My Biggest Lesson: Margaret Levingstone
Having worked as an agency leader and producer for over 20 years, Margaret Levingstone recently jumped to the production company side as head of production at Motherland Films. Working alongside some of Ireland’s most talented and ambitious filmmakers, her role is to help move the business into its new era.
Prior to Motherland Mags grew and led Ireland’s biggest production department at Rothco – part of Accenture Song for eight years. Helping grow, train, and mentor a team of 14 producers to push their production capabilities and talents which led to multi-award winning global work including 2xCannes Lions, D&AD and One Show Grand Prix. She also managed the growth and development of the in-house production studio.
Previous to Rothco, Mags was head of production in TBWA and spent six years as a freelance producer working across both documentaries and commercials. Mags started her career in McConnells where she learned her craft in production. Some of the global and national brands Mags has worked with include Heineken, Mark Anthony Brands, Tiger, Facebook, Kerry Foods, AIB, Tesco and Electric Ireland.
You can be yourself, just don’t be a dick.
Now that’s an opening line you can’t avoid… It’s not a word I like to use often, but sometimes it's the only appropriate word, and it feels good to get it off your chest. Thankfully, there are not too many people that I have come across in this industry that I have needed to use this endearing term for, but there are always the few and yes they are the ones you don’t forget in a hurry!
I started out in this industry with no advertising/marketing or production experience behind me, but what I did have was a strong work ethic, resilience, a sense of humour, a lust for creativity and a huge amount of respect for people.
I was quiet by nature and possibly even kinda shy. I listened and learned and quietly grew in confidence. I was never, and still am not, the person who is or wants to be the centre of attention. I prefer to make a mark on people by gaining their trust and having mutual respect for each other, not by pretending to be something I’m not or not able to back up. To me, that is often a sign of insecurity. You don’t have to shout to be heard.
In saying that, the good thing about this industry is, there is a place for every character and personality, you just need to find the place you fit in best to thrive.
The reality is we are all insecure in our own skins, all trying to prove ourselves, get ahead. Many of us suffer from imposter syndrome at times, so in my view, honesty is the best policy. I’ve worked as head of production in agencies in Dublin for most of my career, and I have always worked on the ‘tough but fair’ method and not to be a dick.
This industry, albeit fun and addictive, is relentless at times, it can be incredibly stressful even with years of experience. So how do we make it as easy on ourselves and each other? Communication is key. I’ve always embraced the approach that I don’t know everything. We’re only as good as the people we work with.
We all want to do the best creative work we can. The industry is also changing so quickly with technology and new platforms emerging constantly that nobody knows it all and we are all learning together. Ask questions, be vulnerable, nobody expects you to know everything.
When you’re in a situation where the decision you have to make will have a big impact, that’s when you need to step back, have the confidence to ask for alternative opinions or help. People will respect you more for putting your hand up, than they will for making the wrong decision and causing unnecessary havoc around you.
As head of production, I’ve hired many people over the years. For me, it's not ultimately about what’s on your CV. Great if you have lots of degrees behind you, but it’s more about you as a person, what you’ve done, your work ethic, your ability to bring people with you, good communication skills and a love of creative storytelling. You need to fit into the culture.
I’ve tried to encourage my teams to ask questions and that no question is a stupid one. It’s important for people to feel at ease in an intimidating environment with so many strong personalities. To feel safe, to ask those silly questions that are needed to make a good idea great. No matter how many years you are in the industry, every job is different; we learn something new every day.
As a person, I think I’ve carried that through my career. From an agency side, being a producer is like being a politician every day, as you are navigating your way around account management, creatives, finance, and production partners, trying to weave everyone together but using different ways around people to get them to the same place. I believe I’ve treated production partners fairly and honestly too in the past and now, working for Motherland, for the past two and a half years.
Our principal values are ‘work hard and be sound’.
It’s a philosophy that the team live up to and one of the things that drew me to working here. Simple ideas are often the best.
Treat people how you would like to be treated in return. And yes sometimes it’s frustrating and disappointing when their actions don’t align with your thinking. The world is a very small place, you never know where your career is going to take you, and who you will meet again in the future.
So I’ll leave you with this. We work in a creative environment and every environment is different. If you find one place that is difficult and brings you down, don’t lose faith. Find the place that allows you to be yourself, that pushes you and allows you to thrive. There is a space for everyone, you just need to find your people.
And don’t be a dick because at the end of the day we aren’t saving lives!
