Meet Your Makers: Frankie Elster on the Importance of Being Authentic to Who You Are

Frankie has grown up in the London editing and advertising worlds. It runs in the family with her sister and brother-in-law both in the business.  She started at Final Cut 14 years ago as a little nipper and worked her way up the ranks, earning her producer stripes. In 2023 she joined the team at Work as executive producer. Throughout her career she has produced award winning work for clients including Traktor, Loz Perez, Henry Scholfield and Sam Brown, nurtured editing talent and worked with the best in the business. A mum of two young kids, Frankie is enjoying the rollercoaster ride of juggling motherhood and running the London office. Life never stops but she loves the buzz of it all. 

LBB> What first attracted you to production - and has it been an industry you’ve always worked on or did you come to it from another area? 

Frankie> I am not going to lie. I fell into it as my sister and brother in law worked in the industry and they got my foot in the door. As soon as I started I knew it was the industry I wanted to work in. I love the people and the work that is created and I never looked back. 

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? 

Frankie> I worked as a receptionist and loved it. I think this was great for my confidence. I loved meeting people and getting to know who people were in the industry. When you are sat upfront and greeting everything it's the perfect role to absorb so much... I then moved up to an assistant producer and made some great friends across the industry who have grown up the production ladder with me. This has been vital in production in sustaining those work relationships. 

LBB> How did you learn to be a producer? 

Frankie> I was lucky enough to be taught by some amazing people over the years and have gained my experience from listening and learning from them, you also have to be authentic to who you are. 

LBB> What’s your favourite thing about production and why? 

Frankie> The people you work with, I find that the most exciting. You meet such creative and fun people and that is everything to me. The work we do is pretty cool too :).

LBB> How has production changed since you started your career? 

Frankie> Oh the technology for sure. When I started you received rushes on digi tapes and sent QTs on cd’s! Then it all very quickly went digital and file based. So in terms of technology that has changed an awful lot. I feel very old saying that! 

LBB> And what has stayed the same? 

Frankie> The people, always the people. 

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? 

Frankie> I think being able to communicate well, to be a good listener and people person. You also have to know when to please and when to push back. That's definitely something you can learn over time the more jobs you work on and different personalities you work with. I still learn something every day on every job. 

LBB> Producers always have the best stories. What’s the hairiest / most insane situation you’ve found yourself in and how did you work your way out of it? 

Frankie> Oooh that would be telling, probably many stories from Cannes :) 

LBB> As a producer your brain must have a neverending "to do" list. How do you switch off?  What do you do to relax? 

Frankie> Tricky when you have two small children at home but just being with friends and family helps me relax. Oh and having a bit of me time after work browsing the shops. Can’t beat retail therapy.

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

Frankie> Having a good team of people around you, it's so important to me that you listen and respect each other's ideas. 

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

Frankie> Being transparent, it is the top of my list and an absolute must. 

LBB> Producers are naturally hands on - they have to be. How do you balance that in the more managerial role of an EP? 

Frankie> It is a tricky one and I am definitely learning to work this out with my new role as EP at Work. I am pretty hands on. I think it's a fine balance and it's important to let the producers you work with have their freedom and for them to know you are always around and have their backs.