Hot Shots 2023: Jennifer Dempster

Last summer, Jennifer Dempster made a big change. After nearly a decade in the hair and beauty industry, she embarked on a new life in TV – and within two months, she found herself in the south of France, helping to run a month-long shoot for a new BBC series.

Dempster’s route in was via a ScreenSkills training scheme, with production management deemed the best fit for her transferable skills. Placed at Ricochet, she took on production secretary duties for the indie’s established Channel 4 series Food Unwrapped, before being tasked with finding the location for BBC daytime series The Vintage French Farmhouse.

Six months in, Ricochet made Dempster a production co-ordinator with another overseas shoot to manage on C4’s Sun, Sea And Selling Houses. People skills built in her previous career have proved invaluable on an 18-week shoot in which she has been dealing with transport issues, carnets and visa regulations, as well as the schedule, morale and welfare of a team of more than 20 crew filming away from home.

To offset the international travel, Dempster has worked closely with Bafta’s Albert scheme.

Ricochet Glasgow head Rob Butterfield is stunned by how quickly Dempster has grasped the nettle in a profession notoriously hard to break into. “Less than a year into her career, Jen is already an incredibly capable co-ordinator,” he says. “Smart, creative and cool under pressure, I’ve no doubt she will rise to production manager level at lightning speed.”