Case studies: Video production manager: Dave

Dave undertook a HND in Professional Broadcasting. He works for a production company set up to cater for event and corporate filming...

Knowing that working in a shop or an office was not going to tick any boxes, I fed my interest in technical things, including lighting, sound and more recently video.

Through contacting employers and offering my services, I was able to gain work experience during my school holidays. This allowed me to build up the names on my CV. So by the time I reached 16 I was assisting with the rigging and lighting of a range of events from the Ministry of Sound tent at Bug Jam festival, to major corporate events at venues including Wembley Conference Centre and Earls Court.

Next I secured a work placement and part-time work at BBC Essex and, after a week in news with BBC Look East, including studio and ENG (single camera - electronic news gathering) I had the bug for live television. During a two-week placement with LNN (London News Network) I took advice from one of the operators to join a technical-based course at Ravensbourne College. After my A levels, I began a HND in Professional Broadcasting and continued to freelance at the London Studios for SM:TV and CD:UK.

The HND course in technical operations is very focused on providing the skills required to enter the industry. It covered all aspects of technical television production. There were also a lot of lecturers and visitors who worked in broadcasting who offered valuable advice.

This course was vital for not only the experience and the qualification but the contacts. Many broadcast operations and production members from the main channels will have been to, or know someone from Ravensbourne.

After my HND I was successful in gaining the role of technical operator for QVC (the shopping channel). Within three years I had moved to senior technical operator and was responsible for the operation of transmission, cameras, vision engineering, lighting and sound, as well as overseeing a team of staff who also operated in these areas.

Smyle Productions, a production company set up to cater for event and corporate filming, head hunted me to manage their new video department. Now, I manage, produce and direct content for our clients who include many worldwide, multinational companies.

Even if you have all the qualifications you need by the time you leave college or university, you are still a trainee and it is important to keep this in mind. Be keen, always smile, be reliable and someone who can be trusted.

Experience helps a lot but while you are still learning contact as many companies as you can. Offer to work for a day to assist even if it is for free as it should pay dividends in the end. Be prepared to make the tea. Positions as a runner or assistant are often low or non paid but it is here that you can make an impression and take advantage of your inside knowledge to get that break. Learning new techniques and practices never stops, so be prepared to keep training.

Typical roles include:

• the day-to-day running of the department;
• budgets; both what to spend on equipment and what is coming into the department from jobs;
• managing deadlines for shoots and edits;
• sourcing and purchasing new kit for specialist or new techniques that can be employed into our events and projects;
• making sure kit and crew are available and booked for each of the projects;
• managing crews while on location;
• interpreting the briefs submitted by clients and preparing the treatment, storyboard, shotlists and creative elements.

The long hours are gruelling because if a job needs finishing, it's usually me who will stay to make sure it gets done. The most enjoyable aspect of this work is the variety of projects I'm involved with, from interviewing a CEO of a multinational company in London, to filming a festival in a field or travelling abroad filming. Also, when working abroad, our scheduling has flexibility, allowing me to stay another day or two to see the sights.

My career vision is to grow the department and to employ more full-time staff in a variety of roles, with the aim to pursue bigger and better clients and events.