Why ​AI demands a radical re-think around recruitment

As a young Dutch woman with a master’s degree in physics, a penchant for nuclear fusion and no connections in TV, it was a real struggle for me to get a foothold in the industry in the UK - where nepotism is rife, and the right accent and degree have always gone a long way.

Thank goodness, then, for my love of comedy but that’s a story for another time.

Fast-forward to today, and without tooting my own horn, I firmly believe that ignoring the younger Elines out there could sound the death knell for many production companies.

Every prodco head knows our world is changing and that AI is rapidly re-writing the rule book. Why, then, are people still recruiting in their own likeness and looking to tick the same old boxes?

Particle6 prides itself on being a next-gen production company, with data and AI driving everything we do. We are using AI as part of the creative process and even have an AI series in paid development but, at present, we are mostly using it to streamline production and keep costs to a minimum.

We are thriving as a result and are increasingly approached by other production companies seeking AI advice.

My biggest learning in recent years? The best thing you can do to future-proof your business is to re-think how you recruit.

I don’t care about degree choice, woke box-ticking or if someone’s father has a BAFTA. My biggest recruitment successes have come from people with work experience in customer service - not TV - and someone who had a previous career in psychology. But they all have one thing in common: they are excited by AI and know how to talk to computers.

That is, they know how to write prompts and set parameters to get the best possible outputs – whether that’s for help with developing an idea, writing a script, delivering a budget or deciding on the best camera angle. And with no preconceptions about how things should be done in telly land, these team members never put constraints on creativity or problem-solving. It’s a real breath of fresh air.

Would a producer employ someone who didn’t watch TV? In the same way, why would you take on a young creative today who hadn’t actually made anything?

AI is a great leveller and can democratise the hiring process: it’s accessible, mostly free and, given you can make some great content in an evening, it will tell you a lot about someone. Certainly, whether they are adept at using AI and have a gift for storytelling. And if they’ve put content on YouTube, even better: they are thinking about audiences too.

Tomorrow’s award-winning producers are already creating brilliant content on their kitchen tables and in their bedrooms - and attracting audiences in a way that the current cohort never could at their age. And if we’re not careful, they won’t even need us to succeed. So, look at grabbing them now – directly from university, from YouTube or from courses run by industry bodies such as ScreenSkills.

This shouldn’t be a daunting prospect. However, I get that for some business leaders, it might be a worry to recruit for an uncertain future, especially one where they personally don’t speak the language.

“Consider how YouTube as television has (apparently) snuck up on everyone, leaving many now scrabbling to catch up. Believe me, the same will happen with AI”

But just as being able to read a menu in Cannes can get you through MIPCOM without being fluent in French, a grounding in AI basics will put you on the right path. Take a course, attend some panels (I recently spoke at Mip London!) and familiarise yourself with hot topics so you can ask the right questions.

And if a candidate can’t show you examples of their work, explaining how and why they created it, I wouldn’t even waste my time with an interview. They have no business in wanting a career in tomorrow’s content industry.

Consider how YouTube as television has (apparently) snuck up on everyone, leaving many now scrabbling to catch up. Believe me, the same will happen with AI - but it’s not too late, and it doesn’t take a massive investment to get started; just an open mind, a willingness to embrace AI and a radical re-think around recruitment.

After all, AI won’t take your job. But the person who knows how to use it probably will.

• Eline van der Velden, founder and chief exec of Particle6 Productions