Better television may be one of the more unexpected benefits to come out of the global recession but, according to Avril MacRory, chief executive of London-based production company Silverapples Media, financial constraints can often act as a catalyst for creativity.
“Broadcasters have to programme their way out of a recession. You get some quite innovative thinking. Looking back at other recessions, some of the programming that’s still being talked about was produced in times of social change.”
New programmes still cost money, however, which is where MacRory and her production expertise come in.
“You need to look at different funding models these days; the traditional models are not working any more. Broadcasters used to pay a high proportion or the whole cost [of a programme]. Now they pay a percentage of the funding to get the rights.
“I spend a lot of time and investment building brands and options, and pitching. I have found the last six or seven years very challenging.”
She says a greater reliance on overseas funding means that working out how to sell programmes to other countries has become an essential part of her job.
“You have to think about how they operate and like to work and you also have to understand business basics. It affects your creative decisions about what to pitch.”
MacRory's career in television began in 1979 when she joined RTÉ as a trainee producer. Her first highlight came when she was asked to direct the first 34 episodes of a brand new drama – Glenroe.
“I always wanted to do writing and directing and that inevitably led into production. When I was looking at career prospects, there weren’t the course opportunities that there are now. Wanting to work in TV meant doing a degree and going into RTÉ.”
Correspondence
At 15, MacRory had begun an ongoing correspondence with the HR department in RTÉ, asking what she needed to do to get into television. She received replies to every letter, followed the advice within and used this at interviews as evidence of her commitment.
In turn, she tries to help people who are starting out in the industry. “That tradition of public service mentality, where it’s important to respond to every letter – I have a personal reason for thinking that’s important. One of two people to whom I gave their first break are now in a position to commission me.”
After rising to head of variety at RTÉ, MacRory was offered a four-year contract as commissioning editor for music at Channel 4 in London.
This was followed by five years as head of music programmes at the BBC and two years as head of the BBC’s millennium event, a 28-hour long live programme seen by 2.7 billion people in 125 countries.
In 2001, she set up Silverapples Media to pursue her own projects, which have included Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Celtic Woman.
“I worked for 25 years for major broadcasters,” she says. “I set up this company with a different approach, as a vehicle to do things that I’m really interested in and that will deliver revenue streams. I don’t follow trends.”
Music has been a constant thread throughout MacRory's career. She plays the harp, cello and piano and toured with Rory Gallagher, Clannad and Paul Brady in the 1970s. She later went on to do programmes with all of them.
“Music has been a companion and part of my life since I was 11. I was part of the traditional revival. I thought that might be my career but I wasn’t as good as other people and I thought I’d be better behind the scenes.”
She continues to maintain strong professional and personal links with Ireland. “My family are still in Dublin; I’m back and forth frequently. I have produced a lot of our biggest shows in Ireland because of the level of talent that exists, particularly in music. Why would you go anywhere else?”
Industry changes
MacRory has seen many industry changes over the course of her career, not least a reduction in barriers to entry.
“It’s not a closed industry any more. In the Eighties, RTÉ was a production broadcaster and only a small minority was commissioned. Now there’s a much more fluid relationship between the gateway to the airwaves and those who create the content.
“The industry has changed because the technology has changed. People can make a film in their bedroom or on their iPhone that can reach the cinema. Turning that into a commercial product is a different operation. That requires contacts and experience.”
