5 Minutes with… Paul Austin

As claims to fame go, ‘the man who took EastEnders into the 21st century’ ain’t bad. Paul Austin, who heads up post production at dock10 in Manchester, cut his teeth at the BBC working on some of the UK’s biggest TV shows. Given brands’ and ad agencies’ hunger for longer content and live content, he’s found himself with (as Liam Neeson might say) a ‘very particular set of skills’. He’s based at dock10, a huge production facility with HD TV studios and VFX talent, based in Manchester’s MediaCity. Neighbours include the BBC and ITV Granada – but dock10 has been expanding beyond the world of broadcast TV, into advertising.  

LBB’s Laura Swinton picked his brains about dock10’s plans, and why, when it comes to UK creative industries, the rest of the world needs to look beyond London.

LBB> How did you first get involved in the world of post production? Was it something that you sought out? Was there a moment or a particular film that made you think ‘wow, I want to do that!’?

PA> I did a Media & Cultural Studies course at university which was part theoretical and part practical. My first job was at a corporate video production company, followed by a job at a market research video production company. We used the very first version of Final Cut Pro; it was partly a commercial role, but I also did a lot of editing. I gradually realised that I enjoyed that practical element, then after having my first child I realised that I needed to get serious about my career. I applied to the British Broadcasting Corporation [BBC] and got a role quite quickly, and was there for 10 years. 

I have always been obsessed with television and film, and my movie collection is huge. I would spend every minute of every day watching films if I could.

LBB> You spent quite a bit of time working for the BBC, setting up and looking after various purpose-built facilities. What are your big memories from that time?

PA> When I was at the BBC I was a Head of Studios and Post, and the biggest achievement while I was there was the first ever live episode of EastEnders. That was for the 25th anniversary of the programme. 

LBB> You spent two years running the EastEnders operation? I imagine that must have been all sorts of crazy! What’s the key to keeping things going on Britain’s biggest soap opera?

PA> Well, when they did the first ever live episode that was obviously a big project to manage; 42 cameras in total. It won a Royal Television Society Award, which was quite exciting. Following that, we took EastEnders completely HD and with file-based delivery. I’ve actually got a little plaque in my house saying that I took EastEnders into the 21st century!

LBB> With longer format branded content work becoming more popular with brands and ad agencies, what should they keep in mind about the post process on these longer projects?

PA> The main issue I always highlight in terms of making long-form content is to make sure you don’t over shoot. You have more time to tell the story, but people do tend to over shoot, especially with the availability of cheaper cameras. It can cause time delays on a project, and more storage expense and inconvenience for a client. 

LBB> How does the workflow differ compared with, say, post in TV ads?

PA> Long-form post production is, in terms of workflow and the duration of the work, a case of “how long is a piece of string?”. It could be a drama, which is very different to a children’s studio show, which in turn is very different to a documentary. 

Whereas short-form is different again, another genre of work. The creative process is still there and you need to tell a story, but you get to invest more time per second of actual output. But obviously, advertising can be more graphics-led and more visual, and that is what drove dock10 to acquire Edit 19 and 422. 

Now we’ve got exceptional VFX capabilities, which we can offer to clients in the commercial world, as well as long-form clients, in terms of title sequences and any VFX elements they require for their project.

LBB> I guess dock10 is best known in the world of broadcast TV, but has been moving increasingly into commercials – what are your ambitions in this area?

PA> The television market here in Manchester is a really successful industry, but to really grow we needed to be able to reach out to the thriving agency and corporate sector. That led to us acquiring Edit 19 and 422, both great companies with great client relationships and brilliant talent. 

We’ve also set up a 360 part of the dock10 business, which is geared towards agency and corporate clients. The television sector will use it, but it’s really exciting what key brands can do with 360. Having that plus the VFX capability means we now offer clients the complete package.

LBB> And what recent advertising projects are you particularly proud of and why?

PA> Although it’s not advertising, one we’re really proud of is the title sequence for the 2016 European Championship for BBC Sport. Thanks to our diversification we were able to accommodate the needs of one of our traditionally long-form clients. Edit 19 had been acquired and within a month we’d won the contract to create the title sequences for a massive brand event. We got really good feedback on those titles, and now we also work closely with BBC Creative Services in terms of promos. 

Edit 19 have always worked on brilliant advertising campaigns and 422 have been operating for 20 years, so we now have a wide variety of advertisement work.

LBB> How does the Post Production & VFX department at dock10 collaborate with the other areas in the business?

PA> Crucially, you have people who are very good at what they do in all areas of the operation, supported by our tech infrastructure and tech support. It fundamentally supports all of us and it makes us quite unique. We can offer a completely seamless workflow for our clients also working in the studios, meaning they can be cutting the show within seconds of capture in the gallery. It’s all about innovation at dock10, that’s the way to survive and that’s the way to be one step ahead, and we’ve got owners that see that and are backing us to deliver. I think it’s quite refreshing. 

LBB> dock10, and MediaCityUK, generally are great success stories for Manchester’s creative industries. Do you think MediaCity has had a knock-on effect on other businesses in the city?

PA> It’s about growth, but also about commercial success. We do invest as well; the business has a sort of resurgent development budget in terms of trying to find things that we can do differently. We’ve developed field dock, for remote ingest, and are selling new services that broaden post-production. For me, no one else is doing that. We’re starting to get more national recognition for what we’re trying to do.

LBB> As our readership is global, many readers may be under the impression that London is the be all and end all of the UK’s creative industries! Care to disavow them of that?

PA> From a media perspective, there’s not really another company doing what dock10 is doing in the UK, never mind Europe, in terms of the technical infrastructure that we’ve got here. No-one else in the country has the studio facilities; we’re the biggest studios in the UK. The amount of tech support and expertise we have, no-one else has got. We have people from the BBC, people from ITV, industry experts that have been pulled in, technical experts, operational experts – we’re all pulled together, working for this company creating this new way of doing things. 

I’m a northerner and I’m quite proud that this is a northern initiative. That’s not just a localised parochial view, this is people in London and elsewhere who are so excited about what we’re doing. That’s something to be proud of, I think.

LBB> Do you reckon we’re likely to see more decentralisation away from London in the world of commercial post production?

PA> There are two key elements. The commercial and rent increases on property within central London, especially Soho, have gone up by 60% in the last year thanks to investment in domestic property from the Gulf and Far East. It’s difficult to make margin in post production at the best of times. So clients are looking elsewhere, outside London. But also key is the technology. With connectivity as it is now, there’s less of a reason to be operating in London. 

For VFX in particular, we’re getting increasing amounts of work from London agencies. With our connectivity we can send material direct to the client, they can view it remotely from anywhere, and clients only really need to be present for the final sign-off.

The acquisitions of 422 and Edit 19 gave us the complete package: 3D, CGI, 2D, every element is covered. We go from Cinema 4D to Maya to Smoke to our two Flame suites. Blend that with our senior colourist, working on Baselight, and it means we really are a one-stop-shop. There isn’t anything we can’t do under our roof, and that helps clients because it’s smarter, quicker and cost effective.

LBB> So, outside of work, what are you into? What keeps you going?

PA> It’s children and football. I’m a Liverpool fan and go to the matches as often as I can, though it’s difficult with four kids. I run my son’s under-7s football team, Redgate Rovers, which I love. We are bottom of the league, not particularly good. It’s the manager’s fault entirely… we actually lost 15-1 the other week, though we did score the last goal!

I live in Formby near Liverpool, and there’s a beautiful beach so we spend a lot of time by the sea. I go running on the beach every morning around 7am, and that clears my head because it’s often completely deserted at that time. It wakes me up for the day, gives me some time to think about work and it’s also quite refreshing to run up and down the dunes. 

LBB> Who are your creative heroes and why?

PA> That’s the easiest one; Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool football manager. He fascinates me. If you’re looking for a natural leader or someone who’s masterminded cultural transformation, he’s the master. When he joined, the club was a bit down but somehow he’s built and energised not just a football club but an entire city. 

Klopp’s got 100% of his people behind him, which I’ve never seen any other leader do. I’d love to know how he’s done that or if he thinks about it, or if it’s just something that comes through naturally. He’s amazing, I think he’s a genius. 

LBB> What are your goals and plans for 2017?

PA> This year is all about realigning as a business. Last year, 2016, was massive in terms of growth and acquiring two businesses. Now it’s about consolidating and ensuring transitions are as smooth as possible. We’re also building four extra suites and a huge graphics area. We’re exploring some really exciting opportunities.

Personally, 2017 is focused on finishing my house and getting more time with my children. Our home had flooring installed over Christmas, so soon the focus will be on sorting the upstairs. I suppose that in itself is creative, though I do hate DIY and I’m not very good at it. 

I do think I’m a creative person and I still do a lot of drawing and photography, taking my camera with me wherever I go. I also like to paint, yet another creative outlet. But I rarely have enough time, because obviously there aren’t enough hours in the day!