Producer's Diary - March 2010
Julian O'Brien
We've had lots of feedback from viewers saying they're enjoying our new series - and I must say that for myself, I've been really enjoying watching them go to air.
The person who's most involved with each individual episode is the reporter/director for the story, but I'm also quite involved in both the planning and post-production. By the time each episode is finished, I usually feel I've seen and heard it more than enough - but there's a gap of at least a month, sometimes much longer, before the finished product goes to air, and when I see them again on the screen, they look better than ever and it's a real joy to see them.
Putting any one programme together is a real team effort - it draws on the skills and enthusiasm of a lot of people, and when I see the final product go to air, I feel very proud of our achievements, and very fortunate to be associated with such a talented group of professionals.
One of the other things that makes Country Calendar such a joy to work on is the huge variety of topics we cover.
Just look at one month alone - March's stories feature an organic sheep-farmer, a market gardener, a man who's farming successfully near the Bridge to Nowhere, where so many people have tried and failed in the past; and a high country artist who goes mustering to get close to the subjects he loves to paint.
Huge variety - yes - but these four people have some things in common.
One is commitment and ability - the same traits that I believe the Country Calendar team shows. All our story subjects have put a lot of time into thinking about what they do, why they do it, how they can do it better and how they can get the most from it - not just in a narrow financial sense, but in terms of overall personal satisfaction.
Another thing they have in common is innovation - they've all had to find their own way in their particular field and they've all succeeded magnificently.
And one more thing they share - they're all very nice people!
I hope all those things come across in our stories - and I hope you enjoy watching.
