As a ten-year veteran in the video production industry, I bring to the companies I work with the years of trial and error and mistakes that I have made which I have turned into opportunities to grow and expand my knowledge base. I now use those prior lessons to preempt potential problems and solve the spontaneous issues that occasionally arise.
One of my greatest advantages as an Executive Producer is my ability to create new video franchises that are sustainable. I pride myself on collaborating well with others to create cohesive themes within video that live on other platforms for brands. I am able to understand the needs and execution of all aspects of video due to my experiences as an on-set director, videographer, video editor and production assistant. I have performed nearly every role in video production resulting in a multifaceted understanding of how each separate role is integral in pre-production, production, and within post-production as well as, the optimal working conditions for each. I understand proper budgeting, scheduling, and management of my colleagues to create efficient, productive and harmonious video productions.
My position as an Executive Producer requires me to not only manage the logistics of actual on-set video production but also manage the talented professionals that are contributing to the creation of the content during both pre- and post-production. My ability to empathize with the stresses of production allow me to implement systems that manage budgets, timelines and expectations effectively. I have an understanding of the production and post-production vernacular which I use to remove the communication barriers that often exists between non-production executives, producers, directors, videographers, editors and colorists; fostering an effective means of communication makes implementing change and addressing on-set queries more seamless and reduces employee burnout.
My experiences have taught me that fostering effective communication cannot only be from a top-down approach but must also be performed in a way that allows non-production executives to understand the constraints of video production which intern allows me to create content that is more expressive, intuitive, and creative because it removes an atmosphere of added pressure and frustration.
My managerial philosophy can be distilled into three major points that I implement in both my career and personal life. First is empathy; it is important to not prejudge or assume the worst of my coworkers. I believe that all egos need to be “left at the door” when entering a new position, production, or quite frankly, in any personal or professional setting. I implement an environment of empathy by having full, live team meetings that allow for team members at each level of production to understand and respect the processes, stresses, queries, and constraints of each member of the team from the producer to the production assistant.
Second is unity of purpose which is to be distinguished from empathy. Team members at every level have differing backgrounds, experiences, goals and interests. With this knowledge in mind, I create an environment where the mission of the team is paramount to individual desires while also making each individual team member feel valued and acknowledged for their contributions. At the beginning of a launch, I ensure that all working members understand the who, what, when, where, why and how of each project. That is, (i) who is this content being made for; (ii) what is the purpose of this content; (iii) when this content will be published; (iv) where will this content live; (v) why will our viewer care to watch this content, and; (vi) how will we grab the interest of our viewer within such a short period of time. From this starting point each team member knows what our intentions are when beginning a project. We then all build on this together utilizing individual contributions while always bearing in mind the original intention of the project.
Third is transparency. Transparency in communication whether through written email chains or orally in meetings with team members helps to create an organizational climate of understanding. Having tough conversations and being honest with team members when there is a lack of contribution or when ideas are not aligned with brand awareness, is necessary to be able to manage the pace, strength, and quality of content being created in a timely and efficient matter. I inform all team members from the outset of every project that they need to bring problems to my attention when they either foresee potential problems or have made a mistake that they cannot correct without guidance. I do not want my team to feel as though they cannot bring issues to my attention as this only allows for initially small issues to go unaddressed and turn into large, complicated clusters of issues. To that end, I use constructive criticism and seek to create coachable moments wherever possible when problem solving. Communication and transparency work in tandem; as long as there is a clear line of communication implemented between team members information can be shared internally or with outside vendors in a clear and concise manner which creates a space for storytelling in an innovative and inspiring way.