Adrienn Major: “Freelancing is Building Multiple Families”
Throughout her career, Adrienn Major - now the founder of post company POD LDN - has worked in virtually every element of the production process, from traditional video production, photography and broadcasting to producing for global brands from the likes of Google and LEGO, and managing campaigns at R/GA, AMV BBDO, VCCP Kin, We Are Social, and adam&eveDDB.
Adrienn has seen both sides of the coin plus an extra one - she has produced through both agencies and production companies, but she’s also gone freelance. Her experiences and the gaps she saw in the industry ultimately led her to create POD LDN, as an alternative model of the classic post studio - her idea was to offer a transparent, flat day rate service that has all the benefits of a post house, but operates more like an in-house resource or freelancer.
In Adrienn’s eyes, the industry was ripe for a shake-up, and the numbers prove it. While POD was started in 2020 as a side hustle, only a couple months later she had to hand her notice in and leave her beloved AMV.
Growing up interested in films and video, Adrienn took a film course at just 11 years old and started producing short films for school. Even back then she loved jumping around specialisms, as she was editing, lighting and sounding her own projects at the same time. A habit that isn’t gone until today.
Born in Hungary, Adrienn tells LBB’s Zoe Antonov about her move to the UK in the pursuit of her dream career, what internal issues she saw in agency structures and how she aimed to make POD LDN the ultimate fix.
LBB> What were the first steps you took towards entering the industry after moving from Hungary to the UK?
Adrienn> Honestly, it was not easy. I moved to the UK from Hungary in 2007 aged 19, full of dreams but with zero connections or networks.
I studied film and broadcast production at London Metropolitan University while working in retail to cover my living expenses. It was really hard getting that first opportunity but I was lucky that I had a lovely friend at uni (who was a year above me on the same course) who hooked me up with a part-time volunteer production assistant job. On the side, I still did loads of filming and editing jobs, mainly for free - just so I could put something on my reels and CV and to grow my network.
That first job, however, really helped me get something official on my CV which then allowed me to apply for other jobs. The next big step was making a jump from the production company side to the agency side, which again was not very straightforward and I was probably pretty bad at my first agency job.
The key lesson I can mention is: Always be nice to people and give your job 100%, as you truly never know who you will bump into in the future or who will help you with your career moves. It might sound lame, but I would also advise people to never leave anywhere on bad terms, even if you hate the place. Delivering everything, leaving precise handovers, everything in an order goes a long way.
Finally, I would recommend people to freelance for a while if they can. It allows you to learn much faster and grow your network much quicker. The years I spent freelancing are what allowed me to build a network, so when I launched my business I knew enough people to approach.
LBB> What made you choose production and post production? What drew you to that part of the industry?
Adrienn> Initially, it was my original love for filmmaking. The area of production where I landed took a while to find. Only after I had worked in agencies and understood how important time and effectiveness is, I realised that this is the part that really excited me. I have always been about innovation, making things more efficient, and finding different ways naturally, so this was a perfect match for me. While I have always loved the magic of post, I felt like it was an area I could bring some change to.
LBB> Tell me about your work with LEGO and Google and how did these experiences change the trajectory of your career?
Adrienn> Working for such huge brands teaches you a lot, mainly about the process. While you can run smaller companies without too many of these, for big organisations processes are essential. Especially if you want to scale your business and operations.
I also learned a lot about working with different departments while being part of the same company. You need to understand how to navigate the priorities that different departments will have.
LBB> What were the most valuable lessons you learned while freelancing and what kept you wanting to do it for so long?
Adrienn> Freelancing really humbles you. You learn to always give 100% because your next contract really depends on it. I loved the learning element of freelancing the most. You get to see how two or three big companies work every year (if you have some solid contracts) and the amount of learning you can do really compounds compared to a permanent job. The nice thing about it is that you never feel sad, like when you are leaving a permanent job, because you can always return. So it feels like you are building multiple families. The other part I loved was building a network. You get to know so many people over the years by moving around.
One less sentimental lesson, but an important one - is to stay on top of taxes. I made some mistakes with it initially, but having a great accountant and understanding taxes is underrated!
LBB> What were the main differences you noticed in the way you worked as an agency producer and freelance producer?
Adrienn> In terms of going from agency producer to working for myself, I was always good at multitasking, but when you work for yourself or run your own business, you really have to know everything and stay on top of every element. In the beginning, we didn’t have producers, so I also produced all the work, which was very demanding. I went from running about five projects at an agency to running about 30 and above at any given time while doing business development and operations on the side. To keep on top of everything you have to be really fast. It kind of became an addiction, an adrenalin rush to do as many things in as little time as possible.
The downside is that you also dictate this crazy speed to your team, which is hard for newcomers to pick up. At the moment I am learning to reverse this back and slow down!
And then in terms of going from production company producer to agency producer - it wasn’t easy, but I am glad I did it and did it in this order (production company first then agency). At first, you need to learn how creatives and different departments work, but once I understood it, I managed to navigate the system and add value to the projects I was working on. I would like to believe that knowing how to produce small, work with internal design teams and find solutions for projects really helped me to establish myself and bring value to the agencies I worked for.
When you work at a production company and do shoots all the time you really focus on efficiency while making sure your crew is happy. People often work long hours and you really learn how to keep them sweet. Understanding how to shoot things, what kind of approach you need, whether it's a studio shoot, or on location, the processes of getting permits, etc. has always helped me when I made the move to the agency side.
What initially attracted me to make the switch is that you get to become part of the ‘idea’, see how a campaign is born, and really understand every element.
LBB> How did all of this bring you to establishing your own company - what was the gap you saw in the market?
Adrienn> I knew I wanted to do something different but it took a while until the penny dropped.
After working for a few years in agencies I started to see some patterns of the internal issues they all face. I started noticing how big campaigns like TV are relatively straightforward because you always have production companies and post houses interested and bidding for the projects, but smaller projects often give headaches to the producers.
These are the ones that are less ‘sexy’, and agencies tend to do in-house, or bring in freelancers for. Often producers end up fighting over their favourite designers' time and the poor resource managers are getting caught in the middle of constantly moving bookings around. Not to mention, it is no longer quick or easy to bring in freelancers, you have to do tons of paperwork, and often by the time you have the artist signed off the brief changes and you need a different set of skills.
I had seen the above pattern in many agencies and at the end of 2019, the picture cleared in my head and the penny dropped. I understood what producers really needed. They need a flexible partner that is always available, can do small and big jobs at the same level, and has transparent prices. Post production pricing was always a mystery for me as a producer. A lot of the time I wasted valuable time on negotiation which took time away from the actual work.
So, when starting a business, I wanted to offer transparent prices straight away, so that producers would already know roughly what ballpark range to expect from us.
LBB> Why did you choose to make that move just before the lockdown started, or was that more of a coincidence? How did you get over that as a new company?
Adrienn> It was a coincidence - a perfect storm for us. Just before the pandemic I had begun to mention to some colleagues about this new business venture I was starting on the side.
When covid kicked in, and all the shoots got cancelled, suddenly there was an increased need for post-production. A lot of the agencies let their freelancers go and they suddenly had all these jobs to re-edit or update with different messaging.
I understood the challenge producers were facing and I was able to offer them a helping hand at the time they really needed. This really helped us grow suddenly, and then it was about maintaining growth.
For the first few months, I did POD on the side but very soon - about one or two months in - I had to hand in my notice at my beloved AMV. It was a difficult decision as I really loved my job but had to realise that the growth was so quick, that I could not give my full attention to both.
LBB> How is POD LDN different from other companies today? How have things changed since opening your doors?
Adrienn> Outsourcing and offshoring have their risks and anyone who tries to do it will tell you that often it can make things difficult. While it can be an attractive option to save on budget, often language barriers, cultural differences, different ways of working and time zones make it so complicated that in the end, you question whether it was really worth it.
Understanding these challenges and overcoming them was always at the centre of our ethos. Staying local, with local and experienced producers who understand how producers work locally and understand their expectations, yet tapping into a global pool of resources and taking out the risk for our customers is one of our key USPs. Being able to offer unlimited resources, as and when our clients need them, is another. With our support, our clients can easily ride the wave of winning and losing business without having to let people go or suddenly having to recruit a huge team overnight.
Another key USP is that we take on tasks besides full projects. So, for example, if you have a great in-house team of editors and motion designers, but every now and again you need help with a colour grade, or let’s say some product replacement, we can just support you with the tasks you need. Working as an extension of the existing team, as we like to say.
We also blend ourselves into the client's infrastructure, so for example if they want to be on Slack with us, no problem; we like being part of their team.
Since opening our doors, the main things that have changed are internal, such as tools, workflows, talent pool etc. We also offer more services. Initially, it was just traditional post-production, but now we also offer the services that agencies would traditionally do in-house, such as retouching, artworking, or HTML banners to mention a few.
LBB> In light of how successful POD LDN is in the way it works, what do you believe that says about the wider industry's need for change? Where do you see things going in the next five to ten years?
Adrienn> I think content production will continue to speed up as more and more businesses and publishers create business-as-usual content and campaigns to reach new audiences on an increasing number of platforms and mediums. What it means for agencies and production companies is that there is a market to produce these. While budgets per project might be decreasing, there is definitely an increased volume that needs producing. I think this is great news - we just need to look at it from a different angle.
To adapt to these changes, you really need to look at it on an operational level. How can you staff up to be able to adjust to different changes? What systems can you set up that allow you to make changes on the go? Who are those businesses and partners that can help you scale at the time you need it?
Regarding the future - remote working became accepted overnight, it’s a really amazing opportunity for agencies to work with their global networks more closely. I think we will see this more. There are already some of the big players that are tapping into the global talent availability.
The other thing worth mentioning is that we are just scratching the surface of the use of AI - I have no doubt that we will see more use of it across the board. I don’t think it will replace creativity, but I think it will help us automate certain tasks to increase productivity. It also has great potential to help us understand the huge amount of data we already have and create more personal experiences for end users. No doubt, we will also see a lot more discussion around regulations, but with challenges come opportunities.
LBB> What is your advice to freelance producers out there today?
Adrienn> Here are my three key tips. I would advise anyone to learn about all aspects of production. It is super helpful when you understand what crews are required to shoot, in the same way that it is very important to understand how to negotiate usage or get Clearcast approval on a script.
Second, don’t be scared to try new things, there are lots of new business/production companies offering really cool solutions for every budget.
The last one would be to network, network, network.
LBB> Speaking of networks, you've set up a women's networking group for production too - tell me more about it.
Adrienn> I always loved bringing awesome people together. We started doing a ladies' club earlier this year as most of our amazing clients are women. It’s quite low-key - every three months or so we organise a very casual brunch. We try and not make it feel like a ‘networking event’ on purpose. We talk about everything - life, work, challenges, and we also exchange lots of knowledge and tips on the go.
LBB> What are you passionate about outside of work?
Adrienn> I love travelling, working out and gardening, and recently I got into visiting escape rooms with my boyfriend. I would say I am still a beginner, but I love the challenge and the problem-solving element while having to follow a storyline with characters. It's like being in an Indiana Jones movie.
