Like many people interested in entering the screen industry as a producer, Mark Errichiello has explored a number of options to break in, including doing some courses at various institutions. But it was only after he completed the Executive Producer course at Victoria University that things changed. Not only did he make invaluable contacts during the course, but it steered him into employment in production– his first toehold into the industry.
Mark works in production with Prime Seven in Canberra, his first full-time paying job in the industry. “Before that I worked in real estate – a ‘real’ job I could rely on to pay the bills until I got a foothold into film or television,” he says. “But having done the course at VU, I found I was much better prepared for the interview and obviously I was successful.”
Mark found he could field questions about the future of television and Australia’s potential links with Asian markets through the knowledge he’d picked up in the Executive Producer course. “Plus, it provided me with a solid grounding in how the industry works today, both within Australia and internationally,” he added.
For Mark, the main content he found beneficial was the material on budgeting, scheduling a shoot, legal matters, copyright, and business plans. He still utilizes that knowledge both in his work and also in the projects he’s developing outside work.
Four years ago, Mark’s wife Michelle lost a leg in a car accident. Taking up the challenge of running mainly to keep fit, Michelle is now in contention for a place representing Australia in the Paralympics in London in 2012. As a filmmaker, Mark is making a film on Michelle’s progress, and he pitched the documentary telling her story last year at SPAA Fringe. “As a direct result of the knowledge gained through the producer course, I managed to secure interest from a broadcaster,” he said.
One of the benefits of the course for Mark was that it put him in touch with other producers at a similar stage of experience as himself, who were fellow students. During the course he teamed up with one such student to pitch a project, and it went so well that they have formed an ongoing partnership.
The course also alerted Mark to the sorts of markets and festivals he should attend, and last year he went to SPAA Fringe in Sydney, where he pitched his projects using the skills learnt in the course. He secured letters of interest in two such projects from broadcasters, and also developed his network of contacts.
“The course covers a lot of subjects from legal matters, copyright, through to accounting, budgeting, key markets and running a production, which was all extremely helpful to me,” Mark says. “They show you how to put together a business plan for your projects, and that has continued to be useful to me in my work, as well as in my own projects outside of work.”
“The lecturers were all so encouraging, and they’ve made themselves available even after the course has ended, which was great,” he said. ”Getting into the television industry has been a dream of mine for so long, and now it’s finally happening, thanks to the Producer course at VU. I’d recommend it to anyone.”
VU’s Executive Producer’s Course will be taught by leading industry practitioners on alternative weekends in Sydney 2011 and Perth 2012. Current dates are: Sydney 11-13 November and 25-27 November; Perth TBA in March. For more information, or to register, phone 03 9919 1811 or email esp@vu.edu.au
