Uprising: Belle McLeary’s Strive Towards Game-Changing Films

Junior producer Belle McLeary at ELMNTL sees the advertising industry as a “dream that [she] definitely pursued.” 

“When I was younger I always wanted to attend the BAFTAs,” she says, “I don’t think it was out of a desire to win (though that would be cool), but more to see what goes on at those events.” So, all her extracurricular activities at school naturally were aimed towards reaching this goal.

At university in Manchester, arguably straying a bit from the BAFTAs’ shining light at the end of the tunnel, she took up history, which was her other big love. “It’s so important for understanding the nuances of the world around you,” explains Belle. “I was particularly interested in Asian and African history. Probably because when I was in school I learned about British imperialism, but looking back on the curriculum it had heavy western bias.”

While history doesn’t have much to do with Belle’s job today, she sees the learning experience she gained at university as a formative one, beyond just being plainly fun.

Later on she interned at a film production company and sought out any opportunity she could, which eventually led to her moving into the advertising industry. One of her first properly paid jobs, though, was at ITV, where she freelanced as a runner on a couple of their daytime shows.

While certainly straining, running was only one piece of the puzzle in Belle’s career development. And at the initial stages of it, every piece is a crucial one. “Now I’m still at the period of my career where the culmination of all the different jobs I do shape my approach and outlook as a producer,” she says.

While continuously honing her craft, Belle recognises her time at Marshall Street Editors as her first real industry learning experience, and the company remains the place where she gained a broader understanding of it for the first time. “It was there that I figured out that I’d like to be in post and that’s what led me to my role at ELMNTL.”

Her love for post production stems from the rush she gets when seeing a film once it’s been shot and how it evolved into its finished version. “I enjoy chatting to the artists too,” she says. “They’re so passionate about what they do and love to chat about it when they get the chance.”

At this point, Belle’s tried her hand at a range of promos and ads, whether it be a Skrapz promo or a Tesco campaign - “They’ve all taught me something new,” she says. “I hope it stays this way because I think every job should change your career in some way. Otherwise what’s the point?”

This point is very much proven to Belle through projects that stand out from her time in the industry so far - ones that fuel her love for the craft and propel her forward. 

The early days of a young producer’s career are bound to be riddled with lessons, but one that stands out to Belle as particularly important is never fearing questions. “Be curious,” she says. 

“Maybe I’m just speaking for myself but when I was doing my first ever work experience placements, I’d be too nervous to ask for clarification on a task for fear of seeming like I didn’t know and would have an unsettling feeling of helplessness.”

Once she got over this, work for Belle got much easier. Not only this, but she found out that through asking is how one builds relationships, crucial for later development. “Plus, people think you’re more clever for asking questions - always a bonus.”

And while a lot is revealed when asking questions, Belle knows that a crucial part of learning is listening. “I learn so much by listening to the people around me,” she says. And that especially includes her current team at ELMNTL. 

“I love hearing about their individual experiences. They’re all so good at what they do, yet all work in very different ways.”

In her free time, Belle tries to take in as much media as she can - reading, watching new and old TV and film and occasionally checking on Instagram, which she deems as her favourite form of social media. She’s also recently taken up ice skating! 

Now, she knows that living in a consumerist world, we’re inundated with ads, only a few of which people look back on and remember fondly. “Guinness’ ‘Surfer’ was something really special. I think because of this I’m motivated by a desire to be part of projects that are memorable, have a cultural impact. I want to put my name to game-changing films like Corteiz’ ‘Da Skydive’ or Burberry’s ‘Open Spaces’.”