Pros
- Many of the staff are lovely - Good location - Some opportunities to talk to staff/clientelle
Cons
Where do I begin? The things asked of runners are hilariously tragic: - Cleaning human excrement (on more than one occasion) - Handling and cleaning toxic materials (asbestos) without being provided any PPE (gloves, masks etc) - Driving well beyond legal time limits, including having to continue driving through lunch breaks - Antisocial hours at very last-minute notice There are individuals here who are known to have behaved in a predatory way towards young female runners. Senior management is aware of this, but decisive action is rarely taken. A male individual is known to have exposed himself in a women's toilet at a company party. This individual still works at Films @ 59. You would have to provide weekend cover if anyone was needed in the evenings on weekends. If you're called in to lock up a building at midnight (which is not unusual), you would be paid for your time. You've put aside your entire weekend without even knowing if you'll be needed until that day, only to have to crawl out of bed at 11pm to work twenty minutes for £3 overtime. Directors of this company receive seven-figure dividends annually. Training opportunities are virtually nonexistent. Only after four months of work are you allowed to shadow an editor/dubber/etc but in your own unpaid time, and only if you ask nicely like a good little runner. There is an atmosphere which feels as if you are being actively prevented from learning anything about the TV industry - you are here to prove yourself by showing that you will tolerate mistreatment. Instead of learning, you will spend the vast majority of your time doing menial tasks such as litter-picking, cleaning, and making drinks. When asked if runners could have more learning opportunities, management were genuinely appalled and reiterated that we're 'lucky' to be here... We were collectively threatened with being given a bad reference - which is illegal. All of this effort for - you guessed it - minimum wage! If they could get away with paying you less, they absolutely would. At every opportunity you are reminded that you are worthless, and that you're lucky to be there. This is a ruthless industry at the best of times, but the way in which entry-level staff are treated at Films @ 59 is unlike anything I've experienced elsewhere. The astonishing thing is that management genuinely expects you to give the job everything, and they're completely baffled when they get minimum effort for minimum wage.
