Introducing… Jackaby, Executive Producer

Hi Jackaby! 

First of all, can you tell us a bit about your background? How did you get into video production?

I studied French at university which, as well as learning the language, meant that I could study French literature and cinema which helped increase my established interest in filmmaking.

Once I left university, I managed to land myself a trial week at The Edge Picture Company as a runner. In the end I was there for just over 8 years, working my way up from Runner to Associate Producer and then Post-Production Producer. The Edge is one of the leading corporate film companies with over 30 years of experience producing high quality films for some of the biggest brands.

I was lucky enough to work on a range of different projects for the likes of HSBC, PwC, Barclays, Energy Networks Association, Network Rail, Syngenta, Siemens and many more. I then had a short stint at RD Content working on a range of animated marketing campaigns and 3D animations.

What brought you to Creative Listening?

I was looking for a bit of a change, after working on films for some of the largest global companies for 9 years, I was looking for something that had a bit more positive purpose behind it. I stumbled across an advert for the Post-production Manager role at Creative Listening.

The type of work that CL were producing was really interesting to me and I could see real value in it. I spent a year of my degree as a language teaching assistant in France so felt like it was serendipitous to have the chance to be working on content to help teach English. 

What does your role at Creative Listening involve? What does being an executive producer mean?

As Executive Producer at Creative Listening, I oversee the running of most of our projects usually from pitch development to delivery. I work with the account managers (Gemma/Luke) to set a creative for a project and then put a plan into action that will achieve that goal.

I then work with clients to ensure that the projects run to schedule and produce an end result that everyone is happy with. Typically, I’ll set up a project and book in the team that will work on it and work out how that fits in around other work. Ultimately, I am responsible for the outcome and success of the project. 

What are some common problems you face in your role and how do you overcome them?

I think one of the most common problems, which is specifically only for ELT content, is navigating the interdependencies between the course book and the video/audio content. When things are being worked on in parallel there are always going to be interdependencies that can throw a schedule off course really quickly.

To a certain extent, it’s unavoidable but by having an open dialogue with the client and their teams working on the course we’re able to foresee issues before they become a problem and problem-solve anything together as a team. 

What is your favourite thing about working for Creative Listening?

I think one of my favourite things about working for Creative Listening are the relationships that we have as a company, whether that’s clients, crew or cast. I feel like we have a really strong robust relationship with everyone that we work with, meaning that we’re able to produce some exceptional work, even under time and budget constraints. It also means that the projects that we work on are eclectic, fun and enjoyable. 

Finally, do you have any reading/viewing/listening recommendations?

Viewing recommendations: Last One Laughing on Amazon Prime - putting 10 comedians in a room and telling them they aren’t allowed to laugh is probably one of the funniest things I’ve watched in a while. 

Reading recommendations: I recently read In Memoriam by Alice Winn, which was a heartwarming and heartbreaking look at the relationship between two men during the First World War. 

Thanks for taking part in our Q&A!