Interview: Guy Carrington
Today we are speaking with an award-winning live television/event specialist who has made a name for himself as one of the most creative and meticulous live producers on the market, Guy Carrington. Over the past 15 years, Guy has become an expert in complex live event coverage, overseeing some of Done + Dusted’s biggest shows, including the The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards. Recently, Guy produced Youtube’s Black Renaissance, a one-of-a-kind celebration of Black creativity and culture in honor of Black History Month. Read on to learn more about Guy’s experience working on the 72nd Emmy Awards with Hamish Hamilton, his approach to YouTube Original’s Black Renaissance and some of his other favorite past projects.
Hi Guy! How have you been?
I’ve been really good thanks. Have just come back from vacation so relaxed and ready to kick into the next project!
What is like working with a collaborator as successful as Hamish Hamilton on The 72nd Emmy Awards? Tell us more about your working relationship and short hand with them.
I’ve actually worked alongside Hamish for over 17 years now and we’re 2 of the 7 Done + Dusted partners. I say partners because that’s the official term, we’re actually a family who have been through a lot together over the years. And whether working on a project with Hamish or one of the other partners, there is an incredible shorthand. Between us we’ve experienced a lot of what production throws up, expected and unexpected, and it makes the 7 of us a fairly unique proposition. We also have different strengths and areas of expertise, so when we come together we can look at things from every angle and fully assess how to approach something.
You brought a unique approach to Youtube Original’s Black Renaissance. Can you take us behind one or two of your favorite scenes? Tell us more about your process and how you decide the right way to approach it.
Undoubtedly my favorite part of this project was the team we assembled. It was really important to us that the group of people responsible for the production represented the stories and segments that were created and could speak passionately and knowledgeably about them. For me, it meant a lot of listening and discussion about the right way to approach the narratives, and also it meant having faith in the team to execute on their ideas. I’m immensely proud of what we created and immensely proud of the team behind it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGMVFnnXUpM
Tell us about your proudest award? How did it feel to get this recognition?
My proudest award is my first award. Many years ago I was awarded a Broadcast Hotshot by a UK industry publication who release an annual list of creatives under 30 who are tipped for success. It was a huge confidence boost for me at the time and immensely satisfying after all of the hard work I’d put in to get to that point in my career.
Do you approach producing awards shows in a specific way at all compared to other live events?
The process is the same no matter what the event. Everything is about telling a story, so the process begins by getting to the heart of the project and figuring out what that narrative is. What is the audience takeaway, how do you want them to remember that event. Of course there are different production approaches that depend on the type of show. Whether or not it’s live, if it has an attending audience, maybe live performances, and these dictate certain elements of the approach but ultimately it’s about capturing the moment that tells the story of an event for the audience
What are some of your other favorite past projects?
Kids Choice Sports was a big favorite of mine, primarily because producing it was the most fun you can have at work. We spent a lot of our time brainstorming ridiculous challenges for our athletes and the rest of our time trying them out, work doesn’t get much better! I’m also a huge sports fan, so the opportunity to work with some of the world’s best athletes in a totally unique environment was incredible. Not many people can say they’ve put Tony Hawk in an oversized, inflatable bowling ball and rolled him down a slope to knock down some massive bowling pins!
What were some of the other challenges you encountered with The 72nd Emmy Awards? How did you overcome them?
Easily the biggest challenge of the 72nd Emmys was producing TV’s biggest awards ceremony without the majority of nominees in the room! We had 100+ feeds coming into the studio from homes, hotels and venues all over the world so to produce 3 hours of live television without any technical issues is testament to the team who worked tirelessly to ensure that the show was seamless. It was in no way without it’s sleepless nights and we put in the hours to make sure everything was robust but that’s the key to big live events….be prepared!!
What else is happening next in your world?
Next up for me is EA Play, a gaming event we’ve been producing for the past 3 years, and also some development into other areas of the industry. Done + Dusted doesn’t like to sit still and when not in the full throws of a production it’s nice to have conversations with potential collaborators about new ventures and to take some time to look around at the world because where we get our inspiration.
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Learn more about Guy on Done +Dusted’s website — thanks for reading!
