Production is Broken – Industry action group for Production Management freelancers in the UK TV industry

Updates

3 Months On: 5 positive signs of progress since February

3 Months On: Our honest take on the struggle to fix what’s broken

Opinion: “Did we expect too much from BAFTA?”

BAFTA recognise Head of Production with Special Award

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THE REPORT

Production is Broken: The Report

By PiB

February 17, 2023

Let's fix it. Read the report here.

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February 16, 2023

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February 15, 2023

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3 months on from The Report - the industry has bee

3 months on from The Report - the industry has been listening but finding the fix hasn't been the hardest part of the process. As part of our 3 Months On series of features, we lay out our honest take on where we're at, the challenges that running PiB presents and our concerns about how we move forward. (Link to that post in our bio).

It's not all doom and gloom though, you'll also find an article on 5 signs of progress since February and one of the team recalls our experience from a bizarre Zoom call with one of the industry's leading organisations.

Read more at productionisbroken.co.uk

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv #pact

Bectu (@unscriptedbectu) have declared an industry

Bectu (@unscriptedbectu) have declared an industry state of emergency in relation to the lack of opportunities for freelancers in the Unscripted sector.

Swipe right for our response.

If you are out of work and currently concerned about the future, please utilise resources such as the incredible @filmtvcharity for support.

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv #pact

It may feel sometimes like progress is slow, but i

It may feel sometimes like progress is slow, but in less than a year since Production is Broken began, we’re thrilled to be seeing a Head of Production honoured with the @BAFTA Television Craft Awards’ Special Award.

Congratulations to Alison Barnett, Head of Production at Kudos - who has become the first Production Management colleague to be honoured by BAFTA in the ceremony’s 23 year history. May it be the first of many to come.

Read more and watch Alison’s full interview and acceptance speech on productionisbroken.co.uk

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv #pact #kudos

Five more indies respond to The Report. Unfortunat

Five more indies respond to The Report. Unfortunately they all say much of the same, deferring to the trade body Pact - however as promised we are sharing with you regardless for transparency.

Production is broken. Let's fix it.

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv #pact #nutopia #walltowall #twentytwenty #emporium #airtv

Interesting feature with the heads of @studiolambe

Interesting feature with the heads of @studiolambert in the latest @broadcastnow_mbi magazine. It's a very interesting read for anyone in the Unscripted sector. In relation to Production Management, Studio Lambert's Director of Production, Jo Crawley, is asked about the current state of the Production Management department.

Whilst interviewing Crawley about the increasing scale of productions, journalist Chris Curtis states: "The context is that as well as bigger budgets, production management teams are now handling broad-ranging responsibilities, including more reporting obligations, diligence, welfare requirements, aftercare and general health & safety – especially in light of the pandemic.

Given that enormous workload, what is her assessment of the current debate about the broader industry status of production management, and whether it is sufficiently recognised?"

⬆️ You can see Jo Crawley's response in this quote on our grid. Thank you Broadcast for bringing attention to this and likewise to Studio Lambert for their candor.

YOU CAN READ THE FULL FEATURE WITH STUDIO LAMBERT ON BROADCASTNOW.CO.UK

Production is broken. Let's fix it.

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv #pact #studiolambert

We all know it's broken. The Unscripted workers of

We all know it's broken. The Unscripted workers of the industry deserve better, they're #WorthIt - which is why we are backing @unscriptedbectu's new campaign. We've been talking regularly with our friends at the Unscripted branch and know that some of the issues raised in our report align closely with Bectu's calls for change too.

Change can only happen if we all get behind the efforts to raise these issues with the relevant stakeholders in the industry, which @bectuunion are planning to do.

You'll recall from recent responses to our campaigns that many production companies are deferring to Pact to act on their behalf. Bectu's experience in negotiating with the industry for better deals for our colleagues in the Scripted and Advertising departments show how effective it can be when staff and freelancers from Production and Editorial alike show their support for change and make it clear that they've had enough.

Learn how you can get involved, sign the open letter and be part of the Unscripted Action Group over at utvu.co.uk (open to members and non-members of Bectu)

Production is broken. Let's fix it.

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv #pact

UPDATE: We are aware there has been some disappoin

UPDATE: We are aware there has been some disappointment around STV Studios' response. We have posted a statement about this, which can be found on our website and in our Story Highlights
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We're grateful to STV Studios for their response to The Report and their acknowledgement that its findings require a collaborative approach across the industry. We look forward to future conversations with STV as part of our engagement with production companies in the future through Pact.

Production is broken. Let's fix it.

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv #pact #banijay #stvstudios

Banijay UK (@banijaygroup) have shared their respo

Banijay UK (@banijaygroup) have shared their response, on behalf of its labels Endemol Shine UK, Remarkable, Initial, IWC, RDF, Workerbee and others. We are encouraged to hear The Report has prompted internal discussions with Production Management colleagues.

As we've already referenced on the website, we are aware many of the production companies are members of Pact and we have plans in place for how these conversations are approached with Pact in the future.

In the meantime, we are continuing to share responses from companies that have significant market share / influence and will do a summary post in the weeks ahead of responses from smaller indies.

A reminder: production companies don't have to defer to Pact to engage with the issues facing Production Management, it is their choice to. We are hopeful future responses will address the findings more directly.

Full response on the website.

Production is broken. Let's fix it.

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv #pact #banijay #banijayuk

In the first of our shared responses from Producti

In the first of our shared responses from Production Companies, @all3media_int share their position on behalf of the companies in their group including Betty, Objective Media Group, Studio Lambert, Lime Pictures and Optomen.

You can read All3Media's full response on our website.

Production is broken. Let's fix it.

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv #pact #all3media

For an Unscripted genre, we are pretty good at com

For an Unscripted genre, we are pretty good at coming up with works of pure fiction. We had someone contact us this week sharing this corker - at first one of the team thought "WTF?" but then when we shared it with the rest of the team, it turns out it's quite a commonly shared myth!

Well, we don't need Sherlock to solve this case guys. It would make such bad business sense for a production company to incentivise saying no to creative choices, it would damage the quality of the finished product and ultimately that's what we are all working towards - making a success of the projects we are working on.

Have you ever heard this myth?
What other myths have you come across?
Comment below or DM us.

Equally, if you've ever come across a scenario in which a bonus has been paid? We'd love to hear from you, so we can send them our CVs... 😆

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv #pact

It's been a whole month since we first shared "The

It's been a whole month since we first shared "The Report." We are blown away by the numbers of people who have downloaded it. Thank you to anyone who has shared a copy, requested a copy to be emailed to their company or paid to have a printed copy posted.

The industry *is* listening and we will be sharing an update tomorrow on the next steps. We will also be submitting a request to our friends at @unscriptedbectu in the upcoming days to ask for their support and advice, and to utilise their experience in approaching these conversations with the industry.

We had hoped to have a solid commitment towards some of the changes required, ahead of the new financial year but we have realised these conversations unfortunately do take more time, particularly with the amount of stakeholders across the industry. So to ensure momentum is maintained and all of our efforts (and yours) have the best chance of success, we are hoping to work with other bodies/groups with the hope of greater influence.

More news soon...

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv #pact

"If these industry bodies in their current form wo

"If these industry bodies in their current form worked, there wouldn’t be a need for a group like Production is Broken"

Yesterday a number of you contacted us to say you or the company you are working for had received a Pact email update, advising your company not to reply to Production is Broken outreach, requesting responses to the findings of our recent report.

Pact responded to our requests for comment by telling us they won't engage with us whilst we operate as an anonymous group.

The effectiveness of PiB has relied on knowing that both the group behind it and its users have been able to speak up in confidence, with assurance of anonymity.

The emails and messages you send us show that there is a need for this level of anonymity, and in part explain why our industry has been unchallenged in addressing the issues raised in the report, out of fear of the consequences.

We have shared a full statement in response to Pact on our website. The link is also in our bio.

We are keen to hear from you too. Share your thoughts in the comments, by email or as always our DM's are open.

Production companies that are part of the 'first 100' (see our previous post), both the ones that are part of Pact and those who aren't, are very much welcome to respond to the report ahead of Monday's deadline and thank you to those companies that have already prepped a response for sharing. ♥️

Production is broken. Let's fix it.

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv #pact

In one week's time, we will start sharing with you

In one week's time, we will start sharing with you responses from UK broadcasters, production companies and industry bodies, regarding the issues currently facing Production Management, as outlined in "The Report."

As we've laid out previously, transparency is at the core of what we are trying to achieve with PiB, so with that in mind we will also share with you if a company chooses not to respond.

Thank you to the companies and organisations who have already engaged with us and laid out their position. With over 1500 broadcasters, production companies and industry bodies in Unscripted TV production, we are approaching companies in phases and this post recognises the first 100 requests for response that we've made.

Other companies will be approached in the weeks ahead and their responses also shared with you via Instagram and the website.

Production is broken. Let's fix it.

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv

Okay, real talk. We need help! We are a small team

Okay, real talk. We need help! We are a small team of freelancers that have taken on a mammoth task and as determined as we are with the mission, like everyone else, we are juggling demanding jobs with family life and limited down-time(!)

That's where you come in... In order to turn the findings of The Report into actionable change, we need more of you to offer your insights, share contacts and provide feedback on the next steps we take. We don't need an enormous commitment, but by simply joining our new Action Group, we are able to more instantly make progress whilst retaining people's anonymity - and equally give those of you that are interested, more active updates on developments that we wouldn't ordinarily post on the more 'campaign'-focused Instagram and website.

If you think you have the capacity to help and are a Production Management professional, you can request an invite at:
www.productionisbroken.co.uk/join

Production is broken. Let's fix it.

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv

We have more copies of "The Report" that have arri

We have more copies of "The Report" that have arrived and are ready for posting. As a group of freelancers, we are fully unfunded, so there is a charge for the printing and postage but it's no more than the cost of a morning coffee - so if you haven't got a copy for the office kitchen or to strategically leave in the Reception area, you can order a copy anonymously through our website. Link in bio.

Fully transparent pricing: £3.35 per copy, plus £1.05 postage.

Production is Broken. Let's fix it.

#productionisbroken #tv #survey #bectu #pma #bafta #tvindustry #productionmanagers #actiongroup #surveyresults #tv #telly #workintelly #productionmanagement #prodmgmt #bbc #itv #sky #channel4 #channel5 #netflix #disneyplus #paramount #tvjobs #bectu #bafta #uktv

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