Lucy Anderson is the Operations Manager and Producer at &Friends. She has been with the team since the early stages of the company and has over 10 years of experience in the field. She has worked on all aspects of production from small online content to animated Netflix series, branded documentaries and TVCs.
What first attracted you to production – and has it been an industry you’ve always worked in or did you come to it from another area?
I always loved photography growing up but decided it was more of a hobby and wasn’t interested in photography as a career. For this reason, I later found myself in production.
What was your first role in the production world and how did this experience influence how you think about production now?
My first role in the production world was working on the client side as a sample assistant. I used to get to go on shoots and I got so excited by them!
How did you learn to be a producer?
I was trained by the many talented producers that I worked with.
Looking back to the beginning of your career, can you tell us about a production you were involved in where you really had to dig deep and that really helped you to grow as a producer? I think every job I do helps me grow as a producer but getting thrown into the deep end definitely accelerates this growth.
A good producer should be able to produce for any medium, from film to events to digital experience. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why/why not? I think the skill for all these mediums is the same however to be a good producer lots of it comes with experience, each shoot I produce I learn something new which I can take to the next shoot with me, and when I produced my first shoot I had been a production runner learning how to do the job. If I were to produce an event I wouldn’t know all the finer details or what the ‘watchouts’ were – it probably wouldn’t go so well.
What’s your favourite thing about production and why? I love it when everything finally comes together– you feel this big sense of achievement and satisfaction.
How has production changed since you started your career? The lead time from project sign-off to shoot has been reduced and everything is needed yesterday.
And what has stayed the same? The fun of the job and working with so many talented people
What do you think is the key to being an effective producer – and is it something that’s innate or something that can be learned? Well organized, a quick problem solver and calm. It’s a mixture.
As a producer your brain must have a neverending “to do” list. How do you switch off? What do you do to relax? Exercise is the best way for me to de-stress and switch off
What’s the key to a successful production-client relationship? Have fun and make sure you listen to what the client wants!
