached to it. Like minded people, all pulling in the same direction towards a common goal: making something that affects the viewer.
This was something that I was thrown into at a young age after leaving college. Leading media productions for music festivals, TV ads and short documentaries all before I was 25. I couldn’t have asked for a better education in Ireland than a baptism of fire. I was essentially leading productions that were way above what my experience warranted, but these are projects that I hold the most affection for because of the people I learned from, the pieces we created together and the laughs we had when we were so clearly in over our heads. Somehow, we always got it done. Hint: by “somehow” I mean through a lot of work.
The best thing about being a producer? 🙌
The network. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some incredible visual professionals in my work, people that I aspire to learn from every day and try to teach them the tricks that I’ve learned along the way. You stay strongly connected with these people because you’ve created something together. It's the collaboration on a daily basis that is the most rewarding aspect of my job. It improves your technical capacity and gives you a trusted support network.
Speaking of awesome support networks...🌈
Which brings me nicely to... bunq! and my life here. What I’ve always loved about this company is the fast-paced nature & the autonomy of every role. You have the freedom to look at the brand, its targets and create campaigns yourself. No client, no back and forth, just you (and your amazing talent). One of the biggest adjustments I had here has been the pandemic - surprise, surprise. I arrived at bunq 6 months before the world turned upside down, and had gotten into a rhythm of work that was effective and progressing. Once the wave came, I had to fundamentally change the way I work and the idea of autonomy served me well during this. Be creative, think of workarounds, troubleshoot situations, all of which are short term and ever changing. The crooks of it are simple: the “how” in production doesn’t matter, the end will always justify the means, and bunq understands that.
Any advice for someone working in visual production or other creative industries? ✨
I would say: now, more than ever, pick up the damn camera. It’s so easy during these lockdowns to lose that creative spark or drive. But, that spark is what we need to keep going and producing, so make that tick-tock video, do a David Attenborough voice over of your cats morning routine or reenact “Pride and Prejudice” with teddy bears and inflatables. Do what you can to keep the spark alive and don’t worry about the repercussions. To quote the late great Gene Wilder “You always have another chance if you want it.”
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