Diary of an unexpected runner – with executive insight

Denise Eriksen took a trip to the country as a runner after years as a film and TV executive. Here's what happened.
Denise Eriksen on set

Production Runners, I’ve decided, live on the cusp of failure, constantly staring down the abyss of screwing things up. 

This one proved to be no different. I had a blast while working my butt off, though the production team was a bit bemused at why someone of my experience and, yes, my age, was the Runner! 

I had a blast while working my butt off, though the production team was a bit bemused at why someone of my experience and, yes, my age, was the Runner! 

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Denise Eriksen is co-founder of Media Mentors Australia and what’s known as “a seasoned TV professional”. That means she’s been around the industry forever in various guises. She was Head of Factual at ABC, Head of Production and Development at SBS, Head of Current Affairs at the ABC, an Executive Producer with Beyond Productions, a journalist, a trainer of production crew internationally and so on. Now, her focus is on helping others develop their careers and their projects - in partnership with her daughter-in-law, Esther Coleman Hawkins.