Caroline Parry
Production Welfare Supervisor
Caroline oversees staff welfare and wellbeing across production and post-production. With more than 20 years’ experience in television, she has held senior roles at companies including Studio Lambert, BBC, ITV and Sony Pictures Television as a Welfare Producer, Casting Producer, and Talent Manager; always with a strong focus on duty of care and support. Production highlights include Limitless with Chris Hemsworth for Disney+/Nat Geo and casting the first four series of Four in a Bed.
When did you join True North?
I joined just under two years ago, initially overseeing staff welfare for the teams working on A New Life in the Sun and We Bought a Village. I now support staff welfare across all productions.
What TV show could you not live without??
It has to be The Office. When I first moved to London years ago, I watched it over and over. I still go back to it as a comfort watch.. Or anything with Tom Davis. True crime shows are also my current go-to; people fascinate me, especially those who live outside the usual social boundaries.
Anything that stands out about your career?
Before coming to True North, I was at Nutopia, where I cast on two global mega-docs for Disney +/ Nat Geo – Limitless with Chris Hemsworth and another series with Hollywood talent (coming soon – watch this space). I’ve cast and looked after chat show guests for Anne Robinson, picky diners for Marco Pierre White and reluctant teenagers backpacking across Indonesia. I went ‘undercover’ twice, got locked in a room with a celeb just before a live show (I got her out just in time – wipes brow). I also accidentally tripped up a famous singer when I was a runner, just as he was about to walk out on stage at The Royal Albert Hall. Lucky for me, he saw the funny side.
Anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?
I have always been a strong advocate for welfare within the TV industry. I hold an NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills, am a certified Mental Health First Aider, and I’m on the committee of the Film and TV Welfare Association. Out of work, I am a trustee of The Force’s Children’s Trust, a charity supporting the wellbeing of children of the armed forces. I love running and I live in the Yorkshire Dales, so running around there is pretty special.
Are there any changes you’d like to see in the industry?
What’s kept me in TV are the people. Our industry is full of exceptional talent that need to be supported. The recent downturn has seen too many brilliant people leave, and we can’t afford to keep losing that wealth of experience and creativity.
What’s one (or two!) bits of advice that helps you the most in the TV industry?
Be resilient and tenacious, but above all, be kind to people. Learn how to take better care of yourself too; it can make a huge difference. As can a cup of (Yorkshire) tea.