You started your career in Australia before moving to New Zealand and then the UK - an unusual and fascinating arc. What drew you across those different production landscapes, and what has working in different countries taught you about how productions operate differently around the world?
As a child I was always drawn to Australia and a little later in life to New Zealand so a few friends and I planned on spending a year in each country then head back to the UK. Twenty plus years later and I unexpectedly found myself back in the UK, having attended two different films schools in Australia with a whole range of differing production experiences.
One film school was very creative which gave me great narrative / storytelling insight into my career, and the other was more Industry facing. This led to my first onset credits; I slowly built up experience in the AD and Art dept on various different shows around Sydney, working on everything that came along, from Music Videos and Short films to TV series and tent pole feature films. I look back at this as a real foundational and grounding experience. I learnt the value of saying yes to projects. As I look back, I've learnt something vital about the craft of filmmaking from each experience, and that there's no prescribed approach to making Film and TV.
After a good run on shows in Australia, I was drawn to learn more about the storytelling aspect, which I consider New Zealand Film Makers to be some of the best in the world. Growing up I loved Whale Rider and later Boy by Taika Waititi, and Jane Campion's show Top of the Lake. So, I decided to made New Zealand home for a bunch of years. It was such a good decision to have made, as the type of Storytelling there is quite unique. I had the chance to work with some great casts and crews including and a career highlight, shooting in the mountains of the South Island on Mission Impossible: Fallout, which is possibly one of the only places in the world the Helicopters could fly through ravines and under bridges.
Working across these different countries and also in Europe and Africa has taught me there is no substitute for local knowledge.
Your credits span some genuinely iconic productions - Mission Impossible: Fallout, Mulan, Black Widow and Thirteen Lives among them. Looking back across those early years, was there a particular production that felt like a turning point - and what did it teach you about the craft of production coordination?
There is no particular production per se. Looking back, I see a lot of smaller turning points which all related and showed me I was capable in more junior roles, which then led to opportunities to step up later on, into roles with more responsibility. I know it's often said, but being in the right place at the right time is also a factor that I don’t think can be overlooked.
One particular experience that comes to the forefront of my mind is the generosity of an Australian Production Designer. They had come to the UK and were unable to break in here. They hired me for my first contracted run of show job. He was reluctant to hire someone from the UK after his experiences here, and I am grateful that he took a chance on me. It was a turning point for me that led to a run of work on shows Including Mission Impossible experience. He has subsequently gone to design some very big shows including a Spielberg series, so his career has worked out well in the end!
I was motivated to do the best job possible for him, considering as he’d taken a chance on me, and I learnt a lot about working in a team. The team supported each other in their growth and development specific to the stage that they were at.
All of these experiences were only possible because someone gave me a chance to step-up into a role with greater complexity and responsibility. I am conscious of how beneficial it was to my growth. I think allowing people to take on as much responsibility as possible, even in their junior roles is beneficial to the craft as a whole.
You’ve built an impressive run of credits as Production Coordinator across productions including His Dark Materials Series 3, Industry Series 3 and Grace Series 3 - a real mix of prestige drama and genre television. How has your approach to the role evolved across those very different productions - and do you find that returning to a series changes the dynamic?
Thank you, yes I feel the combination of early career AD work and Art Dept experience allows me to speak with most departments from a place of understanding. I understand what is being asked for and why, allows me to act as translator for individual department needs, especially when working in the Production Coordinator role.
I think a key point of evolution has been to help nurture relationships early on in prep, so the shorthand is there for the busy shoot days and often long nights. This can help negate stressful pinch points in production. Returning to a series can build on these relationships and existing shorthand. I've learnt that even though you might be returning to a set or existing cast/crew, it's often better to treat a returning series as a whole new entity. It makes the experience fresh for all involved and whatever emerges creatively from the series, is not tied to expectations from the past series.
You began stepping up to Production Manager on A Pale View of Hills for Number 9 Films back in 2024 - a significant moment in any coordinator’s career. What did that step up feel like from the inside, and what surprised you most about the responsibilities that came with it?
I did, and I felt ready. A big thank you to Ben Greenacre for appointing me in the role and backing me to make the step-up. I had been taking on number of roles and responsibilities similar to Production Manager before this opportunity presented itself, and it felt good to be across all elements of the PM role on this one. It was a beautiful project to work on, with an amazing creative team from Japan; expertly guided by the team at Number 9. Stephen Wooley and Elizabeth Karlsen have made some of the best Independent films in the UK and you cant help learn about the craft by being around them. The thing that surprised me the most was how much budget we had to allocate to get a spider on set! I`ll leave it at that.
You’re someone who clearly takes your professional development seriously - attending Production Guild events, masterclasses and training sessions regularly. What does that commitment to continuous learning mean to you, and what has Guild membership specifically given you that you couldn’t have got elsewhere?
Yes, I learnt so much at Film School and really value that part of my life so I see professional development and events an extension of this. Having spent most of my adult life overseas the chance to meet people and make and build relationships in the UK, is a priority to me. It is great to attend sessions with other Production Coordinators / Managers and hear their current experiences. It's good to find out some of the challenges that are being experienced across multiple projects, hopefully these meetings lead to finding solutions to common problems. There's rarely time to do this on projects where there is a single PC or PM on a project. Its good to compare notes! The ability to meet people in person and reconnect with people from previous projects through Production Guild events is something I don’t believe I could've got elsewhere.
Production coordination requires you to be across everything simultaneously - schedules, crew, logistics, communication - while remaining calm and invisible. Now that you’re moving into production management, how does the mindset need to shift - and what do you think makes the difference between a good coordinator and a great Production Manager?
Delegation is the first word that springs to mind and then navigating the thin line between perfectionism and good enough. With the whole crew having visibility on the Production Coordinator's work, part of the skillset is to double and triple check information and documents before they go out to cast and crew. So far I have noticed that the Production Manager role is not always afforded enough time to do that! So precision, honing and good instincts come more to the fore here. My experience with the PM role thus far is that the role requires me to be across everything simultaneously - schedules, crew, logistics, communication - while remaining calm and a lot more visible.
I am enjoying having more direct interaction with crew, learning about some pieces of kit that I’ve not come across before, staying on top of what kit is being asked for, and why, so the right decision is made for the production, creatively and on budget. Ultimately the great PM’s I have worked with all value relationships first and foremost and I see this as the key point to keep in mind for the future.
You have a credit as Set Dec Coordinator on Mission Impossible: Fallout as well as production office credits across both studio blockbusters and intimate drama. How has that breadth of experience across different departments and scales shaped the way you think about production - and do you think it gives you an edge?
Yes, this was a role that grew from some initial research of what could be sourced in New Zealand and what had to be shipped in from overseas. We were effectively building a fully functional Medicines San Frontier style encampment, so tents were sent from Belgium, set-dressing from the UK and ornate frontages for the houses from India.
All of this had to be coordinated and then distributed approximately and hour and a half from base, to two mountain locations in Winter. This role then morphed into leadman / set dresser role and then on wrap the sets were sent back to the UK for interior shoots. What I learnt on this project is the advantages of adapting with the needs of the production and having the capabilities and flexibility to do so. I tend to adopt this approach to productions of all scales and encourage the team around me to do the same. Flexible, nimble and agile are all buzzwords you read about but not often taught. I'm grateful to have had the experiences to have learnt the firsthand on some of the biggest and fast moving shows of recent years and I think the confidence and proven capability of being able to work at this level gives me an edge.
On a lighter note – what’s your non-negotiable on a long shoot day?
Yorkshire Tea and a healthy stash of chocolate !
Looking ahead - what kind of productions excite you most as you step further into production management, and what are your ambitions for where you want to take your career from here?
I’m particularly excited by large-scale, multi-country productions involving complex logistics and multiple moves of cast, crew and equipment. I’ve thrived in these environments before, and am keen to take on increasingly ambitious productions, embracing the challenges that come with greater scale, and new complexities. The opportunity to work alongside exceptional people at the top of their profession, while being challenged to push my own capabilities and grow my contribution, is exactly where I want to take my career.
I love the energy and electricity of a big shoot day on a feature, alongside the depth and craft of long-form storytelling and the opportunity to explore extended character arcs in modern HETV.
I believe the complex story worlds being created today are among the most exciting we’ve ever seen, and being part of bringing these stories to life in a rapidly-changing world is a real privilege. It’s this combination of scale, creativity, collaboration and complexity that I want to build my career around.
