Meet Your Makers: Ffion Davies on the Key Skills of a Producer

Ffion Davies is a senior sport producer at creative agency, Formidable, where she produces high-impact social-focused brand campaigns for leading sporting names such as Red Bull, Team GB and Amazon Prime Video Sport. With over a decade of production experience in the branded content, entertainment and digital space, Ffion's credits include prime-time TV shows for the likes of Netflix, The BBC and Channel 4, as well as brand work for household names such as Coca Cola, Vodafone and Tag Heuer.

LBB> What was your first role in the production world and how did this experience influence how you think about production and how you grew your career?

Ffion> I’ve always worked in production, across broadcast TV, branded content and social media, and was very fortunate to get a job as a junior researcher in a TV company shortly after I graduated. It was a really hands-on role in a small team and taught me a huge amount, especially about how producers need to find ingenious and creative ways to get things done in the face of tough timelines and even tougher budgets! 

LBB> How did you learn to be a producer? 

Ffion> I was fortunate to have some great mentors amongst my senior colleagues in the first few years of my career who were an invaluable help in not only teaching me the ropes, but also letting me make mistakes and learning how to avoid the pitfalls we all fall into when we start out.

LBB> A good producer should be able to produce for any medium, from film to events to digital experience. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why/why not? 

Ffion> I think this is very true, especially now when so many projects require a multimedia approach. This is something I continue to try and do and want to keep stretching myself by learning new skills and working in new media whenever I get the opportunity.

LBB> What do you think is the key to being an effective producer - and is it something that’s innate or something that can be learned?

Ffion> I think the key skills of a producer - problem solving, project management and people management - are definitely skills to be learned and honed over time, but I do also think it’s a job which appeals to and attracts a certain type of person – someone who is a stickler for detail, but also can step back and look at the bigger picture of a project to work out a way to bring it all together. If you are your family or friendship group’s main organizer and find yourself creating colour coded Excels for every occasion, you’re probably a bit of a secret producer! 

LBB> And in terms of recent work, which projects have you found to be particularly exciting or have presented particularly interesting production challenges? 

Ffion> I led on the production of a 6-part YouTube series launching this summer, which focused specifically on female athletes. This was a real passion project for me, and an opportunity to work with world-class talent. The entire cast of talent and crew on set were all-female, which was incredibly inspiring, and I hope to take part in more creative projects that really lean into this in future.

LBB> What advice would you give to people who are interested in becoming a producer?

Ffion> To be tenacious, and to keep asking questions – of everyone, all the time. As a producer you never stop learning, so it’s a great skill to be able to put your hand up and ask for guidance or tips. 

LBB> From your experience what are the ingredients for a successful production?

Ffion> It’s a cliché, but I’d say it must be teamwork. No production will ever be a success without a team who are in-sync and communicate well, and who can rely on each other to make sure everyone stays on time, on track and happy! 

LBB> What’s the key to a successful production-client relationship?

Ffion> When it comes to a producer-client relationship, communication is key, and I think a willingness to step away from ‘us and them’ relationships. Ultimately the most successful productions I’ve been a part of are where the clients and the production team have felt like one extended team all working towards the same goal, and I think the only way to really achieve this is to have clear and open communication from the out-set, and to try and have some fun along the way!