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Graduate case studies

Graduate case studies
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Paul - 
Film Producer

Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

About the job

Main responsibilities

Finding, developing and producing theatrical feature films.

Typical day

Producing feature films.
Story development.
Film financing.
Finding new ideas.
Working with writers, directors, agents, managers and US studio executives.

What do I enjoy about my job?

The creativity involved both from a producorial standpoint and a story telling stand point.

Challenging aspects

Working with a range of creative minds with egos and eccentricities.

Why did this area of work appeal to me?

Because of the wide ranging work and story telling.

Skills/qualifications I use in my job?

I have a Masters Degree in Film Producing from the University of Southern California.
Story development.
Negotiating skills.
Project management all feature heavily in my work.

Training I receive as part of my job

None!


Career information

Brief history since leaving University

I founded the Radio & TV Society in Sheffield and morphed in Forge FM community radio.

I worked for a range of TV entities in the UK

I won a Fulbright Scholarship to Study at USC in the USA.

I sold a number of projects to USA film studios as a producer and worked independently under my own banner.

Produced SHAUN THE SHEEP THE MOVIE (Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and many other nominations).

Produced THE FARMERS LLAMAS, won an International Emmy.

Where do I see myself in the future?

Producing feature films.


Advice to students

My piece of advice to students

It's all about relationships. Developing those from an early stage of your career and being able to work with a wide range of people with different temperaments.

Other comments

My career path is an odd one. My degree in Science has proved useful, the analytical training I received has helped enormously in developing my career.


Last updated: 06 Sep 2017