Case studies: Runner: George Riad

George graduated with a BSc in Environmental Science from the University of Leeds in 2010. He now works as a production runner for Objective Productions.

I got this position by sending my CV to everyone I thought might be able to help; it is very tough without knowing anybody in TV production. My CV ended up getting sent to the friend of a friend of a friend at the perfectly right time for some work experience. A recommendation from this led to my current paid position and I have been working here now for seven months with another four months on my contract left. I have also done a few days at the BBC and ITV. Having been successful so far in securing runner work, despite the irrelevance of my degree subject, shows that a creative industries related degree is by no means essential. I have found, however, that having any degree is better than none.

A typical working day in my current job involves helping everybody on the production, from other runners to producers and production managers. Duties vary from the standard, easy runner duties: making tea and coffee, filing, tidying, driving, etc, to logging, researching, chaperoning and coordinating. My role is very varied, which gives a good breadth of experience.

Some people are runners for years and some manage to prove themselves very quickly and become researchers quite soon. This is what I hope to do; I would ideally like to be a researcher by the end of this year. I feel I have the confidence and experience to do it but proving this in addition to the extensive competition makes it tough.

I find being a runner lots of fun and I also enjoy meeting a lot of new people. I get a great feeling of satisfaction seeing the final product of all my work. Giving 100% dedication can be challenging; sometimes you’ll just have to miss important social events and not have a break over the weekend. It might seem unfair at times too if other people around you aren't pulling their weight. But just grin and bear it, it usually gets noted. Working in this sector often involves a lot of freelance work, which can be good if you want to take a break to go travelling or something (although I haven’t got to enjoy the benefits of this yet). You also make some good friends and know people in all different parts of the sector.

I would advise other students and graduates who would like to get into this career to work hard and dedicate a lot of your time to the role if you want to succeed. You feel strange having to write a thank you email at the end of every job and sending your CV to the same person over and over again, but these things are simply polite and always get well received. Good luck!