Overview of the role
A production secretary supports the production management team with key logistical, administrative and financial tasks including arranging travel, transport, accommodation, and supplies. They assist with general admin and filming preparation, such as call sheets, schedules, and finance trackers, and may handle hospitality and the purchase of supplies. They support the production coordinator and production manager with receipt reconciliation, expense tracking, purchase orders, release forms, child performance licenses, and other production paperwork.
In children’s TV production secretaries should understand the regulatory frameworks involving working with children including child performance regulations and child licensing, all relevant health and safety, duty of care and safeguarding guidelines. They are typically line managed by the production coordinator (PC), production manager (PM) or line producer (LP).
Core responsibilities
These core responsibilities are provided as a guide and are not exhaustive. The exact responsibilities in a particular job will vary depending on the size of the production team and the scale and budget of the production.
- Set up and equip production offices to meet production needs.
- Assist with IT setup, freelancer training, and maintaining training logs.
- Support the production coordinator by liaising with crew, suppliers, and production teams to ensure equipment, personnel and facilities are in place according to budget and schedule.
- Coordinate with internal and external suppliers to meet production requirements including all contracts in place and include relevant insurance and health and safety qualifications and certificates and operating licences.
- Ensure secure handling of sensitive data following procedures set by the production manager or line producer and in accordance with all GDPR/data protection rules.
- Support child performance licensing by collecting paperwork, maintaining accurate records and communicating with parents/guardians.
- Help organise recces to check out locations and plan production set ups.
- Prepare location signage and production packs for casting and shooting teams.
- Raise purchase orders and update cost trackers.
- Gather health and safety supplies for filming, including first aid kits and PPE.
- Arrange production meetings and send diary invites.
- May supervise some runner tasks.
- Organise travel, transport, and accommodation for contributors (including children) and crew, ensuring all requirements and access needs are met and maintaining cost trackers.
- Support team welfare during filming, reviewing arrangements and adjusting to meet production needs.
- Assist the coordinator in communicating safeguarding and working with children practices to crew, contributors, and parents/guardians.
- Address urgent issues in collaboration with relevant production personnel.
- Source information for call sheets, including local amenities and weather forecasts.
- Collect receipts for production purchases and update cost trackers for reconciliation.
- Gather release forms, child working hour sheets, and other paperwork, ensuring scanning and storage comply with GDPR/data retention policies.
- Source props, kit, and memory cards from hire companies and raise purchase orders.
- Oversee collection and return of hire cars.
- Maintain equipment, kits, memory cards, and props, ensuring all items are accounted for and returned in ready-to-use condition.
- Collate carbon footprint data using carbon calculators.
- De-rig production office.
- Coordinate runners to deliver rushes or transport drives to the post-production facility.
- Reconcile receipts and submit them to the production coordinator.
- Organise props and other items to be retained in production storage.
- Support the production coordinator with post-production paperwork, including music cue sheets if required.
- Archive all paperwork in line with the production retention policy.
- Ensure all essential information is handed over to the production coordinator.
Skills
Check out the role specific skills, transferable skills and attributes for the role of production secretary in unscripted children's TV.
- Organisation: coordinate and communicate production travel, transport, accommodation, and supplies, including updates to teams and contributors.
- Planning: support production planning for transport, accommodation, equipment, props, and catering to meet production needs.
- Proactive: take initiative to assess and complete tasks efficiently, think quickly, and communicate effectively.
- Interpersonal skills: convey information clearly across multiple styles and platforms to crew, production teams, contributors, and inexperienced parents/guardians.
- Financial support: assist with financial tracking and spending.
- Confidence: engage confidently with all levels of talent and team hierarchy.
- Teamwork: work collaboratively with the wider production team and contributors helping to foster a collaborative and inclusive working environment.
- Communication: interpret requirements and relay them clearly to colleagues.
- Etiquette: understand and uphold production roles, responsibilities, and communication standards.
- Time management: prioritise tasks and keep production updated on progress.
- Problem-solving: help resolve issues during production to keep schedules on track.
- Resilience and enthusiasm: adapt positively to changing priorities while ensuring deadlines are met.
- Proactive: explore innovative approaches and new methods to enhance production outcomes.
- Productivity: organise work efficiently and achieve results within deadlines.
- Drive and energy: maintain momentum under pressure and escalate issues appropriately.
- Ethics and integrity: act honestly, responsibly, and with principled judgment.
- Respect and inclusion: work inclusively while meeting professional ethical standards.
- Flexibility: listen, learn, and adapt to changing priorities while maintaining high standards.
- Professional development: seek learning and networking opportunities to grow skills and knowledge.