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Sam Piper

Camera Assistant, Data Wrangler, Minicams Operator

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About Sam

Sam joined the team in July of 2022 after graduating from Arts University Bournemouth.

It was only a matter of days between him walking across that graduation stage, wondering what his next step would be, and having his interview with the Mad Dogs team. From working in retail, behind bars, in factories, on building sites and multiple other jobs; Sam has really found what he loves.

When not on location, Sam is full time staff at Mad Dogs working hard on preparing equipment for kit hire. Surrounding himself with high end industry standard equipment on a daily basis, working with the team to ensure all the kit is sent out at a high standard and has been maintained correctly to be exactly what the clients require.

In his first few years in the industry Sam has already gained multiple impressive broadcast credits. Working on location and in studio on shoots for the BBC, ITV, Channel4, Smithsonian Channel and Discovery. Most notably Sam spent twenty weeks living in Alaska as series DIT for Ice Airport Alaska and has worked multiple stints on Gold rush, Discovery Channel.

Sam once fell out of a plane at 15,000 ft for fun…

and charity!

Showreel

Photo of Sam Piper on location in the Yukon, Canada, having some fun between filming Gold Rush S15 for the Discovery Channel

Personal Profile

I am a dedicated and enthusiastic member of the Mad Dogs team. I always perform professinally and to the best of my ability with an eye for attention to detail. I welcome new challenges that could develop my knowledge and experience on set and location. Striving for greatness, exhibiting resilience, initiative, and perseverance when tackling all tasks are all qualities I take with me to every job. Being employed by Maddogs Television grants me vital access to a wide range of equipment, helping to advance my understanding and workflow of a production, along with the support from the team.

My parents have fond memories of me sitting in our toy box in front of the TV when I was younger watching my favourite kids shows, however I realised I had a love for film and tv when my dad surprised me and my brother, returning from work with the whole James Bond collection on VHS. Since then I have always had a real passion for all kinds of media especially video games, tv, film and music. This passion has really pushed me to be more independent,  break away into my own interests and hobbies to pursue a career I really love.

Sam in action

Off to the races

Sam Joined Mad Dogs back in 2022, days after his graduation, and has been chugging along inhouse and out on location ever since.

Top Shot

Assisting the shooting teams with Location VTs as Location Camera Assistant for a daytime cooking show.

Icy Airports

Sam Spent 5 months working in Anchorage, Alaska, shooting an aviation show. This was his first major credit in the industry.
Sam Piper working as Spark during his university filming project Dead Girls Don't fear The Reaper

Off and about

Ever since his time at uni, Sam has always loved working on location; battling the elements and thinking technically to achieve excatly what the Director and DOP want.
Choirboy Behind the scenes, a short film shot by Bournmouth Film school, with Sam Piper as Key Grip

Getting to grips

Sam primarily focused on Spark and Grip work at university which is where he confirmed his love for physicality on set, not straying away from helping all department with builds, rigging, pre-light and strike days.
The back of a tech car on Gold Rush with filming equipment organised and prepared for rigging and filming by Sam Piper

A little dusty

Working on Gold Rush 14, Sam was responsible for his own kit and vehicle; keeping his equiptment and footage to high standard.
Photo of Sam Piper on location with James Bailey, shooting for Five Five Media at Marchwood Saints training grounds

On the go

Keeping kit organised and planning ahead, working as Camera Assistant aiding with professionally shot content on location
Sam Piper at Mad Dogs Television HQ, preparing kit and Carnet documents for returning tv show; Ice Airport Alaska

All in a days work

Surrounding himself with professional broadcast equipment and completing crutial documents with the rest of the team, ready for clients collection or delivery.
BTS photo of Sam Piper and our crew in Borough Market, London, shooting VTs for Ainsleys Fantastic Flavours S2

Returning to location

Working on returning shows has allowed Sam to hone his craft and develop his proffesional skills across the production process.

Broadcast Credits

Programme

Production Company

Channel

Role

Ainsley's Festive Flavours (S2)

Rock Oyster Media

ITV

Camera Assistant / Data Wrangler

Gold Rush (S15)

RAW TV

Discovery Channel

Minicams Operator

Saints Football x Peter Cooper Promotion

Five Five Media

Corporate

Camera Operator

The Greeenwood Tree Cafe

Internal

Corporate

Camera Operator

Ainsley's Fantastic Flavours (S2)

Rock Oyster Media

ITV

Location Camera Assistant

Digging For Britain (S11)

Rare TV

BBC 2

Data Wrangler

Gold Rush (Series 14)

RAW TV

Discovery Channel

Minicams Operator

Ice Airport Alaska (S4)

Rare TV

Smithsonian Channel

Series DIT / Additional Camera

Britains Most Expensive Houses

Waddell Media

Channel 4

Camera Assistant / Data Wrangler

Ainsley's Fantastic Flavours (S1)

Rock Oyster Media

ITV

Location Camera Assistant

Ainsley's World Cup Flavours

Rock Oyster Media

ITV

Studio Technical Assistant

Philips Lumea Commercial

VOX CREATIVE Now This

Multimedia Content

Swing

HOBURNE Ownership & Holiday

SHED TV Productions

Multimedia Content

Lighting/ Camera Assistant

Crestwood Promo Film

Viki Lines

Multimedia Content

Camera Operator/ Gimbal Operator

Farmfoods British Par 3 2022

Five Five Media

Five Five Media

Online Charity Content

Minicams Operator / Data Wrangler

Rolls Royce Motorcars
Apprenticeships Promotion

The Mindworks Marketing

Internal Content

Data Wrangler

PYLON

Sixteen Films

BFI Funded Short

Production Coordinator/ 3rd AD

Download Sams CV

Testimonials

“Having worked with Sam from the beginning of his on location career, it has been inspiring to see his growth over the different roles which he has undertaken. Sam has a keen eye and takes pride in his camera work. 
He works quickly and without fuss in high pressure situations, getting good shots with minimal direction. Sam is a young and enthusiastic member of the crew, who not only works hard on location but also gets along with the crew and brings positivity to any scenario.
I would be happy to work with Sam again in the future.”

Shane MacLennan
Series Field Producer, Gold Rush 15

“Sam has worked on a number of productions for me and has always been a delightful and valuable member of the team. He is hardworking and conscientious. The shoots he joined me on involved a small team and tight schedules, they required an efficient and organised assistant. 
He is a great support, not only for the camera team but also for production. He uses his initiative to go above and beyond what is asked of him and make things run smoothly and without unnecessary stress. He is clear in his communication and follows instructions well.
On shoots where time and kit management were essential, Sam was a brilliant asset to the crew. I wouldn’t hesitate to book him in the future.”

Hannah Wilson
Producer, Rock Oyster Media

“Even prior to Sam’s arrival on our team, my Gold Rush colleagues informed me that Sam was exceptional at his job and is a pleasure to work with. Over the course of five weeks, I observed Sam’s technical abilities, emotional intelligence, eye for story, and his team spirit.
Sam’s efficient communication and personable nature allow him to easily develop relationships with contributors and crew. In Gold Rush, things happen fast and can become tense quickly; Sam uses emotional intelligence when approaching contributors and crew to navigate complex situations while ensuring he has the coverage he needs.
Sam is a listener who observes what’s happening around him. Not only does he develop a plan before he’s asked to, but he listens for key story points to share with the crew.
Lastly, Sam is thoughtful and encourages team morale. For example, he organised a camp Olympics for the entire camp to partake in hosting and MCing the event giving away medals to the winners of each competition. For crew who are away from family and friends for months, this event brought joy and a sense of comradery
In closing, Sam is enthusiastic, eager to continue developing his skills, and is a fantastic addition to any field crew. He demonstrates his technical knowledge, manages his relationships with contributors well, and is supportive of his colleagues.”

Gary W. Hayes
Series Field Producer, Gold Rush 15

“I’m happy to give a reference for Sam Piper in respect of the work he did on a film project I produced here at Sixteen Films, Ken Loach’s production company. Sam was diligent and hard working, and showed excellent leadership skills over the four days of production. He essentially coordinated a production team across a difficult shoot, in difficult conditions, and I would be very happy to hire him again if the right project arose.
Sam joined the project before the shoot after being mentioned to us through his film school, and he quickly became key to communication across the AD and production teams running smoothly. I felt able to hand him some important responsibilities by the end of day one. He also showed a high level of commitment in the wrap up of the project, helping us pack down days after we had left the site.”

Jack Thomas-O’Brien
Producer, PYLON BFI Short

“I was frequently impressed by Sam and his enthusiasm for the role, so felt compelled to send some feedback. Gold Rush can be a difficult job, physically and mentally, but Sam maintained an ideal level of professionalism throughout. 
He consistently took great pride in his work and put maximum effort into every challenge that came his way. He did a brilliant job at ensuring the mini-cams coverage of each scene was creative, dynamic and - most importantly - very thorough. He listens to instructions well, is brimming with ideas, delivers great results, and communicates clearly when he has questions or contributions to make. He is a great team player who would never hesitate to lend a hand to his team members, happily going beyond the parameters of his job description - a quality that is key on a show like Gold Rush.

Amy Jenkins
Location Series Producer, Gold Rush 14