Hi, Linsey. Thank you so much for taking part in the Studio Sessions interviews. How are you?
No problem; it’s been a while! It’s lovely to catch up. I’m excited to take a breather and look back for a change.
Can you start by introducing yourself?
Sure. I’m Linsey Romano, a Senior Producer at LS Productions in Edinburgh. I studied photography at Glasgow School of Art and began my career as a Runner at a post-production house in London before working my way up the ladder to become a producer. When I started my career, I did some assisting work with photographers before deciding that I wanted to pursue a less technical direction and move into an organisational role. It was a better fit for my skills and personality. I found myself working in a production company as a runner, where I was then able to find or engineer opportunities to progress. Eventually, I progressed to become a producer — a job I love.
Where does your love for film come from?
I’ve always loved film, photography and anything creative. It’s what drew me to apply to art school. I wanted to study and learn to build a career in that area. However, my love for production only really unfolded when I was working in a post-production house, and I started to meet real-life producers and directors and get insight into what they do day-to-day. I was meeting people who did the job, and I really enjoyed what I saw. They were inspiring, and I always took the chance to ask questions and get stuck in. I wasn’t afraid to put in the effort, which showed.
Did you know anyone in the industry before taking the plunge and moving from Glasgow to London? What was your knowledge of the film industry and the routes through it?
Honestly, I didn’t know anything about it. I knew nothing besides what I saw on TV or at the cinema. It was a massive learning curve, but I threw myself in at the deep end as I knew I wanted to be involved in it somehow. When I was younger, I really, really wanted to go to Glasgow School of Art — mainly because I became fascinated by the building. As a child, I saw the building and fell in love with it. I made myself a promise that one day, I would go and study there. And I somehow held on to that dream and achieved it.
Was that ambition encouraged at home and in school?
My parents both have a financial background. They had more traditional accountancy-type jobs, so they had very little exposure to the creative industry. So, they didn’t know how to guide that interest. And school was unfortunately never able to give much help. The second you say you want to do something with art, you could see the teachers switch off. The system didn’t understand it and had no way of supporting people like you and me. Was your experience the same?
Very much so. Nothing was in place to help you explore different career paths in the creative industry. Aside from shoving you into a quiet art department to keep you out of the way, there was really nowhere to point you.
The advice I’d give to anyone in that situation now is not to give yourself too much of a plan. Start with half a plan. But don’t worry if it doesn’t work out exactly how you think it should. Things happen and things change.
My plans certainly change. I remember, early in my career, Danny Boyle was working on 28 Days Later, and he seemed to take a shine to me. I must have made him a good cappuccino! He was kind and helpful, and I told him I’d like to work on a film. I took the chance, and he said, ‘Look, give me your CV; if anything comes up, I’ll pass it to my team.’ And so I did that. Fast forward a few weeks, and I got a phone call from Danny Boyle. I couldn’t believe it. He put me forward for a job in the location department. But ultimately, that role didn’t go my way. Someone else got the job. But I was really enthused by the fact that somebody like Danny thought about me for a job in the first place. It fuelled me to keep going. It helped me become more confident, even though I didn’t get it.
You have to make a lot of effort because opportunities are not going to just come to you. You need to put in the legwork and do something different. Try to get yourself remembered for being someone. It isn’t always glamorous, but you have to keep plugging on and trying. Make yourself stand out. Be memorable, and eventually, something will happen.
What was the transition from photography to film like? Did it come naturally?
It was natural. When I started my career, I was obviously working with photography. I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to be a photographer.’ — but something didn’t sit right with me as I was never comfortable with creating something that a client might hate, especially if I felt it was great. It’s the struggle between art and design. I know you understand this deeply as a designer. You have to have your own stance and have to be able to develop your work in a way that people like and understand. As I progressed, I learned that production allowed me to be creative in other ways. I fell in love with moving image, and there was more room to be part of something bigger. I was able to do more of the things I was good at without having to rely on my technical skills. It gave me more freedom.
What did you take from that?
You have to look at yourself and identify what you’re good at and not good at. What do you enjoy doing? What do you not enjoy doing?
How did you get your first break?
There weren’t any production companies in Scotland when I graduated. And of the two that did exist, it was very much about ‘who you know’. A closed shop. So I had to decide to go to London, which wasn’t a bad thing to do, but it was obviously an expensive thing to do. I know you did the same thing. It was a risk, but there were plenty of production companies, post houses and shoots going on. So, I went down there — again, without a clue of how to get into the industry — and knocked on doors until one opened. They said to me, ‘Oh, actually. We’re looking for a Runner.’ I didn’t even know what a runner was, but I thought, ‘OK, interesting. Let’s see what that’s about.’ They asked me if I could interview right then and there, to which I said yes.
It might be worth explaining what a Runner is?
A Runner is basically there to make teas and coffees for people and to make sure everything is ‘run’ smoothly. When I worked at the post house, I had the job to keep the suites neat and tidy, To meet and greet talent, and to collect anything that needed to be picked up. It’s a hard job but fascinating, and you get to see everything that goes on. It put me in front of people who could help my career, which is precisely what happened. It was such a good thing for me to do. I did that for a while before moving to a TV commercial production company. After a shaky start, I eventually got to work on shoots and castings for Walkers Crisps ads, all the Sainsbury’s ads and McDonald’s — all the big TV ads at the time. I learned about the different departments that I had previously no knowledge of. Being a Runner was the best way to see every department. You can learn from all angles.
Is a Runner paid well? I had a few friends who were runners for a short while, but they did other things. I always equated it to a type of internship. Is that right?
Oh no, Runners are well paid—you can make a good living as a Runner. On a shoot, Runners are absolutely critical. Up here in Scotland, most runners need a driver’s license, and they are usually over 25.
Did you ever have a mentor?
No, not when I started out. It would have been good to have someone in the industry to help me. When I became a producer, I had a mentor for a while, which was good. It was somebody who worked in the industry but in a completely different department. That was also quite good, as they had a degree of separation. When you get to a certain stage in your career, you want somebody to look at you professionally from a different point of view than somebody who does the same job.
It’s always good to have a sounding board. Someone to ask questions of and get honest, unbiased answers.
Yeah. It is. I always tell junior staff members that no question is a bad question. The more questions you ask, the better. You can’t presume that you can do everything from day one. Sometimes you just need to learn by making mistakes. Hopefully, not bad ones. I always encourage people to ask questions and to simply try things. Experiment. Once you get used to a role, learn from a few mistakes and pick up some experience, you’ll start to see more opportunities and people will give you more responsibility. It’s nerve-wracking, and you will have moments where you question whether you’re ready, but sometimes you just need to say, ‘Yes. Yes, I can do that. Let me try.’
Do you have any examples of when you’ve done that?
Sure. I was a PM for ages — and I believe I was a very good one — and the producer at the time wanted to step away and focus on growing the business. He tried to put me in his shoes. He thought I was ready before I did. I remember thinking, ‘Oh no. No way. I can’t do that!’ but he was adamant. He pushed me. ‘Yes, you can. I’ll be here to help you. I’ve got your back. Go try it.’ — and I did. And never looked back.
What principles underpin your process?
It’s essential to me to always be realistic and honest with people. I want to make sure that I’m also working with people in an amicable way. You know, it’s essential to get on with people, especially when you’re trying to make a project together. If you have friction with someone in your team, it will be a tricky project and potentially not going to go the way you want it to. Those are my main things — making sure that everybody in the team feels part of that team. It’s important that people feel they have an input. I’m usually managing the team at my level, so it’s down to me to ensure that’s happening. Oh, and have fun! You need to have fun while you’re making something. It can be stressful.
Where do you find joy in your work?
I really love seeing the end product and how it’s turned out. If I’m proud of something, it’s the best feeling. The people I work with really bring me a lot of joy too. I’ve worked with some amazing people, and that, to me, is a really great part of our industry. So many unique and talented people. Brilliant photographers, brilliant directors and DOPs, heads of departments, labels, brands and personalities. Doing something at the end of the day you feel happy with and enjoy.
How do you stay inspired?
I try to look at the new work out there. Art galleries and the cinema don’t happen so much anymore. Still, I do watch a lot of films and TV documentaries. I try to keep up with what’s happening in the industry. This could be controversial, but I went to an interesting talk about AI last week. There’s a worry about how that’s gonna be. Surprisingly, some things were inspiring because I thought they could actually help the industry in some places. You know, some of the processes… It’s not all doom and gloom, and I think everyone will have to use AI in some shape or form. That’s the way I’m starting to look at it. We need to stay optimistic, you know?
Totally agree. I’m not overly worried about it. It has sped up some tasks for us, but it doesn’t have the transformational impact people are discussing. So far, anyway!
Some people are really, really nervous. There will be certain jobs that will become vulnerable. But, I think it’s only, it’s only as good as the people behind it.
What advice would you give to young creatives?
Do your research. Find out what you like. If it’s photography, really look at who made it. You can find out who made things quite easily now. Who was involved in that shoot that you love — who did the hair and make-up? Who did the lighting? If it’s a film, what are the different things in it? If you don’t know what something is — like a ‘grip’, go and find out. There are tools to find out about these disciplines. Do the research and become informed. Get in touch with people. You never know, they might respond. Years ago, I remember writing to a designer named Mike Dempsey at CDP, a well-known agency. I wrote to him, saying, ‘I really like your work, and I’d love to know. Do you have any advice?’, and he actually sent me back a massive letter — because this was before email — a letter with loads of information and bits of his work. Loads of stuff! It was really cool. Really inspiring. So don’t just think in the boring, obvious way. Get in touch with people, and you never know what will happen. They might not get back to you, but you’ll never know if you don’t try! Like yourself, Liam. You’re personally willing to go out and speak to people — you’re not the only person who would be like that. Just get in touch with people and see where it takes you.
What’s the best advice that you’ve been given?
That’s quite a difficult question, isn’t it? I’ve had lots of advice, some of it rubbish and some of it great. The best advice I’ve had is ‘you can’. Be confident that you can — you can do whatever you want. I remember being told once to just take a breather and go again. You can do it. Get yourself together, go off and do it.
Is there any advice that you wish you’d been given?
I’ll be honest. Nobody has given me any advice about getting into the industry. So I think what you’re doing with these interviews is really great. If you can get somebody who can help and advise you, that would be a great thing. I didn’t have anyone, so I wish there had been someone who could have mentored me. So go and find a mentor! Ask someone to give you advice or keep an eye out for you. If you’re going for a job, speak to someone who’s been there and done it. You don’t have to do everything on your own. There are always there are people who will do it, and we’ll give their time because they remember how hard it was for them.
Thank you so much for helping with this. As always, it was great catching up with you!
Likewise, and no problem at all. Any time!
