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This is an article I wrote for Linkedin, I decided to post here as well!

I recently finished an internship at an amazing indie TV production company based in London working on a pilot makeover/dating show. The following list is a collection of advice given to me, solutions to mistakes I made, tips n’ tricks I learnt on the job and goals for the future. It’s a mixed bag of treats for anyone aspiring to be a production runner/researcher so dip in and enjoy!

1. Money, Money, Money. Keep all of your receipts! I put all of them in a plastic wallet, smart idea but wrong execution as the receipts fell out of the flimsy wallet; next time I’ll store all of them in a zip-up envelope, hole punch and place into a binder. You will need to ‘handle petty cash’ (a.k.a. buy stuff with money), also called a ‘float’- get a cute little purse to keep those coins + notes in rather than regurgitating four crumpled £50 notes and about 500 coins on to the Boots counter from your coat pockets every time you want to buy another packet of batteries.
2. Fashionable n’ Practical. You don’t need to wear black (although I did, hangover from my uni theatre days darlin’) but comfy trainers are a must. As much as it’s the comic sans of fashion- get a bum bag or at least a coat with pockets to make a Time Lord proud. Pack extra deodorant and wear light layers so you can peel them off as the day wears on- I was a Sweaty Betty by noon mainly because I was literally running around as a runner (who’d a thunk?!)
3. Casting tips for anxious introverts as a completely stereotypical millennial the idea of having a phone conversation with *gasp* a person I didn’t know caused an anxious spiral of doom. For the first few times I had to make casting cold calls I holed myself up in a quiet corner/cubby in the office, put the mobile on speaker and closed my eyes to extra concentrate. Some people like to plan out the conversation in advance, that didn’t help me; as soon as the person on the other end went ‘off-script’ I would go into panicwaffle mode. Unfortunately, what helped was instantly calling as soon as I input a number (no dallying for ten minutes!), stumbling through and then moving onto the next call ASAP. I’ve had less painful waxing sessions, honest. But with 3 months of metaphorical wax stripping practice, practice, practice- I’m pretty confident on the phone now and it’s one of the skills I’m especially proud of improving upon during my internship. Keep going my fellow anxious millennials!
4. Keep organised. I used bullet journalling to keep my tasks in order, it’s flexible and ticking off the tasks gives me little boosts throughout the day. For shoot day, the answer is BINDERS; I printed out extra call sheets, schedules, release forms (with handy-dandy checklist) and placed them in a binder with labeled pockets.
5. Learning is fun. Get your driving license (van/people carrier and motorway experience definite plus). Learn about coffee/how to use a coffee machine- from a strict tea-drinking family I knew nothing about the magic bean juice that fuels this whole industry, don’t be me desperately trying to dissolve filter coffee because your ignorant soul has only known the sad jar of instant coffee at the back of the cupboard. Don’t do that. But do learn how to use Adobe Photoshop+Premiere Pro if you can- Black Friday student sub is great value and it’s a useful skill across the creative industries not just TV. Some people find logging and transcribing to be a tedious task- I personally like recording all those golden nuggets of great TV. To make the process a little faster learn to touchtype, I’m practicing on the (free) brilliant little site typingclub. Use otranscribe when actually transcribing your videos, again it’s free and allows you to stop/start a video using your keyboard, look ma- no mouse!
6. Nom Nom Nom. A work colleague introduced me to a bircher breakfast or ‘overnight oats’ and it’s the best thing since somebody combined the hot water tap and cold water tap into one- it’s seriously scrumptious (bircher breakfast not taps), lines the stomach, infinitely customisable and takes very little time to prepare. On shoot days- buy extra sandwiches when you get the lunches- you could be some crewmember’s saving grace at 10PM. Buy plenty of snacks/soft drinks/water-bottles and make a refreshment ‘station’ at the start of the day. Expect to make coffee runs, always carry a small notebook+pen in your pocket or be fancypants like moi and scribble orders on a phone with an e-stylus. Print out menus beforehand of wherever you’re getting lunch from, and get cast+crew to write their name next to what they want- you’ll have no trouble handing out lunches to the correct person and you won’t be standing in Pret for 10 minutes wondering what ‘orange maybe green snack thing’ is.
7. Be prepared. CHARGE YOUR PHONE THE DAY BEFORE THE SHOOT (and check that’s it’s charging before you sleep). Make sure you have data, running without internet is like running with scissors- a bad idea. Always check your travel plans- I arrived nice and early at the train station patiently waiting for my punctual Southern Service, until I realised there were no trains until 10AM- what?! Had Godzilla/KingKong/wetleaves/MonsterofYourChoice invaded London and all the trains cancelled? No, it was a Sunday. Oops. Check your travel plans! Save all the numbers on the call sheet on to your phone the day before- in the words of Shia LeBouf ‘Just Do It’.
8. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I was incredibly lucky to be surrounded by a crew who were always willing to help and answer my silly questions. If it’s your first time running, no one expects you to know everything, if in doubt, just ask. Also don’t be afraid to get stuck in and say ‘yes’. During the shoot I was roped into holding a sound boom which I’d never done before, it was really fun learning a new skill and being directly involved in the filming process/seeing it up close. You don’t need qualifications to be a success in TV just a bit of gumption.
9. energy= me*people^2, I’m an introvert and being around so many new people- crew, contributors, talent, the Goddess in Pret who gave me a free drink, is amazing but can sometimes be tiring with the demands and duties of the day. Take a little break apart if you can and refresh. When ‘babysitting’ contributors, I had pre-prepped a list of conversation starters on my phone and flipped through when I felt my brain starting to sag. Like in any other industry, people like to let off steam and talk about things that went well and not-so-well, as an ambitious sprog it’s useful to know how things can be improved for the day when I (hopefully) have a say in how things are run however until then I would advise just being a sympathetic ear and not extending to a sympathetic mouth.
10. The (most) Best(est) Job: I wanted to be challenged, creative, analytical, hang out with amazing, talented, inspiring people, learn something new everyday, push myself and work hard- From the the highs (sourcing a mini HDMI cable in the middle of Chelsea, finding the perfect contributor, their transformation, watching the editors make it all come together, pub nights) and the lows (losing perfect contributors, having to be in 3 different places at once, not feeling good enough) I made connections and improved my skills and now I’m ready to take up the next step in my TV journey! If you’d like to do the same I recommend checking out Mama Youth (for 16-25 yr olds), Creative Access (for BAME), the Channel 4 Production Scheme, the Facebook group People looking for tv work: Runners and ScreenSkills. There are many oppurtunities and routes into the industry and I’m happy to answer any questions- good luck and bon voyage!