My name is Hannah Thomas. I’m a producer and the head of drama at Severn Screen, and I'm from Cardiff.
At Severn, we produce film and television for international audiences. My job is to work closely with Ed Talfan, our creative director, to develop projects and move them towards being produced. We work on about 10 film projects and 10 television projects at any one time. My job involves discovering new writers, working with established writers, reading books, looking for stories to adapt, and giving projects the passion they need to get the green light.
I also produce the series we get commissioned. I manage the production, budget, scripts and, along with the director and team, the casting. Normally, a head of drama concentrates on development, but I’m reluctant to stop producing as I worry I would lose that sense of connection with the projects.
I've been in this industry since I was 21 and I'm now 48. I started as a runner in the BBC and worked through various production and development roles trying to learn as much as I could about TV. One of my first producer jobs in the BBC was on Pobol y Cwm which, as anyone who has produced soap will know, was a dive in the deep end!
After more than a decade at the BBC, I joined Ffilm Cymru as head of production and development and learnt about film. I worked there for four years and was executive producer on 13 feature films, which were all made with Welsh talent and had a connection to Wales. It was there that I met Ed. I was executive producer on his first feature film, The Passing. In 2017, I joined Severn Screen and produced all three series of Hidden / Craith, Steeltown Murders, and Mudtown / Ar Y Ffin, in addition to working across our slate of projects.
I love working with writers and developing stories. The journey from taking a project from script to screen involves so many brilliant different departments and crafts, from design and costume to location and camera teams – I love the collaborative process of it all. One of the biggest challenges is that it’s a competitive industry and can be difficult to raise finance for projects. We’re lucky, we have lots of tried and tested partners, like Creative Wales, but you can never take it for granted; the projects must be good enough.
When I’m putting a team together, it’s about skills but also personality. I want the filming experience to be collaborative and creatively rewarding, even during long and stressful days. When you’re all pulling in the same direction, you know the team works. Experience is also important. Take location manager Paul ‘Bach’ Davies, for example – he probably has the most encyclopaedic knowledge of Wales ever, and he is always one of the first people we turn to when setting up a project, as he has such insight. For people wanting to enter the locations department; it's one of the most difficult roles in production. Having soft skills, diplomacy skills, being a people person, and being able to get local people on board with having crews around are important skills.
For newcomers to the industry, being a facilitator and a good listener are also important. It is competitive; trying to get placements via bodies like Screen Skills can help, as can reaching out to production companies. When you get your first role, it's about trying your very best and taking advantage of every opportunity on set. If you’re starting as a runner, ask different departments how they work and try and make yourself indispensable.
As for the industry at large, there must be continued support for indigenous production companies in Wales, as well as for attracting larger, international productions. Creative Wales strikes the balance between the two. You can film anywhere, so maintaining the reason why people should film in Wales is important. For me, it’s exciting to make drama set in Wales with a particular cultural resonance that sells internationally – showing a bit of our culture, country, and our language.
I hope that Severn, along with all the other production companies in Wales, can continue to make quality drama. I hope we can continue to put Wales on the map – not only as a filming destination, but also as a country that originates great stories and compelling creative ideas.
This year will be a big year for Severn Screen; we’ve got Mudtown | Ar y Ffin, and two feature films - Mr Burton and Havoc - being released. Beyond that, we'll keep doing what we do well, developing good drama, exciting stories and compelling characters and hopefully being a company that people enjoy working with.
Interested in learning more about the Welsh film and TV industry? Discover more interviews with talented creatives across our screen sector here.
