Jake Parker

From bringing everyday stories to life on screen for Nectar to helping organise shoots for Samsung and Adidas, producer Jake Parker has built a career turning big ideas into reality. But starting out during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic wasn't easy; he faced last-minute crew swaps, rigid timelines and an unstable industry. Here, Jake shares how he got into production, the key skills needed for the role and why adaptability and curiosity are essential for success.

What I do

How would you describe what you do at Iris?
I make sure that the client and the creatives' wants and needs can be brought to life through the eyes of directors in an organised manner, and within the budget laid out. This is done by agreeing the concept and visuals of the idea with the client and agency, preparing a detailed schedule and budget to then bring it all together, and managing a great team for the shoot day. Once that is all done, I will then bring the work into post, and manage that until we deliver the final edit to the client.

What are the main influences and inspirations behind your work?
My main influences behind my work are the many producers I have worked with and learnt from. They have all worked on some amazing productions/campaigns, and have made fantastic stories along the way - their experience and creativity is like no other! A special mention would also have to go to my two children. They are my biggest drive above everything else and they inspire me to be so much more passionate, patient, and positive in all aspects of my life.

Would you say you need any specific training for what you do?
There isn’t any form of specific training for the role of a producer. In my opinion, the most essential skill would be problem-solving because you could face an issue in any stage of production that will need a creative solution to appease all parties, and you have to ensure everyone is happy with the solution – scenarios like this are often time-sensitive which makes solving the problem all the more challenging, but who doesn’t like a challenge?

In terms of an essential trait, I would choose resilience. This could involve dealing with tight deadlines as mentioned or preparing budgets, whilst making sure everyone involved is in agreement and happy with the final product.

What’s been your favourite project to work on from the past year, and why?
My favourite project would have to be the Nectar Heroes Stills shoot with photographer Samuel McElwee, and his outstanding team. It was a huge creative project with a small budget, working with real-life people who had some amazing real-life stories. We shot 6 amazing key visuals on the day, and it is one of the many shoots I look back at fondly.

What does a normal day-to-day usually look like for you?
One of the best things about my job is that my day-to-day is always different. I frequently work with different clients and creatives which means my pre-production, production and post-production work totally varies. The only consistent and regular thing would be preparing budgets, schedules, and call sheets!

How I got here

What was your journey like when you were first starting out?
I had a quick start to production during the COVID-19 pandemic. I progressed into my role at quite a hectic time for the industry. It involved several PCR testing and quick changes with crew who tested positive. I had plenty of jobs whilst taking on new responsibilities, and learning new skill sets at the same time. Looking back at it, working in a climate of such unsure times has only benefited my work now because it has taught me how to manage my time and workload more effectively and efficiently.

How did you go about landing your first few jobs?
One of my friends had a parent who worked in freelance recruitment for media companies, so she assisted me in getting a freelance job in the dispatch department of Adam & Eve for a couple of weeks. Once I got there, I knew that I wanted to work in Adland and just went above and beyond to get a full-time role in production. I managed to impress a few freelance executive producers while at Cain & Abel, which then got me to my role now, as a producer at IRIS.

What has been your biggest challenge along the way?
Getting my foot in the door at the beginning of my career has easily been my biggest challenge. Once I managed that, I just worked incredibly hard, spoke to as many people as I could in different parts of the company, and made sure I was on hand to help anyone.

Jake's work on a shoot for Adidas

What are three things that you’ve found useful to your career, and why?
I love podcasts. Particularly, ones that focus on how people have found success in their careers. Hearing stories about people in different industries, and exploring the mentality they have towards their work really motivates me to always work harder and smarter.

LinkedIn is very useful, as it keeps me up to date with the new and exciting work in the production industry. It also opens me up to new opportunities to work alongside different directors.

Finally, I have been lucky enough to work in some great close-knit teams throughout my career, and it's so beneficial to be able to bounce ideas around and chat with people you can really trust and rely on.

Have there been any programmes you’ve found helpful or would recommend to get into your sector?
After about a year of being a Production Assistant, I managed to get onto the APA masterclass. It's a week-long course going through all things relating to production. The course was handled by renowned producers from all over the UK, and it really focused on the entirety of production – from receiving scripts, key camera equipment, and pre- and post-production. If you are looking to progress within the industry, I couldn’t recommend getting onto this course more.

A still from a shoot for Samsung Galaxy

Advice

What’s the best career-related advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I have ever received came from my first-ever executive producer. She said, “There is no such thing as a stupid question.” I still think about it to this day and will stick by this my whole career. There is so much variety in our work and so much change now, especially with AI, that you can never know it all, and even the simplest of questions can open up bigger conversations and ideas.

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into a similar role?
Graft, graft, graft! As I mentioned in a previous answer, the hardest part is getting your foot in the door. Once you have done that, you just continue to work harder with that mentality, and you will find there is little room to fail.

Ultimately, we are the only ones who know how hard we've worked to get ourselves in the positions we're in. Don’t be worried about what level your entry point is, wherever you're working. Take the positives and negatives as they come, and do your best to learn everything you can.