PETER BAKER - Multiskilled Senior Producer and Director

I started my TV career in the BBC newsroom in Bristol, then moved to Granada TV in Manchester as a producer and director as well as reporting and editing from the newsroom. I also presented various factual and social action regional series and news reports there.

I was promoted to be Channels Editor based at ITV Granada. This post, responsible for multichannels, wasn’t just managerial, it also involved me continuing to be an active Producer, Director and self shooter, and often self-editing as well when required.

I was also in charge of training scores of young, eager film-makers in TV skills including programme format development, budgeting, and production management as well as the practical skills of operating cameras, lighting, and recording audio, editing and graphics. All this was needed to feed the hungry beast that was Granada Sky Broadcasting’s raft of multichannels where I was especially in charge of the motors side of the Men & Motors channel. During this period I also was Series Producer for ITV 1 shows Kerbside Justice and Better Cars as well as UKTV’s Celebrity Chauffeur School.

At ITV Granada, I was also responsible for seeking out new presenters for its multichannels. I gave the first TV breaks to many including Ginny Buckley who went on to host the BBC’s Holiday programme and Sky News and we discovered Richard Hammond who worked on my programmes for 5 years before going on to the BBC’s Top Gear.

In 2005 I left to set up my own production company in South Manchester, Bakermedia, (www.bakermedia.co.uk) with former ITV & BBC colleagues.

At Bakermedia, I have been Executive Producer (as well as many other jobs!) on three series of the BBC TV network entertainment show Prank Patrol, and two series of the regional ITV 1 show

My North West.

I have also produced and directed a wide range of technical training and health and safety videos for major organisations such as Technicolor, Premier Foods, TATA Steel (formerly Corus), Siemens, Schlumberger, Serimax, Specsavers, McDonald’s, National Express and BAE Systems.

As well as working with my Bakermedia colleagues, I am now also available as an individual freelancer, to make full use of my creative, production and technical skills and extensive broadcast and large organisation corporate experience.

Producer skills

Creative - I am experienced at devising and developing new broadcast formats as well as innovative ways to get across information in training videos or corporate / marketing films. I can write informative and accurate scripts and devise effective structures that keep the viewers engaged at all times.

Staff, crew and presenter selection - At the start of ITV’s multi channels,

I was one of the managers who identified and recruited the production

taff across all areas. I also had this role while at Bakermedia. I’ve also

selected presenters and voiceovers and hone their skills. I have written

a book about TV & radio presenting skills and I have a dedicated website

for this: www.presenterskills.co.uk

I’m a voiceover and presenter myself: www.MaleVO.co.uk

Even if I’m not used in the final edit, having this skill is useful to

record rough edits of sequences to show clients.

Budgeting skills - I am experienced at accurately costing out a variety of types of production, and also have a natural mindset of wanting to save unnecessary expenditure on any production, as long as the final result on screen does not suffer.

This comes from careful staffing selection, using new technologies, implementing extra training, or scheduling work patterns so that it cuts down on repetition. I am skilled in creating and strictly adhering to budgets and timescales set for me by others, and am personable, approachable and fair as a leader and manager. I am very focused and self motivated, and as well as being a strong team player, can work on my own on projects if required to.

Communication skills - I believe that communication between myself, commissioners, clients and my own line managers is important to ensure efficient programme and project production, and I am experienced in creating reports that contain both an executive overview and a detailed account.

Acquisition skills - As well as producing in-house, at ITV Granada, I was also responsible for identifying appropriate programme acquisitions and negotiating both the price and contract details.

Training skills – I have been responsible for training many people over the years in TV production skills - camera operation, audio recording, lighting and programme structure and scriptwriting.

I also host sessions of corporate media training.

Director skills

Creative: On location, as well as ensuring the basics are covered, I can think fast to make a good shoot an outstanding one. It’s important to create a good rapport between myself and the rest of the crew, listening to what they say and hearing their suggestions and making sure they fully understand the reasons why if I disagree with them. It’s essential to keep morale in the whole team high, even when the odds are against us.

Multiskilling:

I am multiskilled in virtually all location shooting production areas.

The advantages of this knowledge and experience are that I am able to more fully understand the challenges and the requirements of the crew in setting them realistic tasks, timescales and expectations. I can also offer solutions to their problems or even fill in for them in emergencies.

To my mind, a good director or P/D should be able to have the ability to understand the operation of the camera, sound kit and how to light effectively as well as have a solid grasp of the editorial of the programme being produced.

At ITV Granada, I was a manager tasked with creating a new multiskilled environment for programme makers and journalists. As a result of this, I have become skilled myself in all areas of programme production:

Camera Operation & Lighting:

I am confident in operating a wide range of cameras from Standard Definition Ikegami and Sony DigiBeta and DVCAM models such as the Z1 to the High Definition Canon XF305, Sony EX1 & 3 models.

I am competent at lighting skills both for studio and PSC.

Again, these skills give me a unique insight into the technical responsibilities and challenges of the staff I manage and help me come up with answers to problems they present to me.

Video Editing:

I am an experienced video editor in the use of Adobe Premiere Pro video editing software and am competent in creating animations utilising the video effects software, Adobe After Effects.

This knowledge helps me as an executive to understand and manage the post production process more effectively. I am, therefore, sympathetic to the challenges and software capability of the operators and I can manage more effectively.

IT Skills & Graphics:

As well as being very computer and IT literate, I also am experienced in the industry standard graphics software package, Adobe Photoshop and various website creation programs. I have designed and programmed all my own personal and company websites and am well aware of efficient SEO and Internet Marketing techniques.

Personality:

On a personal level, I am a fair and approachable person who leads by example. I listen carefully to people’s viewpoints and concerns as well as being totally hands-on when the need arises.

My enthusiasm and passion for TV & radio helps me motivate and inspire my teams!

PRANK PATROL

07831 231869

My Career

Producer / Director - Self Shooting - Multiskilled

As a staffer at the BBC, ITV Granada or as a freelancer, I have amassed an enormous amount of experience and learnt skills in every area of broadcast production. When directing crews, this has become very important as I understand the specific challenges each of them have in their roles. I am extremely competent and confident in adapting my role to any project.

For example, if you need me to be an office-based Series Producer or Executive Producer dealing with scriptwriting and editorial content, compliance, finance and keeping broadcast commissioners or sponsors happy, that’s fine.

Maybe you need a Producer & Writer who can meet with high level executives of an organisation, listen to their needs and deliver a stunning set of corporate, induction and marketing videos - no problem.

If you’d like me to be a self-shooting Producer/Director travelling round under tight deadlines and budgets – that’s fine as well.

Maybe you’re looking for a Director and Presentation Coach to take a rough gem of a future star presenter you’ve discovered to train them in professional presentation skills - and also to create a killer taster reel for commissioning editors. I have lots of experience in this as well.

Download my CORPORATE CV here

Broadcast highlights

Corporate highlights

Executive Producer –

I negotiated the format of Prank Patrol from the Canadian owners and we created 40 amazing high rating episodes of this show for BBC 1 & BBC 2. Every episode was different and meant huge set-ups and up to 20 cameras rolling on “prank day” itself. It was meant to be for children, but more adults watched than kids! It was hosted by Barney Harwood who is now a Blue Peter presenter. The format is now going strong in Australia.

Self shooting Series Producer / Director –

I was the Series Producer across two 13 part series of an ITV Granada regional show called My North West, airing 7:30 pm on Tuesdays. Hosted by actor Dean Sullivan the programmes toured the region meeting characters and looking at crafts, hobbies and interests. The budget was very tight but as always ensured every penny appeared on screen.

Self shooting Producer / Director –

I had to write, set up, and shoot an entire 6 x 30 series about the differences between UK & USA motoring for Granada. I had two weeks at base, and 10 days with just myself, presenter Howard Stableford, my kit and a tiny budget touring Denver, New York and Detroit. The series called Bonnets and Hoods was a great success with high ratings and I even found a new advertiser for the channel as well.

Skills trainer –

At Granada, one of my jobs was to train multiskilling across the production teams on the digital channels and the newsroom journalists. When the new channels were introduced, we had just 12 weeks to train almost 200 production staff before launch date. I also train voice and presentation skills, have written a book and have a dedicated site : www.presenterskills.co.uk

Series Producer –

I set up and Series Produced an 8 x 30 factual entertainment show for UKTV called Celebrity Chauffeur School. Its aim was to show that the job as chauffeur was more difficult than might be expected and we got trainees shot at, chased and distracted while judges in the back such as John Fashanu, Neil & Christine Hamilton and the late Jade Goody gave them marks.

Series Producer –

As Channel Editor at ITV Granada, the Men & Motors channel commissioned a weekly car magazine show on a very tight budget. I assembled two teams, one filming while the other was in post production and we created a very successful 52 week a year show that featured car launches, features about car design and technology and plenty of spin off material for the website. The programme’s main presenters were Richard Hammond and Ginny Buckley.

Premier Foods -

I was asked to devise a video-based training programme for Premier Food’s 1,300 Hovis drivers to help them understand the importance of safe driving while still being efficient workers. I used my knowledge of behavioural psychology to ensure that the tone and structure of the videos was not seen as patronising nor of being seen as official management directives. The final 8 chapter DVD has been very well received by the client.

TATA Steel Packaging –

TATA (formerly Corus) have steel plants in the Netherlands, Belgium and South Wales. The management knew that video would be very powerful in training safety to workforces.

I gained the trust of their top level executives and safety managers. Together with their own requirements and my knowledge of behavioural psychology and understanding what works and what doesn’t with training videos– I have just completed the first of many films for them with dramatised incidents and plenty of workforce involvement in the production to ensure good eventual “buy-in”.

Medical Defence Union –

Although I had covered medical issues in my broadcast TV news experience, the London-based MDU covers extremely high end medical negligence cases. They required a quality video to send to all global members to recognise the 125th anniversary. I had a week to go through all the dusty manuscripts, archive films, interview key people and assemble the final proposed script. They were really happy with it and the filming included dramatic reconstructions of the Victorian event that precipitated the Medical Defence Union’s formation.

Keystone Distribution & McDonald’s –

I have worked with Keystone for some years, producing training videos for their main client, McDonald’s Restaurants. Since they are all aimed at crew members themselves over various operational issues and systems, I have to write and produce in a concise and simple manner, keeping on the narrow path to stop veering into a patronising tone or giving them too much detail! I’ve also filmed at their three main warehouses as well as restaurants around the UK.

HBOS –

An internal training film for HBOS was one of the first films I made after leaving Granada and the client wanted to use their own staff for studio based presentation roles which they didn’t have experience of. One of my roles at Granada was that of presenter and news reader trainer, so I set up a training session with all participants before filming, and as a result boosted everyone’s confidence. The Halifax staff learnt how to use Autocue naturally, understood basic acting techniques for the Halifax insurance scenes as well and we worked on optimising the script to help engage more with the target audience.

Skeleton Productions

The best television features great people and great stories.

I’m a multiskilled Producer / Director who can identify these elements and optimise them in my programmes. I’m UK-based.

I get on well with people and am happy to

self-shoot, direct crews or to produce / edit.

You can feel totally confident in my abilities.

Download my BROADCAST CV here

2011