Class of 1993
BA Hons Drama, Film & TV Combined with English Literature
IF YOU STUDIED YOUR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMME AT YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES, DID YOU GO ON TO POSTGRADUATE STUDY?
No
JOB:
ITV Production Manager
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN THIS PHOTO AS YOUR YSJ SNAPSHOT?
In my current role as Production Manager on Emmerdale for ITV.
WHAT ARE YOUR FONDEST MEMORIES OF YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY?
My fondest memories were all around the brilliant social life we had in York in those days. With 365 pubs in and around the centre of the city we had a venue for every day of the week! Coupled with the amazing social scene and many clubs created by our Student Union , there were societies and groups for every interest. I loved being President of The Film Society, even if it was for the free movies, cups of tea and biscuits. But the best part about the social side were the friends I made and still have to this day. We all shared a common love for the Arts and Film & TV in particular and it was through studying them and learning about production together that we formed life-long bonds and connections. Even today we still look back fondly on those days and the fantastic times we had together.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OF FOUNDER COLLEGES?
I had the choice of several Universities and/or colleges when I finished my A Levels. All were local (ish) to me and were far enough away to be an adventure, but not that far that I couldn’t nip home on a weekend to catch up with my family (and maybe get the laundry done at the same time). What made St John’s stand out for me particularly at that time was that out of all of these local choices, St John’s offered the most informal, relaxed but most interesting practical mix in the course I wanted to study. Plus of course it offered the choice of studying and living in the historic city of York, with all of the social opportunities I’ve already listed.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE COMPLETING YOUR STUDIES?
After I graduated from St Johns in 1993 I was very quickly pressured into getting a job as I’d been “having fun spending money and drinking for four years”! I started out as a Production Assistant making Television Programmes for Essex Police and very quickly became Producer of their award winning News Programme “Focus”. My first ambition and love though was Yorkshire Television and after many many attempts to get in the door, I finally got a job as a Runner on Emmerdale. In those early years I was then able to work my way quickly through the ranks in the Assistant Director’s Department, working on many genres and types of show, from Live News, Entertainment, Children’s Programmes, Sports, Events and of course TV Drama. This culminated in spending almost eight years on Heartbeat, a period drama set in the North York Moors, for which I worked on over 70 episodes. In 2009 Yorkshire Television was taken over by ITV and as such there were wholesale redundancies across the company (including me). Going freelance for several years as a 1st Assistant Director and Production Manager, I worked on several shows across the north of England, including Hollyoaks, Coronation Street and Emmerdale. Alongside this in 2010 I set up my own Corporate & Commercial TV Production Company- Candu Media. For the next 5 years we made many commercials and corporate videos for a number of commercial clients including Pets At Home, Morrisons, Robert Dyas and Goldsmiths. By 2015 we reluctantly took the choice to dissolve Candu Media due to the volatile nature of the commercial sector and I decided to leave the Film & TV industry. I worked for a local Charity called The Art House, where I became the Business & Operations Director for the organisation, which was a building hosting 35 studios for artists and practitioners who faced barriers to their practice through disability or ethnicity. Alongside this the organisation ran a programme of events, workshops and residentials to address this. Then in 2019 I received a call from an ex colleague at ITV Emmerdale who asked if I’d like to come back to work on the show as a 1st AD. After a great deal of soul-searching I agreed to return and shortly after doing so was made Production Manager. Today, along with my colleague we are in day to day charge of ensuring the production of around 300 episodes of Emmerdale every year, including managing the schedule, cast, crew and facilities to ensure everything is completed on time and on budget.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR SPECIFIC COURSE?
I had a passion for performing arts, film and television from a very young age. I knew that I wanted to study it at University, because I knew I wanted a career in Film & Television. So, having the chance to study Drama, Film & Television together in one course really appealed to me because I could cover so many areas and allow myself more time to learn about all of these broad-ranging aspects and then make a choice about which most appealed to me. Sadly at that time you were unable to choose a single subject exclusively and I was obliged to select a ‘minor’ area of study in English Literature. Fortunately though I was then able to keep this part of my studies to a minimum and this has now subsequently been removed as compulsory for today’s students.
WHAT WERE THE BEST FEATURES OF YOUR COURSE?
The best features of the course were the practical sessions and the ability to undertake theatre, film and television productions in and around the course modules we studied. Having the hands on experience and knowledge of making films, television programmes and theatrical productions gave me basic skills and experience, making me better prepared for the working world. Fortunately the balance of the courses at that time allowed us to focus on these areas outside of our studies too, as very often the coursework we undertook on a daily basis was focused on academic studies, which while they had their relevance, did nothing to teach you about how to become a programme, film or theatre practitioner.
WHAT ONE PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A CURRENT STUDENT, OR ONE ABOUT TO GRADUATE?
If you want it enough you will get there. Never ever give up, never be beaten back by rejection, disappointment and setbacks. They are a natural part of in particular working in my industry, but also industry sectors across the board. Don’t let those setbacks deter you from your lifelong passion. It took me TEN YEARS to go from wanting to work at Yorkshire Television to finally walking in the door as an employee. In all that time I never ever gave up hope and I had so many rejections from them in that time that I’ve lost count. Stay strong and believe in yourself- it’s worth it!