No Limits Producing with Cara Warwick

Regardless of your vocation, the person you want to work with is someone who remains steadfast and calm when everything seems to be headed in a bad direction; someone like Cara Warwick. A producer working in television, film, commercials, and streaming projects, Ms. Warwick has a reputation within the industry for transforming any impediment into a minor afterthought. Considering the budgets and egos often involved in this industry, Cara’s ability to handle every scenario with confidence and ingenuity is the difference between failure and success. That type of stress would be crushing to most but for this UK native it provides the means of proving her skill through a successive series of productions which all demand something unique. In professional terms, Cara Warwick is not simply existing, but is seizing every moment and experiencing it fully. The productions she has led are proof of her passion for creation.

  Cara will readily admit to the fact that she doesn’t take on every project that comes her way. She is interested in feeling a part of something special. As a devoted car enthusiast, Warwick agreed to produce a two-hour television special about the rebirth of iconic British car company Radford. Titled Radford Returns, this production follows Ant Anstead, Jenson Button, Mark Stubbs, and Roger Behle in their creation of the Lotus 62. In contrast to so many Reality-TV type productions, Radford Returns was confined by the schedule of the car company’s release date. This meant that moments were captured in real time; whether the team succeeded or failed, the timetable restrictions would not change. Cara explains, “Radford had a deadline to manufacture the car, exhibit it at certain events, and had a specified launch date which they had to adhere to. None of this could be controlled by our production. If they had to change their daily routine, meetings, calls, design, build, etc., for whatever reason, we had to just follow and adapt accordingly. I think the key skill for all filming on this show was just to be present at all times, know the daily schedule up to a point, and anticipate what content we might get. It was also paramount that daily hot sheets were made so we could identify key story points, significant moments that happened each day, to follow up on these with interviews, and further footage that would make a coherent timeline of story.” The energy and intensity of this is palpable in the final version of Radford Returns. The process is exciting and perhaps can even be referred to as noble. 

Radically different than the process of rebuilding a high-performance sport vehicle is The Unofficial Science of Home Alone which Cara produced for SKY TV. This original TV special investigates whether Macaulay Culkin’s character “Kevin” from the Oscar nominated Chris Columbus film could have effectively thwarted burglars with his traps. Among others, this project featured interviews with Home Alone cast members Daniel Stern (American Comedy Award nominee, Canadian Screen Awards nominee) aka “Marv the burglar” as well as Matt Doherty and Kristin Minter. The time zone coordination for filming this multi-continental production was uncomfortable to say the least. However, this was somewhat simple when compared to manifesting Christmas in LA during the middle of summer. As the person solely responsible for the Chicago and Los Angeles shoots, Ms. Warwick was the head of the American wing of this production. Home Alone has generations of fans who excitedly tuned in for a dose of reality regarding some of the film’s most thrilling moments with The Unofficial Science of Home Alone. Much of Cara’s time of this production was intense but she found moments of pure joy as well and remarks, “This was such a fun and interesting project. And who doesn’t love their job when they get to meet one of the burglars from Home Alone? It was such an honor to meet Daniel and hear his stories. We could have listened to him talk all day.”

A resume like Cara’s is populated with work that seems unconnected in subject matter. It’s this variety that keeps her engaged in her work. No project seems less likely in concept than pairing a legendary legacy music artist with a world champion pugilist, but that was precisely what occurred with a production Cara produced for BT Sports. In a promo that contributed to the upcoming boxing match between current WBC Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte, Fury and singer Don McClean (Songwriter Hall of Fame member, Grammy Award Honoree, BBC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient) collaborated on a performance of the hit song “American Pie.” Presented in music video format, McClean sings his iconic song while standing in the boxing ring. Footage of Fury singing the same song was edited in later. The promo manifests a surprisingly appealing pairing. Entertaining in its humor and ability to stir inspiration, this promo became a quick fan favorite on social media. Cara concedes that it was an effort to capture all of the footage within the single day allowed due to other obligations on the part of talent but it was a day she won’t soon forget. She states, “It’s shoots like this that make me like my job! One of the most rewarding things about working on this promo was getting to meet Don McClean! I have been in this industry for years and have worked with many high-profile personalities but there are only a few where I feel privileged to be in their company. This is such a classic worldwide song. Don was a great sport (literally!) to agree to make this promo and was a joy to be around.”

Writer: Mike Winston