Line Producer

“I turned to my Line Producer and we nearly cried”: inside the logistical whirlwind of Production Management

A collage of three pictures: Squid Game soldiers watch the contestants on a vast array of screens, Betty races across a beach and an Arctic wolf stands still on Ellesmere Island

Take the Production Management category at the RTS Craft & Design Awards. The 2024 nominees were Squid Game: The Challenge, Race Across the World and Planet Earth III. How exactly do you build a set big enough for 456 people to play a game of ‘Red Light, Green Light’, and then deliver those 456 people to the start line? Or plot a racing course over 14,000km through seven different countries, while employing a crew agile enough to change course according to the whims of your contributors?

Working Lives: Line Producer

The Chase (credit: ITV)

What does the job involve?

I oversee the production budget and scheduling, as well as the day-to-day aspects of a production. This involves ensuring that filming is done safely, on time and on budget. I’m also the go-between, between the crew and the producers.

How do you differ from a producer?

A producer works on the editorial side; a line producer is on the production side of a TV show.

How did you get your break in telly?