How to Get Ahead in Television (30 page)

STEP 48 – BE PREPARED TO ACCEPT FEEDBACK

T
HE NEXT MORNING
I walked through Soho towards work, perhaps for the one of the last times. I was wearing a fitted long blue maxi dress and Nat's faux leather jacket (which I'd hadn't got around to returning yet). I picked up a flat white from my favourite coffee shop on Wardour Street and said hello to Terry the
Big Issue
seller who worked on the corner. I felt at home here. I almost felt like a real Londoner at last.

I loved Soho – everyone walking the streets looked like they had a story. Girls with blunt fringes and bright red lipstick, gay guys who looked like they were coming from or going to somewhere exciting, shops and restaurants and bustle – it just felt like life was really happening. I felt like a more interesting person in Soho, like someone might be curious about my story. I wasn't sure I'd feel this way on an industrial badger set in Glasgow.

In the post room everything was as it always was. How could everything here be exactly the same when everything felt so different?

‘Someone looks 'appy!' said Helen, giving me a high-five.

‘Well, didn't you hear? She got raped by a horse. Nothing says good mood like good old-fashioned horse rape.' David smirked.

‘Oh great, so everyone knows, do they?' My good mood started to dissipate.

‘Well, it were all over TV,' Helen shrugged.

‘I wasn't,
I
wasn't all over the TV,' I sighed.

‘News travels faster than a marauding horse on the loose,' concluded David.

‘So is it your last day tomorrow?' Helen asked. ‘Are you gonna go to Glasgow, do that badger show?'

‘I don't know,' I said.

‘Well, you'd better make your mind up quick, missy. I tell you, I'm goin' to miss havin' you around,' said Helen, ruffling my hair.

‘She'll be back,' said David.

‘I wouldn't be too sure,' I said. ‘If it were up to Shannon Long, I would never work in TV again.'

Mel stuck her head around the door.

‘When Rhidian gets in, you two need to go see Jack Chamberlain ASAP. Capisce?'

‘What, me? Why?' I asked.

‘I don't know,' Mel sighed. ‘At a guess, maybe you're in trouble for ruining RealiTV's biggest show. I mean seriously, Poppy, I know you assume everyone is in love with you, but JoJo the horse? Really?'

I ignored Mel's taunts but couldn't help feeling she might be right about the reason for the CEO's summons.

‘I wouldn't worry about it,' said David. ‘You're leaving anyway, right? Rhidian should be worried – he's the one whose gotta work here for the next year.'

As if on cue, Rhidian appeared through the door.

‘Hey.' He beamed at me.

‘Hey,' I said. The butterflies were back.

‘Hello? What's going on with you guys? No more frostiness?' asked Helen.

‘No more frostiness,' said Rhidian, taking my hand.

Helen looked as if she might explode with excitement.

‘We have to go and see Jack Chamberlain,' I said.

‘What? Why?' Rhidian asked me.

‘I don't know, maybe about yesterday? Look, you're the
one with a job here; I have to tell him you had nothing to do with the horse incident. It's not fair for you to take any blame.'

‘It might not be about that,' Helen tried to reassure us.

We got into the lift together and headed up to the fifth floor. We didn't speak, Rhidian just squeezed my hand. Outside Jack Chamberlain's office, we told his PA Antonia that we'd been asked to come and see him. She nodded and told us to take a seat.

‘Rhidian, I've been thinking,' I said quietly. ‘Maybe I should ask JR if I can still have that job on
Banker's Bonus
. It's a good opportunity. I think I should just swallow my pride and do it … at least that way I can stay here with you…'

Rhidian shook his head. ‘I was thinking about stuff too. I want to turn down the runner placement and let them give it to you.
Can Your Dog Do Your Job?
said they would employ me as a researcher on the next series anyway, so I'd only have a month out of work.'

‘No,' I said, ‘I'm not letting you do that. You won fair and square. Winning the placement is an amazing thing for your CV, you can't just give it away.'

‘I don't want you working with Ravenstone.' Rhidian sighed. ‘He has this hold over you, Poppy. I know his type: as soon as he thinks you don't want him any more, he'll be all over you.'

‘What, you don't trust me to resist?' I asked, offended.

‘No, it not you…'

‘So you're just going to give me
your
job?' I hissed. ‘I'd rather go to Scotland.'

‘So you're too proud to want to remain in the same country as me?'

We sat in silence for a moment.

‘Look, we're probably both about to get fired anyway…' Rhidian trailed off.

‘Jack will see you now,' said Antonia, tapping her pen against the desk to get our attention.

Jack Chamberlain's office was huge. There were framed posters of all RealiTV's hit shows on the wall. There was also a giant cast photo from the show
Till Death Us Do Party
, which was a massive hit about ten years ago. It was a show that sent five couples on the brink of divorce to a party island. They had to compete in various challenges and then the winning couple got free divorce lawyers and arbitration in their separation. It was a classic show. Often the couples ended up reconciling on the island, so didn't even want the prize once they won it.

‘My first show idea,' said Jack Chamberlain, seeing me looking at the poster. ‘I was getting a divorce at the time. You never know what's going to inspire you.'

‘It was a great show,' I said.

‘We haven't formally met,' he said, offering us both his hand to shake. ‘You know the runner placement was my idea? Some people think it's a little harsh, making people fight for a job, but some of my best producers have come through that programme: JR, Shannon, Vanya. It teaches people that you have to compete to get ahead. It teaches people you have to be better than the next guy, that you have to
want
it more than the next guy.'

Rhidian and I stood in silence, not sure where this was going.

‘We've both learnt a lot from it.' I nodded.

‘Good, I'm glad,' said Jack Chamberlain, pacing up and down his office. ‘I hear there was a little excitement up at the launch show last night?'

‘Oh, um, yes, that was entirely my fault,' I said. ‘It was a hundred per cent me,' I jumped in before Rhidian could say anything, but Jack Chamberlain cut me off.

‘No matter. The news exposure made it our highest-viewed launch show. Eleven million, can you believe it? You know how many shows get eleven million on a Wednesday night? None. It's ground breaking. What we do here at RealiTV is ground-breaking. You want to make ground-breaking television, Poppy? Rhidian?'

‘Absolutely,' I said.

‘Yes,' Rhidian nodded.

Jack Chamberlain sighed. ‘I hear things that go on in this company. Things I don't necessarily like.'

Oh god, were we in trouble for kissing at work? My mind was working overtime, trying to work out why we were here if this wasn't about horseaggedon.

‘I hear elements of some of your ideas may have been taken without the proper accreditation?'

He looked at us sternly. Neither of us said a word.

‘Could you log-on to that computer, Poppy?' he asked, indicating a laptop that was set up to the company home page. I logged on, my hands shaking.

‘You sent a write-up for an idea to James Ravenstone – can you pull out that email for me please?'

I searched my inbox and found the email he was talking about. I hoped to god he wasn't going to make me read it out aloud. Along with the attached document of
Bank My Bonus
was an email exchange between JR and I that involved a lot of ‘you look pretty today, Dangermouse'-style content. Shit, shit, SHIT! Perhaps I was going to get prosecuted for sexual harassment in the workplace?

‘That it?' asked Jack Chamberlain.

‘Uh-huh,' I mumbled.

Mr Chamberlain quickly scanned the email. He sent the attachment to his printer and didn't comment on the email content. Silently he went to his printer and started reading my
Bank My Bonus
write-up.

‘And you wrote all this yourself?' he asked.

‘Well, JR did help me with a second draft after that one. I guess he showed me how to format it properly, and improve some of the rounds.'

I could feel Rhidian seething that I was still defending JR.

‘But you wrote this one yourself?'

‘Yes.'

Jack Chamberlain's expression was hard to read. We all stood in silence as he finished reading the document.

‘This is close to what we've had commissioned, Poppy. It's a great top-line idea. You should have been credited for it.'

‘Um, thank you,' I said.

‘And Rhidian, I hear you are a budding animator?
Tipsy and Tim
, that was your idea?'

‘Just the title,' Rhidian said. ‘I don't know anything about the project. It was just a title idea I had for a personal project.'

‘And then I mentioned it to someone and it got confusing,' I jumped in. ‘It was really my fault it ever got mentioned.'

‘I don't like ideas not to be credited to the right people,' said Jack Chamberlain. ‘I also don't like talent slipping out from under my fingers.' He looked annoyed now. ‘You're due to leave us, Poppy. You didn't win the placement, so you're off to pastures new?'

‘I don't know, sir.'

‘You don't need to call me sir,' he laughed. ‘Call me Jack.'

‘Well, Mr Ravenstone did offer me a job on
Banker's Bonus
, but…'

‘But you didn't really fancy working for him after he stole your idea.'

I stood silently, not wanting to confirm or deny that.

‘Here's what I'm going to say,' Jack went on. ‘Rhidian, you're already staying with us. I've heard very good things, and I hope you will live up to the hype. If you want to work in animation, I'll see you get the chance, and I'll also see you get paid for your contribution to the
Tipsy and Tim
project. If you'd rather have the title back, then I'll make them change it.'

‘Thank you,' said Rhidian, looking genuinely surprised.

‘Poppy, you're an ideas person, I like that. This company is built on ideas and is only ever as strong as it's last one. We need good people. I'm putting together a new international development team and I want you to be a part of it. I'll also see you get credit for
Banker's Bonus
and a percentage of the format fee.'

‘Yes!' I said, unable to contain my excitement. ‘I would LOVE to be on an international development team!'

‘I'm glad.' Jack smiled, clearly amused by my excitement.

‘What will happen to JR? Is he in trouble?' asked Rhidian.

‘Yes, he's in trouble.'

‘Will he be fired?' Rhidian asked hopefully.

‘No, he won't be fired,' Jack laughed. ‘If I fired every perfectly good producer who took a little credit where they shouldn't, I wouldn't have any producers left, and JR, for all his faults, is one exceptional producer. Let's just say he learnt from the best.'

Rhidian nodded sagely, looking as though he regretted saying anything.

‘So, Poppy, talk to Dominic about your new contract, and I look forward to having you on the team. It's not bad getting a prime-time commission in your first three months in the industry, Miss Penfold – I'll be keeping an eye on you.'

We left Jack Chamberlain's office and I did a little excited dance in the corridor.

‘Well done,' said Rhidian, and then leant in to whisper in my ear, ‘I really want to kiss you, but I don't think it would be very professional, right outside the CEO's office.'

Back in the post room, Helen and David were watching a YouTube clip of a cat jumping up and down on a toaster.

‘So?' Helen asked, swinging around in her chair and putting her green DMs up on the desk.

As I relayed the exciting news, Helen didn't seem at all surprised that we weren't in trouble.

‘I just don't know how they knew that JR took Poppy's idea and my title?' mused Rhidian.

‘Well…' Helen grinned.

‘You said something,' said Rhidian.

‘I couldn't say nowt,' Helen answered. ‘You guys think I'm just another runner, but folk at this company listen to
me, you know. They know I know what's really goin' on 'round 'ere.'

David kindly volunteered to cover the post room so that Rhidian, Helen and I could go out for a celebratory lunch. I even extended the invitation to Mel as a peace offering, but she said no. Well, actually, she said, ‘I'd rather eat sand, horse girl', but I think she meant ‘no thanks'.