The essential but often overlooked role of a TV production coordinator is rarely talked about. Kym Houghton describes what it is that she does, what a normal day looks like and how her role in production coordination now differs from previous jobs in the industry.

When most people think of TV production, they might picture camera operators, runners or directors but not much thought is given to those working behind the scenes to make sure that everything runs smoothly and everything is perfectly sorted before production even starts. Kym has been working as a production coordinator for Hollyoaks for the past few years and explains exactly what it is and how it differs from any other role. 

What is production coordination? 

A production coordinator’s job starts during pre production, they are often some of the first people available during a TV show’s production. 

“I’m over call sheets and call times for the artists, I look after the under aged artists, which include licensing them with local councils, keeping an eye on their hours to make sure that we’re legal for using them on set. I book equipment for shoots that are needed for specific looks if they need to have a different camera, or if they need to book what’s called a Jimmy Jib. I’ve got to book all that. So I sit into planning meetings and check with the directors and the team to see what they need and when they need it for.” 

“I also look after risk assessments to make sure they’re all done and given out to the crews.”

“We are over day to day running of the shoot to make sure everything’s running on time. if it’s not running on time, figuring out why, talking to our production managers about what can be done through the day if anything is falling behind and lots of other things.” 

A regular day for Kym includes coming in and checking everything for the coming day and liaising with different departments to make sure that everyone can be in their correct places and reorganising if any crossovers occur. 

“I did a film and TV production degree. Funnily enough, I wanted to go into cameras when I first went into uni, and then as I got into university, I went more into editing. Now I do something totally different, because the job role that I do isn’t usually spoken about very much when you go and actually study what we do.”

Working on a continuous series

While working on a limited or regular TV show may mean working for weeks or months at a time to then take an extended break, working on a long running, continuous series like Hollyoaks means constant work on the same show. 

“So I’ve been working for Hollyoaks for about three years previous to that, I worked at the BBC for about seven and a half years and worked on various different productions.” 

Before moving to Manchester to work on Hollyoaks, Kym worked at the BBC and covered one-off productions such as the royal wedding of Harry and Meghan and the RAF 100 year ceremonial which included them flying over Buckingham Palace. She also worked on different shows such as Watchdog and live children’s TV. 

“Where I work now is a well oiled machine. Everyone knows what they’re doing. Everyone does their own thing and works together really well. Obviously, when you’re on standalone production, everything is extremely fast paced. You’ve only got, say, 12 weeks to do that one production and that includes all of your pre-production, your filming and your post, that you might only be on the project for 12 weeks. So you’ve got to make as much use of that time as you can.” 

“I’ve had productions that have been so last minute that it’s been right by filming tomorrow, but they’re not telling us until 12 o’clock the previous day, so we suddenly have to arrange trains, taxis, hotels, licensing, local permits, crew all in under 12 hours. So stuff like that can be extremely fast paced, but you kind of get an adrenaline rush every day with something like that.” 

How you can do it

Kym gives advice for anyone looking to work in the industry, especially those wanting to work their way up into jobs like a production coordinator. 

“It’s the cliche thing of going out, as much as it sounds really silly, working from the bottom, bottom up, but that is what we do. You go in, you put in your services. You do a week or two of completely free experience to get your foot in that door and get your name known in that company.” 

As production coordination has no set route, with most people not being aware of the role when they decide they want to work in TV production, Kym highlights the fact that just making connections and getting to know people is the most valuable way to get into this ultimately hidden area of work. 

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