TV Watercooler

The founders, you will have noted recently, have appointed someone else in as MD so that they concentrate on content... not too aware of exactly what working practices were occuring, nor seemingly interested.

Nope extreme ostrich behaviour. As long as it gets done, no one wants to know how. Pass it down the line to the freelancers and let them sweat about the practicalities. The big boss used to call my mobile at all random times of the day and night and expect me to drop everything and be ready to talk about the project. It was fine when I was still in the edit at midnight (often) but not if I'd gone home.

I went for an interview there last year. A different series to the one that's been mentioned I think. But the schedule was ridiculously short for what they wanted to achieve and the 'Producer' who interviewed me was about 12 years old (nearing retirement in today's TV industry). Also the office was very cluttered, with people almost sitting on top of eachother, sharing computers, chairs etc. I wasn't overly impressed which is a shame as the big boss is someone with a good track record.

Alas it's the BBC that is really trailblazing when it comes to freelancer exploitation. He probably picked up those habits while working there.

He wasn't there long enough to notice, honestly. He was brought in by John Willis to attempt to bolster fading morale in "documentaries" but since he didn't actually have an identifiable role because he had no creative input - or not that I saw. He certainly wasn't looking after any creative projects - no execing or commissioning responsibilities, for instance.

Renegade is also the company that asks people applying for development jobs in for group brainstorms to collect ideas. Nobody I know who has been has got a job out of it. I refused to go. Same outcome. After reading this I'm glad. What a way to treat people - and 7 days a week, undoubtedly illegal.

Hello Albertines and welcome. Is this off the back of the thread on the Production Base forum?

Have had two pretty bad experiences at Renegade regarding this too

1- filming on a series across the country, sent out by yourself to do absoulutely everything as a one man band, working 7days a week, to shoot some pretty legally dodgy stuff

2- called night before a month long shoot to go away the next day (even though the shoot had been given the go ahead days before so I could have had some warning) to work 7 day week on a low 5 day rate....told them no thanks.

Glad its not just me who thinks there working practices are pretty shabby to say the least