Take us back to the beginning of your career. What first attracted you to the world of film and production?
What first attracted me to video production was the idea that every project starts with a blank canvas. It was a field I'd never really worked in before, which made it incredibly exciting. I studied Interactive Multimedia, where I had the opportunity to explore graphic design, web design, video production and animation, giving me a taste of several creative disciplines.
Everything really clicked when I secured a three-month placement with a local video production company. From the very beginning, I loved the variety of the work. Every day brought something new to learn, whether it was developing technical skills, exploring different creative approaches or working on a completely different type of project.
One of the things I enjoy most about the industry is the people. I've had the chance to work alongside individuals from all walks of life, each with their own unique stories and perspectives. Spending weekends creating short films and collaborating with like-minded creatives only strengthened my passion for storytelling.
That early experience sparked a genuine obsession with learning. Ever since, I've been driven by the desire to improve my craft, challenge myself creatively and continue finding new ways to tell stories through video.
Looking back on your career so far, is there a particular project or moment that stands out as a defining experience?
I've been working in the video industry for the last 14 years, and when I think about the one moment that stands out as the defining point of my career so far, it would have to be deciding to go out and work for myself for a few years.
I'd worked for a video production company for around four years, and it was fantastic, but I felt like I needed to spread my wings and try going out on my own.
While my time at the production company taught me a great deal about being an editor and camera operator, working for myself gave me the experience of developing a project from the very beginning. That meant sitting down with a client over a coffee, understanding what they needed, coming up with a concept together, working collaboratively, and then executing and delivering the final piece.
That experience was invaluable to me.
How has your role evolved from when you first started to now leading productions as Head of Film?
Working freelance was a fantastic experience, but I really started to crave that team dynamic. When the opportunity for the Head of Film rule came up, I again jumped at the chance. I felt that it gave me that, again perfect balance of what I had experienced as a freelancer, in terms of working directly with clients, coming up with the initial concepts and sort of dictating the direction of where the videos would go, what it would look like, how it would be best served for the client and their needs.
With the Head of Film role, it also means there's a lot more responsibility on me as a leader. I've really enjoyed growing into that role where I have to set a positive example for the team and also develop and help develop the people around me, and I've really enjoyed that. I've really enjoyed seeing the team members around me get better, enjoy their jobs, and now that I have that, I am just really thankful
How do you approach stories that require a high degree of empathy and care?
I've been really lucky to have had extensive experience working with charity organisations, educational institutes and the healthcare sector. And with that comes a lot of sensitive subject matters and it's really important that we deal with that with empathy and care. And that is developed over time with experience,
And I think that's what I'm most passionate about in this job, is giving people the confidence and the time and the space to tell their stories and make a positive impact on their lives and the world around us.
As Head of Film at Whitenoise, what are the key values you bring to every project?
As the Head of Film, the values that I implement are really important because they filter down the team that we have. I genuinely care about the work that we produce, and teamwork is such a vital part of that. We're all working towards the same goal. There are probably three key values that I hold higher above anything else. The first of those values is quality.
I set the standards and the quality of the video team, and it's extremely important that we hit them every single time. It's what our clients expect and it's why they keep coming back to us. The second and third values are reliability and teamwork. Both kind of come hand in hand. Reliability and teamwork in terms of within Whitenoise so that we all can rely on each other and I truly believe we can and it gives us that confidence to do our best work. And again, the teamwork of we have each other's back. But that extends to our clients as well. When we begin working with a new client, or if we're working with an existing client that we've had for 20 years, we really believe in the story you're trying to tell or the service you're trying to promote.
And our approach to video production and those values that we have help us achieve that.
What advice would you give to someone looking to build a career in film production?
The advice that I would give to somebody looking to start a career in the video production industry is get out there and get experience. This is an industry where networking and experience and learning new things, it will get you far. Whether you're a student coming out of university or somebody who wants a career change is to get out there and do it.
I know that seems really simple and rudimentary, but that is the best experience for this industry. That could look like doing a documentary on a family member. Or it could be going on to the likes of Media Therapy Group on Facebook, where you can meet like minded people, get on there and ask questions and make mistakes and learn on the job.
That is the best method for learning in this industry. And if you're a good person and if you listen and you're willing to put the work in, you'll go for.
