Meet GPN's Client Liaison Manager for France, Franck Servoz

GPN has recently added Franck Servoz as its client liaison for France to its growing team. Franck brings over 25 years of production experience, both in France, Europe and abroad, to support the GPN team and clients. 

Franck has been globally producing commercials of all kinds (automotive, beauty, food- to name a few) as a freelancer and has been working closely with many of the same companies for the past two and a half decades. His wealth of knowledge and experience, connections and personality have brought him far and wide in the world and in the film industry. 

At GPN, Franck is working on projects not only France, but also throughout Europe, to connect people to places.

Q> What do you believe to be one of the most important factors of working in this business? 

Franck> I am certain that to establish a smooth, productive and enjoyable partnership for everyone involved, connecting with people in a human way is of the highest importance. Personality is one of the key components in any business relationship. When working cross-culturally, it is important to understand the mentality of the people, to know their history, to listen and to be kind. 

When you make connections with people in a human way, beyond just business, and understand where they are coming from, it makes doing business together easier. The way people are treated is crucial in establishing trust and therefore having a harmonious, stable and productive working relationship. What you put out, you will get back. 

Franck knows that if you have the right people on the project, anything is possible. Time, skills and money are necessary elements to make any production a reality, but it’s the people who make it happen. 

When you have this, magic can happen. 

Q> As you have filmed all over the world, what is your favourite location to film? 

Franck> I absolutely love South Africa for filming. There is a wide range of locations, plenty of space, great talent, high tech equipment and good weather all year round. 

I’m also drawn to South America, and spent quite a lot of time shooting in Argentina. The Eastern bloc (Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Croatia and the Balkans) are wonderful places to shoot. Twenty years ago it was like the wild west. Today, most countries are equipped with the same technology, making filming anywhere technologically easy. 

Above: Franck with his favourite team in South Africa

Q> What has been your toughest challenge in your career? 

Franck> Twenty years ago the Eastern Bloc was just opening up to filming from the West. It was a fascinating time to be there. The culture was very different then my own and there was so much history there (which I have a great interest in). France had just made a production deal with Romania and we were producing the biggest job that Romania had ever had. 

There was no infrastructure in the way of equipment, sets or teams, so we had to bring everything in from all over the world. This was the largest international production that I had ever worked on as I was still new producer. We created a 4,000 sqm set in the middle of Romania that lasted for two months. The logistics involved were mind boggling and I had to learn by doing. It was a very difficult job because I had to think of everything, down to the last cables, and make sure they were in country, with the proper crew and equipment, in order to shoot. 

It was stressful. I worked day and night- and I loved every minute of it. For me, although it was the toughest project I have ever done, it was exhilarating. I loved how quickly and how much I learned. I know that this experience gave me knowledge and expertise to do anything in the future. 

I still continue to learn on each production that I do, which is something I love about this job and industry. However, now that the industry standards are pretty much the same across the globe, I will never have another experience such as this. It has stayed with me after all these years.

Q> What do you love about your career? 

Franck> There are so many aspects to this line of work that I absolutely love. Even though it is stressful, fast-paced, exhausting, long hours- all of the things that most people don’t like- I thrive. I find all of this to be so thrilling. I love meeting new people, making new friends, having new experiences and learning. The learning never stops and this is one of the things that continues to excite me with every production. 

I also love that the industry has changed so much, probably more than any industry, in the past ten years. We’ve gone from film reels and analogue to almost completely digital. The pace that things have changed have given me the opportunity to continually learn and learn how to work within these changes. Twenty years ago there used to be a big gap between countries and their technological capabilities, now the same level is everywhere, allowing us to work easily between different cultures (as long as we understand and respect the culture we are working with). 

Directors from the States can come to Romania now and find the same level of equipment there. Europe is spectacular for how far its come, the technology it has and the teams that have been established here. I love every part of it. 

Above: Franck on set in Poland

Q> Where do you relax after a big shoot? 

Franck> As a Frenchman, I am particular to my country. We have everything here in France- mountains, lakes, countryside, cities and the beach. I love Paris and have lived here for 30 years, but my heart is in the mountains and lakes of France. I notice that as I get older, the mountains have become more and more important to me. I love to spend time between them and Paris. 

I’m also blessed to have my parents still alive, so I spend as much time as I can with them in my down time. My fiancée is German and so I’ve been discovering the beauty of the German countryside more and more as well.