Today we want to promote a lady with strong willpower, who decided to quit her job and launch on her own adventure during 2020.

Lucy Price is the woman behind Loop Talent, a specialist Agency representing Cinematographers, Production Designers, Costume, Hair & Make Up Designers and Bare Arms Military Advisers run by a team with freelance, on set and production office experience. Loop Talent was founded in 2020 by Lucy Price to manage and promote the careers of Heads Of Departments working in Film, TV, Commercials and Music Promos.

We asked Lucy to introduce herself to the Cinemamas community.

I’m the founder of Loop Talent - a specialist agency managing senior crew who work in Film, TV, Commercials and Music promos. My background is in Production and I used to work on programmes such as Waking The Dead, The Bill, and Red Dwarf plus various music promos and commercials. I loved it but always wanted a more stable job within the industry, so I was delighted to move into management, launching and managing my own roster of talent at a boutique agency. My clients became really successful, winning awards and working on amazing programmes like I Hate Suzie and I May Destroy You, and I in turn built up a great reputation. 

I’d always wanted to have my own company, and with two young daughters I felt a responsibility to lead by example. I quit my job in 2020 and started Loop with a very simple ethos - to empower, progress and nurture our talent. It’s important for me to show my daughters that they are in control of their opportunities, and they can achieve whatever they set out to do. 

We had a chat with Lucy to talk about the project, her ambitions and opening a new company in these strange times.

1. You have a background of working as an Assistant Director, how did you move from being on set to representing those working on set? 

I started my career as a Runner and progressed up the ranks to working as a 2nd Assistant Director on TV Dramas, Films and Commercials. I loved working as an AD but I knew I wanted a more secure role within the industry so made the decision to stop taking freelance contracts and look for a permanent job. My first role was working for a boutique Agency as the Diary Service Manager which involved looking after 130 crew members and their busy work calendars. It was a huge change of pace and I felt a little frustrated not being able to run around and action things quickly, to the point where whenever an AD job came in, I felt a little pull to run off and work on it myself, but I knew that wasn’t truly what I wanted to do. After 6 months of successfully managing the Diary Service I was tasked with setting up and managing a new department for the Agency which is where I really found my passion. My clients where hugely appreciative that I had a filming background and understood the politics, highs and lows of filming and set life. I formed strong relationships with the people I managed and was often a sympathetic ear on the end of the phone and able to advise based on my own personal experience on set. I also managed to secure my clients work on fantastic film, tv and commercial projects, and many of them went on to be nominated and win high profile industry awards. Having built up this great reputation it felt like it was a natural step for me to launch my own company with my own roster of hand picked talent.

2. Loop Talent was launched in 2020, possibly the toughest year for any business. How has the pandemic affected your experience of owning your business?

In some ways I think starting a business in 2020 has been beneficial. During the first lockdown I think a lot of people took stock of their careers and many realised that they weren’t happy with their current representation and wanted fresh eyes and enthusiasm to support their career objectives.  It feels like 2020 was a year of reinvention for many, and people are hungry for change and a shift in management style which I’m excited to provide.

Like many industries I now perform many of my meetings with clients remotely and sign them without meeting them in person which is unusual. It’s important to me to have a great relationship with my clients and although I’d much prefer to meet people in person its just not possible at this time. Industry events have also obviously stopped which means that i’m not able to network in person and offer my clients support at screenings and events. Use of social media been a notable positive aspect of the current situation and has allowed me to successfully promote Loop and my clients since we launched. 

Another benefit is that I’ve been able to speak to more key industry people directly. Although there have been home-schooling parameters for some people, the majority aren’t commuting, and don’t have their calls passed over by a reception team. As such I’ve been able to have great conversations with Producers about my roster for specific jobs which has been far better than sending a cold email.

Since launching during the pandemic in September 2020, I’ve found the film and tv industry has been trying to continue as normal as per the government guidelines. Long form projects have been largely unaffected, so fortunately I’ve been able to secure several of my clients work on exciting films and tv drama projects.

There have obviously been challenges launching Loop during a pandemic including the slow and painful process of opening a business bank account when all of the main high street banks weren’t taking on new accounts. Lots of simple tasks which relied on others unexpectedly took much longer which was frustrating, but the pride and joy I have from being the boss and making the decisions outweighs all of that.  

3.  Mothers are amazingly skilled multi-taskers. As the proud mother of two, do you think that being a mum has made you better at your job? If so, how?

I absolutely think being a mother has made me a better Agent. I’m hugely aware of the importance of my time and others – so I’m conscious I don’t waste it. I also think I’m more compassionate and understanding about people’s ambitions. We all have one life and we have to create opportunities to fulfil our ambitions and I love being a part of that journey for my clients.

4. As someone who represents a variety of clients, some of whom might be parents - Do you think the industry is changing for the better? Have you gotten a sense that more productions are willing to make some meaningful adjustments for parents? 

I’ve seen a lot of positive changes with friends who work in the industry such as job sharing and working part time to support productions while looking after children. I hope that allowing crew members to prep from home (where possible) during lockdowns is encouraged in the future too.  

Since launching Loop I have experienced productions making adjustments for parents. I think the pandemic has perhaps reminded people that we’re only human and we’re all doing our best, so why not make adjustments to ensure the happiness of crew.

As an agent, I want to support my clients who have children as well as those who plan to have children in the future. Part of the client agent relationship is planning their future and if that involves babies then I want to help navigate and support the reintroduction back in to work when the time is right for them.

The Wonderworks mobile location nursery bus is also amazing and is a huge step forward for the industry. Parents still want careers too, so any progression to make working on set easier for those with children is fantastic.  

5.  Do you think the industry has changed since you were working on set? 

Yes, there are a lot more women in the camera department and productions are more aware of hiring diverse teams – both of which are amazing and a long time coming! I’ve also seen the increase in anti-bullying procedures on set which is another move in the right direction.  

6. Do you miss working on set?

Yes and No. I used to love the excitement of starting a new production, meeting new crews and working with talented actors. As an Assistant Director I loved being the point of contact for all departments and cast, solving any problems, and ensuring the smooth running of the production. I loved the fast pace of filming and making decisions quickly too. But on the flip side I don’t miss being stuck in traffic on the M25 for hours on end and the early mornings at times were very hard going!

7. What sets Loop Talent aside from other 'below-the-line talent' agencies?

As a company, we pride ourselves on being able to empower, nurture and progress our considered, hand picked roster of brilliant talent. We love to facilitate new collaborations and help our clients get work on exciting projects, ensuring they are treated fairly, advised from our own experience and fully supported before, during and after a project wraps. My background on set has equipped me with a vast understanding of all roles, politics and the anxieties that come with working as a freelancer in the industry. It’s this level of understanding that makes me an effective, empathetic and compassionate Agent. Knowing these worries that my clients may face I like to carve out a strategy plan for them so that we are both on the same page and working towards the same goal. It’s important to me that my clients feel supported and also pushed in the right direction.

8. What are your ambitions for 2021? 

Now that I’ve established a great roster of talent, I’m keen to grow the business further by launching a Diary Service for more junior crew members. This involves hiring my first employee to manage this new section of the company which I’m hugely excited about.

I’ll also be working with a charity to invite two people from diverse and marginalised backgrounds on to the Diary Service for free for 12 months. It’s important to me that the industry reflects our multicultural society and I’m keen to do anything I can to help this progression.

 If you want to learn more about Loop Talent or get in touch with Lucy, have a look at her socials!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/looptalent/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoopTalent

Twitter: https://twitter.com/looptalent_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/loop-talent/