BBC - Around the World - Ariel's 'Foreign Bureau' - 19 July 2005 - by Mitch Tucker, BBC Worldwide, Los Angeles

by Mitch Tucker, vice president, video tape ops and distribution services BBC Worldwide (Americas), 19 July 2005

The paper hits the driveway with a thump at 5am. Time to get up. Quietly I make my way downstairs so as not to wake my wife or kids. Start the coffee and then dial in to webmail to get a jump on the day.

After a quick shower and a travel mug of coffee it’s time to hit the road. The commute can take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, unless Cal-Trans decides to close a few lanes during rush hour to re-stripe the road. Thank goodness for satellite radio. Most days I get to the office between 7. 30 and 8am.

At 5.45am on Thursdays, during the nicer time of the year, you will find me at De Bell golf course in Burbank playing the back nine. A few years back we started a group called Dawn Patrol, made up of individuals from the television and film industry. It’s a great way to start the day and talk candidly with others about what they are doing and trends in the business. Then it’s into the office around 9.

My Los Angeles tape facility team is made up of four people (including myself) that services all of BBC Worldwide Americas’ clients in North and South America. Making sure the material we deliver to our clients is complete and precise requires a lot of attention to detail. I also have two people in our New York office who manage programme material and co-ordinate all in-house screening cassettes and DVDs. The days can get quite hectic at times.

The Burbank office is located in the centre of the media district, surrounded by Warner Brothers Studios, NBC Universal, Disney and a barrage of post-production and film labs – with two Starbucks within walking distance.

Our Burbank office also accommodates BBC Motion Gallery and programming and co-productions. Motion Gallery offers media professionals access to the world’s most comprehensive collection of high-quality motion imagery for licensing worldwide. It’s a great group of individuals who work hard and take pride in what they do.

When I’m not at the office I can be found taking one of our three children to either dance, baseball or friends’ houses. In the evenings it’s helping with homework and preparing for the next day.

Weekends are just as busy between managing and coaching a challenger Little League baseball for children with special needs and bowling with Special Olympics’ participants. There’s never a dull moment.

People ask about what it’s like living in California. Well, having lived in the state all my life and Los Angeles for the past 28 years I’ve become accustomed to the climate and the ‘seasons’ (fires, riots, earthquakes and floods).

Seriously, though, southern California has a lot to offer and we welcome visitors from the other BBC offices located around the world. Just drop us a line.