From a usb stick to a shredder

Being able to use technology is very important from a usb stick to a shredder, photocopier to various mobile phone devices. If you can use these as a runner then you will soon move up the ranks.

Whilst not being able to operate some of these wont hinder your work, breaking some might cause you to be relegated to the tea making and simple tasks.

Stop breaking the shredder

Not your home office shredder

Stop will tell you all about this, so far in their career as a runner they have managed to break 15 shredders, and these aren't your simple home office shredder these are industrial office strength machines that will take a hell of a battering before they give up the ghost. Banned from office tasks Stop is now relegated to Chief of Felicitations.
I was forever being asked to pop upstairs to fix them after people had jammed them with too much paper. After unplugging from the wall and poking about with a letter opener a quick tug and twist the jam would free and the machine would limp back into life.

Broken Shredder

As you can imagine these machines cost a lot of money and as productions have to destroy everything due to data protection and secrecy breaking them can cost a production dearly.

The Photocopier was my nemesis I was forever fixing the thing after it jammed or simply refused to work, wondering round the whole studios with a script, a reel of coloured paper and a heavy duty stapler, in the hunt for a working machine. Finally finding myself with 13 minutes to print 30 scripts and deliver them to the relevant people in time for rehearsal. It was a tall task but most of the time I made it. The excitement of a new photocopier being delivered was too much the new way to programme them and the new menus, meaning the Coordinators would have to write up instructions for everyone to use it.

So if you want to start off in TV learning the basics of Office admin or at least how to use a photocopier is essential to a quick transition up the ranks.

Being a runner doesn't mean you have to actually run.

Being a runner doesn't mean you have to actually run. Although on some occasions it maybe necessary. 

No running

You get asked to do the most random things. Mostly shopping and standing in for people so rehearsals can go ahead.

As I've told you before I met Stop whilst working on an afternoon chat show and they where assaulted by Nancy lam. Since then Stop has taken running at times quite literally. 

Don't run in the studio

Always running everywhere and always being told "Don't run in the studio." "Stop running" but it wasn't till a shopping trip that Stop realised that being a runner didn't mean you had to run everywhere. 

Sent out with a shopping list and an envelope of cash Stop left the studio, ran across town to the chemist, purchased the first product on the list and rounded the corner to Primarni. 

Having been sent out to purchase a birthday cake, gift and joke present for a member of staff from the office. Stop was on a mission to get it all as quick as possible and make it back to the studio in order to make a good impression of speed and responsibility.

Running around the store Stop purchased the vouchers and made for the door. As they ran down the street a hand grasped their shoulder and grappled them to the floor. 

Grappled to the floor

A large man in a fluorescent jacket loomed over radio in hand. " I have them." the radio crackles and Stop looks up " Can we ask you back to the store please we would like to search you". 

Dragged back to Primarni Stop was taken to an office and asked to empty their pockets. Having made a run out of the store Stop had raised the attention of the store security guard as having obviously stolen something from the store. Why else would anyone be fleeing the store at pace?

Looking rather red faced not at the running but the fact they had to reveal the contents of their pocket Stop tried to explain, " I was just doing my job!, I needed to get to Tesco and buy a cake then get back to work." 

This wasnt good enough for the security team who still demanded they empty their pockets. Slowly stop removed the primary voucher and receipt from their pocket, and envelope of cash, the shopping list and a reaching back into the cavernous hole that was Stops pocket a small tube wrapped in a receipt from the chemist was placed slowly on the desk. Not being able to look at the men in the room in eye with embarrassment the joke present lay on the desk.

Tube of Lube

What is Stop doing running from a Primarni store with a pocket full of lube and a gift voucher? The security staff of the store will never be able to tell anyone the story and have them believe it but it's true. They had stopped a person who hadn't taken anything but as a job had to run around town with a pocket of lube and buy a cake! 

Returning to the studio rather red faced Voucher and Lube in hand, Stop realised that being a runner didn't mean you have to run.