Loving live: The rise and rise of Whisper’s Emma Sheldon

Sheldon covering a night shoot in Barcelona

She may now be in the commanding role of head of production at the prestigious Whisper, but Emma Sheldon literally started at the door; she got into broadcasting as a receptionist.

“I knew nothing about TV broadcasting when I first started but I had a friend who was a researcher on This Morning, and she told me about it,” says Sheldon. “It sounded fun, and I decided to try and get in somehow.”

Meanwhile university beckoned, where Sheldon studied politics with French and Spanish. “[Afterwards] I knew I wanted to use my languages but didn’t know how. I worked in Ibiza for a while and discovered live music and event production, and I fell in love with live entertainment.”

Making her move

Once back in the UK, and still keen on live broadcasting, she decided to make her move. “I watched all the TV programmes I liked, looked at the end board and wrote to those companies asking for work,” she recalls. “Most didn’t reply. I then responded to an ad for a company called Princess Productions, which was looking for people to help phone bash for two days. I got the job and while I was there the receptionist got promoted to production secretary.”

Taking the initiative, Sheldon asked if the company, which produced live TV entertainment shows, needed a new receptionist. She got the job.

On location with the second unit shooting a branded project

“At Princess Productions, I answered phones, sent faxes, made tea and spoke to everyone so I got to hear about all the productions and opportunities within them. I would always offer myself up for extra logging and helping at the weekends, so everyone got to know me. I had a degree and was 25 but knew I still had to start at the bottom and work hard; six months later I was promoted to production secretary.”

Sheldon remained in live entertainment and music broadcasting for a while, including producing an Audioslave concert in Havana as part of a cultural exchange between the Cuban Music Institute and the US Treasury. “They were the first American rock band to perform in Cuba and over 100,000 fans from Cuba and all over South America travelled to see the free concert. We filmed it and it was wild.”

Then some good friends started a sports presentation company called Progress Productions, which built on its founders’ experience at the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to combine sport with live entertainment. “This was my first role in sport,” she says. “I worked on the Rugby World Cup which was incredible, plus a Six Day cycling event and various other events for swimming and badminton. I loved the combination of sport and entertainment and decided to continue along this path. Everyone loves sport, it’s for all ages so it will always be an interesting place to work. I also love the buzz of live.”

Producers assemble!

She applied for her current role via a recruitment agency. “I had heard amazing things about Whisper, their website was super impressive, and I had heard about their rapid growth and wanted to be part of this,” she recalls. “I had more entertainment credits on my CV than sport and was worried this might rule me out. During the interview, I focused on the skills I had, and how transferable they were and celebrated these. Thankfully it worked!”

Sport is fast, says Sheldon, and Whisper works fast to suit. “I work in the branded and international teams and sometimes projects come in at short notice with fast turnarounds. We need to be always ready and nimble. This can be challenging when juggling other projects and family commitments, but we have ace in-house teams who assemble quickly, and we have global networks of trusted partners who join us.

“I love the pace and the variety of work,” she adds. “I love a challenge and I really enjoy the international jobs that bring new connections and new friends to the business. Being a working mother is probably my biggest challenge, trying to find a good balance between being a good employee and being around enough for my children, I hope to find this soon!”

The pandemic may have thrown a wrench into productions, but it’s led to some clear thinking.

“I love the pace and the variety of work. I love a challenge and I really enjoy the international jobs that bring new connections and new friends to the business”

“COVID introduced hybrid working patterns and this has changed a lot,” says Sheldon. “I do 4/1 and I think this is a perfect balance. I think the remote production that has stemmed from COVID has been huge and shown us all it can work. This has affected budgets in a good way and is also great for sustainability; we don’t have to travel everywhere! Whisper delivers a huge amount of remote production and sustainability is top of their agenda, more so than any other production company I have worked at.”

Wealth of experience

Sheldon has a wealth of varied experience, and so is well-placed to advise others: “Don’t worry about starting at the bottom, if you work hard, you will quickly work your way up,” she says. “Get as much broadcast experience as you can; even if it’s not relevant content the skills are often transferable and it’s great to have a busy CV. Look at the skills you already have and think about how to make them relevant to what you want to do.

“Everyone you meet is a networking opportunity, if not now then maybe in the future,” she continues. “Use your social networking platforms, and don’t be shy to connect with people.

Use social media to follow people you like, so when the opportunity comes to meet them, you know their brand. [Above all], be knowledgeable about the areas you want to work in, watch the sport, and follow the socials.”