What’s your name and your usual job title(s)?

My name’s Deborah Wilton.  I don’t have a ‘usual’ job title – it’s a roll-with-the-punches industry, so I’ve filled a variety of creative roles.  I’ve been credited as a writer, story editor, story producer, senior story producer, creative producer, and series producer, and I’m happy to work in any of those positions.

 

How did you get started working in factual TV?

A friend and colleague of mine from the scripted world was working on a reality series and knew I was looking for a job, and was kind enough to put my name forward. I loved reality TV as a viewer – I’m not kidding, I watched A LOT of it and still do – but my experience was all in scripted.  To say that I bluffed in the interview wouldn’t be fair; I umm perhaps hyper-confidently asserted my ability to switch genres.  The producers took a gamble on me, and I came on as a junior, even though I’d been senior in my scripted roles – but that was a-okay because I was keen to grow my skill set and aware that I had an enormous amount to learn.

 

What do you consider to be your career highlight(s)?

I feel I should be able to answer this with the triumphant equivalent of ‘the birth of my children’ but gosh, I’m going to give a really wimpy answer – it’s every time someone cries in a screening.  For all the public eye-rolling about reality TV, I’ve been lucky enough to work on a number of shows that really tugged at the heart strings.  And when you look across at a colleague – or an executive! – and they’re wiping away tears, and you know that you really made someone feel something… it’s powerful.

 

What’s the strangest thing you’ve had to do working in factual TV? 

This isn’t strange, per se, but as a job it was memorable.  Usually story editors aren’t in the field – we hide away with the editors in edit suites and mutually indulge our introvert tendencies and love of quality chocolate.  But when I worked on Shannon & Sophie we followed the story from shoot to suite, and that meant several trips to LA to Shannon Tweed’s home.  There was a point when I was crouched by Gene Simmons’ fridge to stay out of shot, and I thought of all the KISS dolls my friends had as kids and how if you’d told me I’d end up making story notes hiding behind a cupboard in The Demon’s kitchen I’d never have believed you.

 

What’s something interesting/unusual about you that most people don’t know?

When I was a teen, I taught Sunday School. I don’t think I was fired exactly, but there was a mutual decision that it wasn’t really my strength.

 

What’s your ultimate career aspiration? 

I think all writers dream of creating an incredible, paradigm-shifting show from scratch and bringing it to life, scripted or unscripted.  But in terms of the factual production ladder, if a job takes me too far away from story, I’m not really interested.  Rummaging around in footage and getting my hands dirty – or facilitating that for other story editors and editors – that’s where the fun is for me.