Production apprentice Jess Panchani, runner on Rio 2016: Parade of Heroes
Jess Panchani
Production Apprentice
Tagged with:
Gabby Logan interviews Olympic heroes, including Sir Chris Hoy
When I first started in this position, even when I got the interview, I was petrified and still am. I am not quite sure how I got here. When you get an opportunity like this one you don’t want to let it go to waste. This apprenticeship programme is all about me learning on the job and getting to know the company. I want to keep everyone updated on this journey I've had the opportunity to tag along on.
A little bit of background knowledge about me first: I’m newly turned 19, finished college last year, have no media experience and needed a change in perspective. Not everyone’s the same and uni just wasn’t for me.
Having done three weeks training in Birmingham and London, it was nice to be home and back into a routine. I can tell you now that I have made lifelong friendships. We’re working for a production company that has millions of people around the world tuning into its programmes every day. It’s astounding. The amazing thing about these training weeks was that the skills and information we learned are transferable to any department.
When I applied for this course I had no idea what I was getting into but the support and guidance I was given from the word go has been amazing. In my first week on the job I was able to work on a fantastic outside broadcast, which was the Manchester
My day started at nine in the morning and ended at around seven when we came up for air. My role that day was a runner, basically giving a hand where ever needed, from picking up make up mirrors to helping the talent get to where they need to be.
I met incredible Olympians such as Chris Hoy and Steve Brown and got to know a lot of different people. I may have only been a runner but it was nice to have the chance to prove to myself that I could do this. The great thing about this job is the amount of people you meet and everyone’s unique journey. It’s only been a couple of months and I have already had the opportunities to work on , Cbeebies Pantomime, and . Each programme had taught me different aspects of the industry in different departments. The great thing is none of these programmes saw me as an apprentice, they see me as someone who is willing to learn and widen my horizons.