Ahh, Christmas in the Lethem household - a time for mirth, merriment, mincemeat pies and bellyaching about focus groups. Not really, but as one of three producers in the family, WCRS' James Lethem says the conversation could easily turn that way; fortunately he and his two brothers are well trained. "We keep it to a minimum really," he says of the holiday-time ad chatter. "If it's with any other member of the family, they'll start yawning and drift away."

The youngest of the three, the 40-year-old Lethem credits his beginnings in advertising to his "much, much older" siblings. "Although they were anxious for me to join, I think they were probably thinking 'Oh Christ, not another one'," he laughs. "But they were very encouraging. If it wasn't for those two I'd probably be working in insurance." With their guidance, Lethem got his start on the production side, where he worked a steady string of jobs for a shortlist of prodcos that no longer exist. "Every single company I ever worked for has either gone bankrupt or crumbled away," he jokes. "I don't know if it's me that had the kiss of death or if it's just a bit of bad luck."

Since making the move to agency production, his luck has fared much better. After starting as a PA with AMV.BBDO and moving up the ranks through Grey London and Euro RSCG, Lethem landed at WCRS, where he's been for the past seven years. While he's worked for a variety of clients over that period, one of his most defining contributions has been his work for mobile company 3, with whom he's produced seven spots over the past 30 months. With direction courtesy of Fredrik Bond and Traktor, not to mention some of the most surreal creative ever to come from a big-money brand, 3 represents something of a dream campaign for Lethem. "They're quite a forward-thinking client, and very imaginative," he says. "Hence we've been able to do seven original scripts, all of which we've been very happy to work on."

Having liaised closely with him on the last three 3 spots, Traktor's Ole Sanders offers up this tongue-in-cheek assessment on what it's like to work with the producer. "James has gone far by actively taking on the role of victim in the process," Sanders writes. "This consequently makes everybody else feel unduly empowered and happy with themselves and their careers. It's a smart tactic, and one that has gotten him to the very pinnacle of our questionable industry."

With work for Land Rover, BMW, Mini, Orange and Carling also under his belt, Lethem says he still loves being on the agency side every bit as much as he did when he began. "The cliché is that every time you ask someone at an agency why they love it, they always say they love the process from start to finish, and that's my answer," he says. "I wish I could think of a more original one, but it is the best answer. You're there on a project from the day after the script's been approved by the CD right up until it goes on television."

Despite all his experience, Lethem says there's still plenty about producing that keeps him on his toes. Between the increasing speed at which production is moving and its constant need for multi-disciplinarians, he's still learning. "With mobile phones, the Internet, email and digital post-production, everything happens a lot more quickly, so the pressure has increased," he says. "Ultimately that enables people to do more, simultaneously. Also, we're constantly working with different clients or different directors who have different demands and needs. One month we'll be doing animation, the next we'll be doing a car commercial or something which is more like a documentary... there's just such a huge variety."

But what of the man behind the clipboard? For that, we defer to Sanders once again. "On certain fateful nights you can see James hurtling through the streets of Soho on his bicycle, wearing tight-fitting rubber outfits for the discerning athlete. With a single-minded expression of duty and a scent of fine ale battling his deodorant, you sense that this man has spent all day explaining himself on a speakerphone. Because he has."

AGENCY BRIEF
Who should play you in Advertising: The Movie? Chuck Norris or Kenneth Williams.
What's the world's most underrated invention? Lego.
Which could you go longer without: your Blackberry or toothpaste? My toothpaste is Blackberry flavored.
In five words or less, describe the perfect conference call. "Lights off, night night Mummy."
Strangest moment on the job? "On the job" means something quite different in the UK. It's private.
The buzzword(s) or term(s) you are sick to death of hearing. Organic, cinematic, filmic, edgy.
Besides cockroaches, who or what else will survive the Apocalypse? McDonalds and Tescos.
Describe your first cell phone. Why? Has one been handed in?

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