Interview With – Thomas Ryan: Head of Post-Production at Connected Pictures

We sat down with the talented Thomas Ryan, Head of Post-Production for Connected Pictures. Thomas tells us how he has found life at Connected, working with Victoria and Searchlight, and his ambition for the Post-Production department.

Thomas’ story is truly an inspiring one, with no education-based training in the post-production industry. His passion, determination and attitude have carried him to great success. His love affair with editing started when he was eight years old, watching James Bond with his mum. His interest sparked, leading Thomas to begin creating mini-films at home. From the young age of 12,  Thomas was working as a photographers assistant, being surrounded by cameras, editing equipment and a mentor, all of which is how the spark took hold.

Jumping forward to October 2019, with several years of working on cameras, editing and technical post-production management under his belt, his career would truly take off. This is when Searchlight’s, Victoria Lugg, got in touch with Thomas. Connected Pictures were looking for a Media and Technology Manager. Thomas seemed to be a good fit for the role.  

The Recruitment Process

“Working with Victoria was easy. She was brilliant, fantastic and personable. She regularly kept in contact, keeping me up to date every step of the way. We had a good connection, so much so, that Victoria has gone on to find candidates for me at Connected, now I’m the Head of Post-Production.

What does the Head of Production do on the day today?

“I oversee the post-production process. I’m in charge of the workflow and schedule that we now use. I ensure that everything that we do get’s through. I have to liaise with the other departments, making sure that we are all aware of what we are doing and working cohesively to support one another. I still play a dabble in the creative sides of things, from graphics to editing.”

Thomas’s time and greatest achievements with Connected Pictures:

Thomas’s career at Connected Pictures has accelerated rapidly much like the companies growth in the last couple of years. Thomas manages the post-production of all Connected’s work, working with Pfizer, CNBC, United Nations, Visa, Unilever, and most recently COP26, to name but a few. We asked Thomas what his proudest achievement has been so far. “Undoubtedly it has to be working on The Beautiful Truth documentary, The purpose of Capitalism: Insights from Japan. I was building the graphics, working offline and online – putting in crazy hours. But it was brilliant. It felt like my baby, taking it from camera videos to the big screen. That has very much been my proudest achievement. My CEO (Adam Penny) was incredibly supportive and complimentary of my colleague (Holly – Producer) and I’s work. He made the time to highlight what we had done and congratulate us for doing so well.”

Connected Pictures has come a long way in the past couple of years growing by a crazy percentage in the last two years, now working across over 12 different languages. This growth is echoed in the expansion of the post and production team. “My most enjoyable experience at Connected, is being able to grow the team, you are trusted to do your job here with no one looking over your shoulder. The learning curve was very hard at first, but the work has been so enjoyable, that it has made it all worth it”.

What do you attribute your success at Connected Pictures too?

Thomas credits his success to the “trust and support” all staff at Connected Pictures are allowed. One thing he also credits as being key to this is having access to a life coach. “It is something I can not speak highly enough about, I think it is something every company should have! It encourages you to focus on your goals, and you can see just how much the business cares about its employees.

What does the future hold for you?

“At the moment, my focus is on the growth of the department. I’m very happy with the level I’m at for the moment. I see the growth of the department and team as an extension of myself, and I want to continue to push that, making the work we do as efficient and great as we possibly can”

Any advice for those wanting to get into the industry?

“You’ve got to start making films, getting involved in the process. The more you do the more you learn, if you’ve got the passion for it, you’ll go far”.

Continuing work with Searchlight:

Thomas’s work with Searchlight/Victoria has continued long since he started at Connected, ” The relationship extends and has grown. Victoria has been there through the growth of the company. Helping me find candidates when we’ve been struggling to keep up with demand. No one has been available at the moment. Victoria has helped massively with finding people during these difficult times. I can trust Victoria will always find the right person for me, this is why I will always continue coming back to Searchlight”.

We hope you enjoyed reading this interview with the Head of Post Production for Connected Pictures, Thomas Ryan about his daily responsibilities, growing with the company, why he loves his job and working with Searchlight. It was great to find out that he has gone from strength to strength in his role at Connected. We love still getting to work with Thomas regularly, being able to hear about his growth just makes the work we do even more rewarding.