ALICE WASS
Exploring Media

Pete Ogden works at ITV as an Executive Producer for the show ‘Saturday Night Takeaway’. As my long term career goal is to be a Producer in either Radio or TV, I was thrilled to hear from Pete and gain insight into being a Producer.

 

Pete studied Communication, Culture and Media at Coventry University. Prior to this Pete had minimal knowledge about Media and no specific career goal. During his degree Pete discovered he loved video production, especially creating videos of dramas, kid’s TV and Art House pieces. This along with Pete’s passion for TV inspired him to work in the TV industry. Although Pete enjoyed his degree, with hindsight he would have preferred Media Production as creative work is more useful in industry than theory. I chose this Media and Communications degree to learn about theory and industry and consolidate my learning by producing creative pieces. This has increased my understanding of the media industry and equipped me with the skills to work in media.

 

Whilst at Coventry University, Pete and four others, set up the student radio station. Pete explained what an amazing experience this was and he discovered that creating content was easier than expected. As a current student member of the University Radio, I am benefitting from everything Pete set up. Student Radio is helping increase my confidence in my abilities and providing the opportunity to learn new skills.

 

After graduating Pete did two-weeks work experience at a TV Company in London. The job was with ‘Restaurants from Hell’ as an undercover researcher. Although Pete worked there for a year, he found the job unrewarding as it focused on miserable topics. He moved to ITV’s ‘This Morning’ as a Researcher, for four years. Pete has worked on: ‘Love Island’, ‘I’m a Celebrity’, ‘Big Brother’, ‘X-Factor’, ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, and ‘Saturday Night Takeaway’, in a variety of roles. Pete explained the order of career progression in TV as: Runner, Assistant Researcher, Researcher, Assistant Producer, Producer, Executive Producer. I spoke with Pete after his talk and he recommended I start looking for one-day runner positions on TV shows where extra help is needed. I had anticipated that with a degree and year-long placement I could bypass being a Runner, but Pete’s advice has enabled me to be realistic about my career progression.

 

Pete explained that Executive Producers are similar to Managing Directors of Companies, and need a wide range of skills. Pete stated that the most important skill is ‘knowing what our limits are’. I therefore took a test on Profiling for Success (MBTI), which highlighted my possible strengths and weaknesses. This raised my awareness of areas to improve, including: slowing down my work pace, making sure I explain ideas more simply to others, and being less directive, more understanding and compassionate. Pete also highlighted the value of, experience, PowerPoint skills, and enthusiasm. In addition to demonstrating understanding of the show I am interested in, I must explain my specific skills.  

 

Pete framed learning as paramount, so resolution is more important than mistakes. Through group projects at University I am improving my problem solving skills, and will focus on learning from these experiences. This links into Pete’s advice about not worrying and enjoying what I am doing.

 

Pete taught me a lot about the career I am aiming for and his story inspired me. I now have a better understanding of the TV industry, and I will remember Pete’s advice. I can be hard on myself when things go wrong and I will aim to focus on the bigger picture and learn from my experiences. It is easy to worry about not meeting my future career goals, especially when so many jobs need to be accomplished, however, Pete has motivated me to keep working hard to make it as a Producer.