Sam McAlister | The BBC Producer Who Made Prince Andrew Talk

Jimmy's Jobs of the Future

Boxlight Creative Studio

Technology, Business, Careers

5 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2025

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Want your own Brand or Business Podcast? Try out our NEW Podcast Calculator: https://www.boxlight.io/ Behind the Scenes of Iconic Interviews with Sam McAllister In this episode of Jimmy's Jobs of the Future, Jimmy interviews Sam McAllister, the powerhouse producer behind the groundbreaking Prince Andrew interview. As a former barrister and BBC negotiator, Sam has secured some of Newsnight's biggest exclusives, interviewing world leaders, whistleblowers, and celebrities. Sam discusses her unique role, the intricacies of guest booking, and the traits needed for success. She also reflects on the Prince Andrew interview, its negotiation process, and the impact of her career moves, including being portrayed by Billie Piper in a Netflix film. Tune in for an in-depth look at the fascinating world of high-stakes media negotiations and the unsung heroes behind the scenes. 00:00 The Woman Who Made Prince Andrew Talk 01:22 From Barrister to BBC Power Broker 02:18 How to Convince Anyone to Say Yes to an Interview 02:59 The High-Stakes World of Guest Booking 09:20 Why Business Leaders Struggle on Camera 12:41 The Future of Business Communication & Media 22:14 The Hidden Power of Producers in News & TV 25:45 The Podcast Boom & Why Big Names Are Joining 39:39 How News Can Change in an Instant 41:53 Why Newsrooms Need More Diversity 43:09 The Chaos of Producing Breaking News 47:03 How I Secured the Prince Andrew Interview 50:27 The Art of High-Stakes Negotiation 01:02:09 How Producers Shape the News You See 01:05:14 Why Producers Rarely Get the Credit 01:12:18 What’s Next for Media & My Career 01:14:20 Rapid-Fire: Biggest Wins, Regrets & Advice ********** Follow us on socials! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjobs Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmysjobsofthefuture Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/ Want to come on the show? [email protected] Sponsor the show or Partner with us: [email protected] Credits: Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Producer: Sunny Winter Editor: Sunny Winter Junior Producer: Thuy Dong Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:30.0	Welcome to Jimmy's Jobs of the Future. Today's guest is Sam McAllister and she is somebody that I've
0:35.4	wanted to get on the show for a long time.
0:38.3	She's known as a guest booker extraordinaire. She was the producer behind that Prince
0:43.8	Andrew interview. Now guest booking is a job that I didn't really understand five years ago,
0:50.0	but having done almost 200 episodes of Jimmy's Jobs of the Future, it's something that I've become
0:55.0	much more familiar with and become much more understanding of the role and appreciating it in much
1:02.7	greater detail. The art of the negotiation, the art of the give and the take. It's fascinating
1:07.4	listening to her book, Scoops, where she talks about so many famous interviews over the years and how the BBC get to Lambum.
1:14.7	So in this interview, we talk about the art of guest booking, the production process behind some of the world's biggest interviews.
1:20.9	We also touch on, did the BBC miss out on the podcast revolution?
1:25.4	And we also talk about Sam's job now as a public speaker
1:28.9	as well as a lecturer in negotiation and we also touch on why business people don't make the best
1:36.4	guests but we talk about how that could also change as well so anyway welcome to Jimmy's
1:42.7	jobs of the future onto today's episode.
1:48.0	Sam, welcome to Jimmy's Jobs of the Future.
1:51.5	What do you describe your job as?
1:54.0	It's really hard to describe my job now.
1:56.1	I think people are really uncomfortable with the idea of someone who is basically doing lots of different
2:01.2	things. Yeah. So we've called it portfolio career now, which makes it sound really posh and
2:05.3	impressive. But basically, I'm freelance and I do lots of different things. So I teach at the
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