The advice I would give to my 5-years-ago self.

Is to start writing.

It was only through writing that I realised how much more there is to this role than project management; that there are, in fact, three distinct aspects to the work of a producer:

• Entrepreneurship (taking on risks in the hope of profit)
• Project management (planning and execution)
• Creative strategy (finding the right approach to do the above)

And it was only through discovering those three distinct aspects that I was able to understand my purpose in any project team:

To balance cost with quality.

And it was only through understanding that purpose that I could finally, confidently, step into it fully.

Knowing this stuff brought clarity to every conversation. I grew more confident in the outcome I was striving for with each realisation, able to walk into a room knowing exactly why I was there and what I had to do. It’s a hugely empowering and exhilarating feeling.

It also opened up a clear pathway for personal growth — with three concrete avenues to dive into, I focused on the area I was weakest (business development) and didn’t look back.

Now writing has become my business. It has enabled me to abstract all this knowledge into a training programme. It allows me to clarify all the ideas in that training every time I reflect on them to create these posts.

Writing is what I would encourage for my 5-years ago self as the means to problems, develop ideas and organise how I communicate more quickly and more effectively. If you don’t do it, why not try it?

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