In conversation with Ben Greenacre

 1.     Introduce yourself

Father of 3 (10, 8 & 3) living in Bristol, Line Producer, turned 50 in a pandemic.  

2.     What is your job title?

Line Producer.

3.     Who looks after the kids when you are working?

My excellent wife, Katie.

4.     How long did you take off work after having your kids?

After #1 I took long enough off work for Katie to eventually tell me to bugger off out of the house and get a job.  After #3 I started doing Soft Prep on a new job after only a week or two.

5.     Would you say that you have a good work/life balance?

Not as good as I’d like but much better than it could be.  I live in Bristol and for the last 4 years, my rather brilliant agent has secured me jobs here so I’m home every night and often after only a 15-minute drive.  But I’m still working for an hour or 4 past the 11 on most nights either in the office or at home and a few hours at the weekend so there’s room for improvement.  And at some point, I’ll have to take a job away from Bristol which will be a bit of shock for all of us.

6.     Are you job sharing or working flexibly?

Nope.

7.     What do you think is the hardest part of working in media/film/tv industry and being a parent?

The hours.  The intensity.  The not being able to book holidays.  And the worry that they might follow me into this business rather than embark on well-paid careers so they can support me in their dotage.

8.     What are your tips for any other men out there wanting to have kids and keep a career in film?

Do it.  Having children is the best thing ever.  But make sure your other half is spectacular.  The hours we do and the intensity with which we have to work puts a huge pressure on our wives/husbands; she/he will have to function as a de facto single parent much of the time - forget this at your peril. 

 9.     Any advice for anyone about to return to work after paternity leave?

Don’t forget that no matter how tired you are, your other half is more tired.  Do not enter into a who’s more tired / had less sleep competition with her/him.  You will not win.

 Beyond that, I don’t know.  Maybe try and do the 11pm feed if you can - you’ll be up anyway?  Send flowers for no reason occasionally?  Get a Deliveroo account?  Get your mother-in-law to stay with you to cover the first few weeks you’re not around.  Don’t suddenly forget how to do the really grim nappies?

 10.  What advice did you wish someone had given you?

In general, I don’t have much to say but here goes.  I spent a lot of time doing the first job that turned up and forgot what my career goals were.  Now I’m in a position where my goal has to be supporting my family.  So I wish someone had told me to check in with where I wanted to get to in my career and make decisions with that in mind.  Or possibly perhaps just told me to move into development - it seems rather fun there.  Or maybe just to borrow as much money as I could and buy shares in Apple in about 1999.

With regard to family life, don’t wait to start one.  It’s never the right time so crack on sooner rather than later  I wish I started our family a few years earlier.  I’m going to be properly grandparent age by the time #3 is getting ready to leave home and I’ll be knackered, which isn’t really fair on her (I fear #3 gets the fuzzy end of the lollipop quite often - there certainly won’t be any money left by the time she’s grown up).