12 Things i learnt as a Producer

My Stage Play, the Queen’s Wish was a good trial in exploring my skills and talents as a playwright and theatre producer. If I want to do it again or something similar, there are things I’ve learnt and there are boundaries I will not dare cross.

1. Avoid working with anyone you cannot speak to. If you have to regard someone in high esteem such that you are worried or afraid to call them out when their creative style is not in line with your concept, don’t work with them. Leave them in that “high esteem” state becuase they will frustrate you and make you question your own creation which may mar your future relationship with them and others.

2. Avoid working with someone who is too below you such that you feel guilty or seem arrogant when you need to guide them aright or share your thoughts/ideas with them. If you correct them too much, they may start to think you are trying to dominate them and may revolt. Also, never work with Chronic Freelancers. They will never treat your project specially. They will want to achieve many things at the same time and may drag the resources with which your project deserves.

3. I have also learnt to document things and go legal with my projects no matter how small/big it is or who is involved even if it’s my close friends or family. A document that states each person’s roles, does and don'ts in each given project is always important. It’s an oversight that I didn’t take that to heart because just 6 months ago back in the UK during the lockdown, I took some professional courses in project management and this would have come in handy if I adopted it. Anyways there is always a next time and I will do the needful to avoid stories that touch.

4. Never work with Myopic people- If you are a visionary person with foresight, standards and class, and you work with people who don’t envisage the future with you as regards the outcome or possibilities of your creative work, you will be the only dreamer amongst the team and may begin to see less of what you can achieve with the project.

5. Work with HR savvy individuals- Some people lack human resource skills and the patience to coordinate others to achieving a desired goal. They bring their egos to tasks and would not help you achieve much due to their lack of Human Resources and social empathy. Also, don’t play politics with people. If you have access, go to the higher authorities and they will fast track your progress. If you play politics with vendors and sub-managers, they may delay your production process.

6. Don’t work with Startups- Please don’t get me wrong, there are awesome people out there and there is always need for collaboration if it is mutual. I love to work with greehorns and passionate people who see working with me as an opportunity to grow or explore their talents and skills. But there are some Startup enthusiasts that’s too much for what you want to do. They will always think you want to compete with their “promising venture” especially if your project is also in line with what they do. If you call them to order about anything, they may accuse you of being selfish, competitive or not allowing them to do their Jobs which you trusted to them or consulted them for. You will be the only one seeing the loopholes and they will only listen to you at the last minute when things are likely to get out of their control. You want to work with people that gives you peace of mind, not make you be on your toes all the time.

7. Never work with people you are too familiar with or someone you’ve not seen in a looooooog while. Sometimes the distance and the break in communication is best. When you work with strangers they tend to appreciate you more becuase they want to build/foster new relationships and opportunities. But relatives or friends will impose their sentiments on you and also make you feel ungrateful for no reason. They tend to also make you look bad before others who will accuse you of being inconsiderate with your close ones.

8. Never work with someone who wants to help you because they also want something in return. Nothing goes for nothing but don’t let their needs catch you unawares. Be open with your agreement and state your limits when inviting people to partner with your projects. Also get their full “YES” if possible in a written form before you showcase their brand on your work or even take anything from them. If not, they may turn around to accuse you of not fulfilling their wishful ambition (whatever it is) and may withdraw their support at the last minute, just so you can beg your way through.

9. Be assertive and less proactive when on a project or production. Don’t always make decisions under pressure: you also need to manage your fears, emotions and resources. Learn to enjoy the process, delegate task and think ahead of your plans. Always follow your intuition in a calm manner and also be less attached to your project. There is life after it and if you consume yourself in achieving that one goal, you may lose sight of the main purpose of execution.

10. Work with Passionate persons even if they are amateurs. 85% of people I achieved this production with were not known professionally but they gave their commendable best. Don’t be so engrossed with working with professionals alone. Some amateurs and passionate greenhorms can give you so much if well managed and they wont stress you like professionals do when they boast of their 100 years of experience in the industry you are just pummelling. However, stick to your Numbers. If you want to achieve your project with 20 people, don’t accept extra 20 with sentiments. For instance, towards the end of my rehearsals, as we geared towards performance date, some people joined us and I knew that there were so many loafers in my production, wo were acting like they helping but i decided to ignore some things so we can all learn and have fun while working. It turned out that, these people you think you are helping are the ones who have an immediate gratification and an entitlement mindset!

11. Communicate financial expectations as often times as possible. Some people join your project halfway and there is a tendency to get lost in the process of execution that you forget to update key personnels on that aspect. Failure to do that may result in mending offenses from people who didn’t know their actual offers. When you sort out financial needs, you leave concerned parties with the opportunity to decide whather they want to continue to be a part of the project or not. If they decide to stay, they stay with an understanding of what is at stake or what is available to them.

12. Finally, don’t wait for others to promote you. Be your own cheerleader. You will be shocked that it is the poeple you think will promote and support you, are the ones who will be silent and become monitoring spirit. Some will even have the guts to say” you are disturbing them with your Messages and reminders. Please if you are living out your dreams, (No matter how small or Big), don’t be afraid to promote yourself and make your Noise. Your real Gs should support you not complain that you are sending too much BCs or asking them for basic PR support. If you have to block some people so you don’t disturb their Peace with the promotion of your progress, please do so.

PS: You may add your producing or project management experiences here so we can all learn cos I know there are people who have walked in my shoes too. For me, these are red flags to look out for when you need to do a project be it starting a business, filming a movie or organizing an event, please don’t cross these lines. This is how you avoid working with people consumed in their professional egos and youthful pride.

I am on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @patobilor... Good Evening Fam.