Director for hire? Negotiating creativity and work in the Irish television sector

The television industry has deep-rooted neoliberal employment structures, and this article explores how the non-fiction television director negotiates this contingent working environment. Research has established that creative workers adapt themselves to the demands of a post-Fordist ‘gig economy’, characterised by casual, non-permanent work, with little security or accountability. However, relatively little is known about how non-fiction television directors respond to that context, especially in the Irish case. In-depth interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 12 freelance television directors. Key findings note the layers of control wielded by broadcasters over the working life of the director. Identifying the negative effect of broadcasters’ dominance in the sector, they revealed a three-line whip of control through budget, creative direction, and a risk-averse approach to programming, which effectively constrained the directors and reduced their autonomy. The directors described how broadcasters’ control over budgets means that the sector is run at their command, a situation that is further aggravated by Ireland’s lack of trade union representation, stagnant pay rates and the absence of intellectual property rights accruing to directors’ work. Respondents proposed that their status was reduced from creative auteur to operational functionaries, reporting the negative impact of the industry work culture and practices on their self-esteem, because their creativity and work were undervalued. This article breaks new ground to explore directors’ responses to the conditions of the gig economy and link the alienation of labour to the loss of creativity in content. There was an acceptance by non-fiction directors of the status quo, which was seen as the ‘price’ of a non-routine life, with the freedom to indulge the passion and the pleasure inherent to making television. Moreover, respondents also revealed how they maintained their creative identity despite their circumstances, through the pursuit of their own work and through the support of peers. Crucially, respondents argued for a repositioning of the television director to reflect their status and role in the origination and creation of novel content, and proposed such recognition might better serve the television viewer.