The Association of Relocation Professionals

Feature: VIP Househunter
Rosie Lambert - The Premier Relocation Company

The Yorkshire-based relocation company, Premier Relocation, has recently featured in a new TV documentary series ‘VIP House Hunter’ on The Discovery Channel. The company is run by its founder, Rosie Lambert, who, after having been relocated many times herself both in the UK and abroad set up the Premier Relocation Company in Leeds in 1999. During the past eight years Rosie has relocated over 50 Premiership football players and managers and also counts some of the UK’s top blue chip companies amongst her clients. Under her guidance, The Premier Relocation Company now offers relocation services not only in Yorkshire but also in Manchester, Edinburgh and London. We caught up with Rosie to find out about her latest TV venture.

“Two years ago I was contacted by the BBC who asked if I would do a ten minute documentary film about my business for their regional magazine programme ‘Inside Out’. This was seen by The Discovery Channel who asked if I would be interested in doing a ten- part documentary series! Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth I promptly said ‘yes’ and spent 10 months of 2006 filming ‘VIP House Hunter’”

The 10 part series follows Rosie and her clients in their quest to find not only the right house but a whole new lifestyle.
“One of the big reasons I agreed to do the show was not only the obvious spin-off publicity for my business, but the fact that Discovery wanted to show the relocation process as it really is. As we all know, in the relocation industry, there is a lot more to it than just finding a house, and I wanted that to come across clearly. I definitely didn’t want to make just another property show”.

The show follows Rosie and her real-life clients through the whole relocation process - from finding the right house in the right location to choosing the schools and sorting all sorts of lifestyle issues. From her clients’ point of departure - be it in the UK or abroad - through to moving in and day and beyond.

“What was amazing,” continues Rosie, “was that very few of my clients needed persuading to take part. In fact 99% of the clients who were offered the opportunity to take part in some filming did so, and all of them were delighted with the final outcome. Even some of my well-known football clients joined in, and the show features the likes of Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United and England), Lee Sharpe (England and Dancing On Ice) and Brian Deane (England and Middlesborough) amongst others…”

VIP House Hunter has a real ‘feel good’ factor which is due in no small part to the production company that Discovery commissioned to make the series.

“They were great to work with” explains Rosie, “There was never a moment when either my clients or I felt that they were portrayed in anything other than a good light. Having heard many stories about the making of ‘reality’ TV shows this was a major concern to me at the outset but one which never became an issue”  Rosie adds, “The fact that the majority of my clients choose to purchase and rent in the upper end of the property market also makes for good TV. It means that the viewer gets to have a good old nosey around some gorgeous properties in top locations in Yorkshire, Manchester and Edinburgh”

The reaction from Rosie’s family and friends as well as other clients has been amazing (as well as good for business). She has received great feedback too from complete strangers and the general public who have seen her show and contacted her via her website to say how much they have enjoyed it.

“A lot of that, in my opinion is due to the fact that the TV show features real people sharing their real life ‘moving’ stories” says Rosie.  “The most stressful part of the filming process for me was not in fact being filmed all the time” explains Rosie, “but managing my clients throughout the filming days. Very often the first time I would meet a client would be with a camera crew on my shoulder! Also I still had a job to do, at the end of the day, and find that house, location, school, furniture etc..It all had to be sorted, film crew or no film crew…”

So what does Rosie herself think of the final product?
“I think that one of the key successes of the show has been to give the complete relocation picture. Alongside this a smattering of celebrity across the 10 shows and some really top properties all packaged together in a glossy and fast moving way makes the programme stand out”  Rosie goes on to say “I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend making a TV programme to anybody if they get the opportunity to do something similar. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. Just set your ground rules first and keep it real - there’s no point being anything but yourself on the telly!”

VIP House Hunter will be repeated in August on Discovery Real Time Channel (www.realtimetv.co.uk). For more information on Rosie and her business got to www.premierrelocation.co.uk