The Independent Film Producer

Getting started
I did become an actress and started doing TV work from the age of about 15. I kept on acting until a few years after university. I decided I wasn’t really getting anywhere, and began to feel very frustrated about my lack of control. Then I met another actor, who was at film school and wanted to direct. He and a friend were planning to set up a film production company and they needed a producer. I had been helping out on various projects, getting production experience, and it seemed ideal to get involved. So I did!

Typical path?
There are all sorts of paths to becoming a producer. An ability to deal with anything is part of the job, so having a varied background can help. A common route is to come from script/drama development, starting as a reader then becoming a script editor and commissioner. There’s also the more practical route, where people get actual production experience on the job. I did a bit of both, as well as doing every kind of job under the sun as an out-of-work actress.

Skills and personality
Drive is a must. You’re the one that makes it happen, so you have to have that push, tenacity, resilience and patience to get there. Loving film is fundamental. Otherwise why would you put yourself through so much? Producing means you spend a lot of time on the phone and out and about, so it helps to really enjoy meeting and talking to people. You’ve also got to be persuasive, because you’ve got to get investors, distributors, writers, directors, cast and crew all on board and then keep them there. You have to be able to stay calm and solve problems. I find having a sense of humour and a (generally) sensible head helps a lot.