Made in Wales: a study of the realities of work in a super independent television production company

Jones, Emma Louise 2021. Made in Wales: a study of the realities of work in a super independent television production company. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

The PhD study provides an assessment of TV production work in context, examining the impact of the consolidation of the independent television sector on the experience of work. The recent consolidation of the sector in the UK has led to the emergence of super independent television production companies, more commonly known as ‘super indies’. Super indies are organisations formed by multiple takeovers, grouping together independent television producers into larger companies. Whilst the rise of super indies is well-documented, the realities of work in super indies have yet to be explored. The thesis addresses this gap by assessing the impact of the super indie institutional structure on the experience of work in television production. Based on an in-depth case study of a Welsh super indie, Oaks Productions Ltd (Oaks), the research draws on 63 semi-structured interviews with both Oaks’ managers and employees to evaluate the experience of work in this context. In doing so, the research investigates firstly, how the nature of television production work is impacted by key features of the super indie structure in the Welsh context, and secondly, how creative work is experienced in this setting. Fundamental to the study is the identification of a creative worker typology, relating to the ability of creative workers to access and mobilise a variety of different resources to navigate creative work in this setting. Finally, the thesis explores the meaning of television work, highlighting the important role of individual creative work features, as well as social, relational and non-work factors in the experience of meaningful work. The thesis contributes to the TV production literature, illustrating the diversity of TV production experiences in a single organisational context. Moreover, it contributes to the creative labour literature by demonstrating the entrenched power hierarchies in creative work settings, and the importance of embedded resources in shaping the experience of television production work.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Acceptance
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Business (Including Economics)
Funders:	ESRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	17 June 2021
Date of Acceptance:	March 2021
Last Modified:	17 Jun 2022 01:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/141964

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