Linda James

From Yorkipedia

Please help by rewriting this article from scratch under the GNU Free Doc License.
Until rewritten from scratch this entire article and all edits will remain under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License that it was originally published under. Yorkipedia has since switched to the GFDL in order to allow exchange of content with Wikipedia.

Name: Linda James

York: 1976-1979

Degree: History and Politics

Company: Sly Fox Films

Website: www.slyfoxfilms.com

Linda is an independent producer of over 20 award-winning drama series, 5 TV movies and 2 feature films and co-founder of Red Rooster Film and Television Entertainment, Alibi Communications Plc and Sly Fox Films, which she runs with her husband, the award winning director, Stephen Bayly.

Why did you choose York?

"I chose York mainly because my headmaster at the time persuaded me not to go to Oxbridge! He convinced me I would have a more interesting time elsewhere. I was also attracted by the reputations of the tutors and the fact I could study both Politics and History together." What did you gain from York that you've since found useful in your career?

"The best thing about York was that there were more females than males, which was quite unusual at the time. But this was so refreshing as there no indication that people thought you should just be a better-educated housewife, instead there was the expectation you would go on to have a career. I also made a lot of like-minded friends I stay in contact with even now."

Briefly describe your career progression once you left York.

"I had a couple of jobs in advertising before I worked for a production company producing for Channel4. There I got my first experience as a producer before starting my own production company called Red Rooster with Stephen Bayly in 1982. I stayed as Managing Director of Red Rooster for 16 years helping make it one of the most successful and prolific independent production companies in the UK. I then helped start Alibi Communications Plc, in which I managed the production division, Alibi Productions (Later Coolabi), remaining there for 4 years before working again with Stephen to start our latest venture, Sly Fox Films."

What is the biggest difficulty you have had to overcome?

"You always learn more from your failures. But it was tough watching the film side of Alibi Communications not achieving its goals. It was so disappointing and frustrating that we couldn't turn it round."

Describe your typical working day

I'm not sure I have one to be honest! At the moment I get up for a 7:30am family breakfast, flip a coin to see who does the school run, and then it's into the office to get on with things! Right now I seem to be in a bubble where I'm tied to my email and phone but that's only because I'm developing scripts. Much of the rest of my time is spent in meetings or dealing with other industry-related commitments. For example I do a lot for Screen South, which is a regional film board, reading scripts to assess if they are worth funding and so on. I'm also on the BAFTA Children's Committee, and have been made chair of the Children's Film and Television Foundation, all of which take several days of my time per month.

What is your best advice to students at York looking to start their own enterprise?

"I think you need to leave time to think creatively, even if you're in a creative job. Even from a business point of view you still need to step away and think and dream about new possibilities. Opportunities tend to arrive from the direction you are looking, so keep your head open to new ideas and inspiration."