Kate Manning has worked constantly in Television Production for over 20 years and now moves between roles as production manager, line producer and production supervisor.
She had her first break in Brisbane doing (unpaid) work experience in the News Room and from there she worked her way up from Production Assistant, Prod Coord, PM, Supervising PM, Line Producer, to Production Supervisor at Warner Bros Australia.
Her experience has been hands on in all types of TV production from big reality shows such as The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, I’m a Celebrity Get me Outta Here, MasterChef. It has included making Documentary Series such as Who Do You Think You Are, The Good Cop, Neil Oliver presents The Australian War Memorial; and OB DOC Reality shows such as First Dates, and What happens in Bali / Thailand. Her experience has extended into Studio Light Entertainment/ Shiny Floor Shows / Outside Broadcasts which have been either live, pre-recorded as live, full pre-records.
She gained a great deal of experience working in Production Development, initially in-house at Seven Network for a few years, and then for Eyeworks Australia, which then became Warner Bros Australia.
Working in development allowed her the know-how to work up new show concepts and take international program formats, which had been successful overseas, and adapt them to succeed in the extremely specific Australian market. One of her best examples was First Dates, which was The Warner Bros Australia owned format made for Seven Network. Note, this is now heading into its fourth series and is still based on the fundamentals she implemented.
She was also key player in the smooth transition of The Bachelor and Bachelorette Productions moving from Endemol Shine to Warner Bros; her role was working up the budget from scratch (having not done the show previously), carving out the intense schedule and making sure the long-established format and ever changing creative was stuck to. It was bloody hard!!
Kate has always been known for two things: 1. “The Producer’s PM” – she always finds a way to “make the creative happen” within budget and time constraints.
She is also known as one of the “nice PM’s” with numerous staff and crew keen to work for her again and again.
She’s had the opportunity to work very closely with some Australia’s TV Royalty who are both off and on camera, and she can proudly say quite a few of them are her closest friends and colleagues.
She’s worked for a lot of the Major Production Companies: Warner Bros Australia, FremantleMedia, Endemol Southern Star (before it became Shine); She’s spent many years working at Seven Network in their in-house Production department, and worked closely with the smaller boutique Production Houses such as Eyeworks, CornerBox, CJZ,…..and more….
Kate sees success in Production Management as much about your personality, attitude and approach, and how well you can communicate; as it is about your skill, knowledge and experience. It has to be the perfect balance of both. It can be such a rewarding and exhilarating job but only if you love it and can work passionately.
“Nothing beats the feeling when a project gets commissioned; you’re standing by watching it go out live to the Nation; all squashed into a pub watching it being broadcast on the Tele at the launch party. The feeling of achievement and success is such a buzz – It was because of you, you created the culture, the drive and motivation of all your team and crew.”
All of this experience has been invaluable in accruing her current knowledge and carving out a career she is proud of. She has established a strong prominent reputation which has given her a lot to contribute to the industry; and now it is allowing her the opportunity and privilege to teach at AFTRS.