Lee Carruthers | Senior Video Producer at Google

Following an experience on the set of a music video, Lee Carruthers decided he wanted to know more about the legal side of the media industry and pursued law. Now, as a Senior Video Producer at Google, he oversees large scale video production projects, manages multimillion pound budgets and drives creative excellence. Read on to learn more about his fascinating career journey.

I was always keen to explore a career in filmmaking. Even as a kid, I was aware of how much visual media impacted me and wanted to understand why. Following my undergraduate degree, I started working on set to gain experience. During filming for one very high-profile music video, I ended up working for almost 24 hours straight. This made me much more curious about the working conditions and business side of the industry. As I started to think more about contracts, releases and worker rights, studying law increasingly made sense. I wanted to understand all the structural and commercial aspects on which the industry was built.

Now I work as a Senior Producer I oversee extensive, high-visibility content plans for some of Google’s biggest brands, including Android and Chrome. This involves managing large annual video budgets and delivering content globally. I lead a team of producers and editors across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North America, and handle an array of stakeholder relationships. Whether in-house or with vendor companies, I drive end-to-end content production and help implement forward thinking creative strategies to keep our content standards elite and progressive.

I’ve had the privilege of capturing some remarkable stories around the world. Perhaps the one that stands out most was filmed in the Cape Flats of South Africa. A startup there had built a digital rewards platform to ease the financial burden of some of the world's most underprivileged youth. The platform - Zlto - offered points to reward volunteering and work experience. These points could be used to pay for food and living essentials. They built new skills, increased employability and opened choices previously out of reach. The founder was just 20 years old. Filming in townships like Michells Plain and Khayelitsha posed huge logistical and environmental challenges but successfully doing so meant we were able to capture this inspiring story authentically.

I was also a producer for Google’s Black Women in Tech campaign, which won two Webby Awards, and has certainly been a career highlight so far.

I was originally introduced to The University of Law by a friend already studying the GDL (now the PGDL). I wanted to continue to test myself academically following my undergraduate degree and saw law as the pinnacle of study. My friend really championed the culture and teaching style at the University and, as I explored my path into law more extensively, it became clear this was the right choice for me.

All postgraduate law courses are great at testing and developing elite time-management, stamina and intellectual discipline. But The University of Law goes further to set students on the path for success by treating them like professionals from the very first day, especially through small group work and focusing heavily on commercial awareness. This impacts your habits and how you show up in a professional setting and has certainly proven beneficial working in a company like Google.

While the lecturers were, in my experience, elite, I was most inspired by the other members of my small group. I was the first member of my family to enter higher education, so I began with some apprehension and even a little bit of imposter syndrome. But I was immediately put at ease as I got to know my small group. Everyone had different stories, different backgrounds and different ways they excelled.

I’m often told one of my biggest strengths as a producer is seeing the bigger picture. I must oversee so many moving component parts at once. I think this is possible due to self-discipline and the ability to process and organise a lot of information under pressure. My experience on the GDL unquestionably strengthened those skills. Producing is also all about communication and people management. Written or verbal, from your team members to stakeholders, the work is achieved through collaboration, inspiration and, on occasion, settling disputes. All these skills were sharpened through my study of law.

In my experience, Google encourages a highly collaborative and outcomes-focused culture. This is great because it empowers our team to take control of our own schedules and manage our workload. The work itself can be incredibly challenging and varied. I routinely work with partners, stakeholders and production crews across the world. This means finding time for meetings across global time zones and managing travel where necessary. Navigating a global footprint means you must be highly protective of your hours. Ultimately, this flexible setup allows me to design my day in a way that maximises peak productivity while preventing burnout.

My advice for anyone wanting to join Google would be the same advice I would give to people building their careers generally. Be persistent and use disappointments or setbacks as opportunities for reflection and growth. Beyond that, I would say attitude counts as much as experience.

Famously, Google places great value on employees to be “Googly”. They want to see you showcase intellectual humility. As someone who can really embrace collaboration. They want you to always have the user experience top of mind. They want people who can navigate ambiguity. It’s exciting to work in an environment on the bleeding edge of technology, but it requires people capable of building new paths as much as following those well-worn.

Google offers a host of opportunities, but I would say the most relevant to The University of Law students and graduates would be paid summer internships through the EMEA Legal Summer Institute.

My advice for students looking to network and break into the industry are:

• Focus on people and places that are of genuine interest to you. This can’t really be faked. Enthusiasm and authenticity are big green flags to someone considering giving up their time to support you.
• Showcase your work publicly. Build your LinkedIn presence or a portfolio online.
• Lead with curiosity, not an ask. This is a much more human, and less transactional, way of building relationships.
• Treat your legal education as an elite operational toolkit, then go apply it to the industry you are most passionate about.
• AI will continue to completely alter post-production workflows, asset creation, localisation and more. The roles will shift accordingly, and the best way to move forward will be to embrace these tools. Knowing them empowers you to decide how best – and to what extent – you implement them.

Don’t worry if your career doesn’t run in a straight line. Each step, choice and pivot builds your experience into something that is uniquely yours and provides your edge.

Discover how our courses have helped shape a range of varied careers for our alumni and follow in their footsteps.

Edited by Grant Longstaff. Published 14 October 2026.