#Setlife ...So You Want To Be A Producer? (Volume 1: Research)

Hey Guys,

A lot of young people have been asking me questions about how to get started in their career. Dusha, how are you making a living as a freelancer in the commercial/tv production industry? And when Linkedin e-mailed me asking me to mentor younger users, I thought maybe I should do something.

So, I'll be posting a few articles here on LinkedIn. I'll mostly be sharing valuable lessons from some of my career mishaps. I'll also be outlining a process for inexpensive professional development and industry access that I've dubbed, the free process. You know, because career growth doesn't need to cost an arm and a leg. These articles could be another resource for anyone interested in freelancing, producing films and videos, or that just enjoys a good life piece.

The Free Process is simple:

1. Research
2. Network
3. Participate
4. Develop Your Skills

Jargon Used In This Article:

Film Producer or Producer: is a person who oversees film/video production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script; coordinating writing, directing, and editing; and arranging financing. (wikipedia)

Call Time: The time designated for you to be on set and ready to work.

Production Assistant: also known as a PA, is a member of the film crew and is a job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production.

Call sheet: is a filmmaking term for the schedule crafted by the assistant director, using the director's shot list. It is issued to the cast and crew of a film production to inform them of where and when they should report for a particular day of filming

So...Do you want to be a producer?

THE FREE PROCESS: RESEARCH

Recently I had the pleasure of assisting a friend who was interviewing for a competitive job at Netflix. She contacted me in a panic. She didn't want to tell anyone of her friends about the opportunity because she didn't want to jinx it, and she had to keep it low profile at her office for obvious reasons. Spoiler alert: she got the job. However it was a process.

We went to Starbucks grabbed some large coffees and talked first about her intentions. What do you want to do? Why do you want to do it? Don't let the first time you think about these questions be in an interview. Often times when I ask other professionals (and I ask a lot) "How'd you get into the industry?" they tell me how: "they fell into it". They tell a story about how a friend of a friend, or a family member, asked for a favor, and sent them a name. That's great. However you can't plan for that. I'm talking about setting a goal and attaining it. I'm talking about already being prepared for opportunities as they arise.

Why do you want this? The production world is vast and wide. Usually when I encounter younger people they only know three positions: Director, Actor, and Camera Operator. But the truth is, there are thousands of jobs in this industry. Agency Producer. Art Director. Production Manager. Location Scout. Safety Director. Set Nurse. Project Manager. Business Manager. The list goes on. My business partner, Jordan is always marveling at how there are so many roles people do not know about. Stay and watch the credits of your favorite movie. Or, pay attention to how many names pop up on the bottom of the screen at the start of your favorite network television show. It takes a village to make a production.

We want to make sure your mindset is finding the role that works for you. It doesn't hurt to experience other roles. It can serve you well to learn skills from other departments from putting your hand to it. Either way investing in self coupled with learning from those who've come before you, will quickly distinguish you. If you're entry level and you don't know what you like to do, you have to get experiences in different departments to learn what you like. If you are a little seasoned but you want to pivot, think of how your past experience plays into what you want to do now. Get your foot in the door however you can. But set a destination. It's okay if the destination changes.

I'm going to be talking mostly about my experience in becoming a producer, but these techniques will help with most departments in production.

My friend who was applying to Netflix did her homework. She researched the corporate culture. She already loved the product, and had experience in the field. She knew who was going to be interviewing her in advance and we researched them together, right here on LinkedIn. We found out where they worked before, and what projects they've worked on. This made her way more comfortable in her meetings. It showed she was prepared. It gave her insight into what perspectives her future associates would be speaking from. Don't tell a bad director joke to someone whose been directing for 15 years. It helped her have talking points, and valid questions about the position.

Research everything.

1. Google film production/positions on set
2. Wikipedia what you want to do.
3. Watch your favorite TV show/Movie and research the company that produces it
4. Research the Professional Organizations and Unions
5. Subscribe to Industry Specific Magazines/Websites
6. Research Facebook groups that support Freelancers in the Industry
7. Reach out to friends that are currently doing something
8. Take a LinkedIn Tutorials on production.

Prepare to perform. The production process is what creates all of the movies you love, the content you stream. But I want to stop you right now if you think it's a walk in the park. It's not glamourous. Always remember it's a privilege to be on set. It's not 30 Rock (although that show is damn good). It's 5am call times. It's cross country road trips in a cramped car full of equipment. It's re-wrapping audio wire in the pouring rain, in the dead of night, when it's cold, because you wrapped it wrong and it won't lay right in John's kit. It's work. But it's fun. It's good money. It's a career. You can build one, but this is going to take time.

So step 1 to getting in is committing yourself to being a student of the game, and that means doing some research. Okay now for a quick war story about my first production and what I learned.

Mishap 1: B.E.T.'s BLACK GIRL'S ROCK

I had no idea what it was like to be on set and my assumptions set me up to fail.

In the fall of 2011 my father hooked me up with a family friend, Gideon. I had been making videos and posting them on youtube and facebook my whole life. I had recently started watching tutorials in the dining room before going to wait tables. My dad saw I was serious, which I why he started asking around his network. Gideon was a producer. I had no idea what that meant. He was working as the transportation coordinator for BET's Black Girls Rock award show, and wanted to know if I wanted to help out on set.

Duh.

I alerted my job at Applebees. I smugly announced, "I worked for BET now." Which was only partially false), and I put in my 2 weeks notice. First mistake. I didn't have a new job. I had a gig. A freelance gig will last anywhere from 1 day to a few months, in rare cases a year. I quit my steady job to take a gig that was only a week. I didn't understand the error of my ways until two weeks later when I had to beg my boss for my job back.

I was hired as a production assistant. That's a catch all phrase for an unskilled laborer who helps out on set. Although PA's don't require any tangible skills they are super valuable when they do. Production Assistants do everything; set security, moving equipment, drive production vehicles, set up food, go out on runs to pick up more supplies, stand in for actors, and more.

I came to set with a little too much swagger for this humble position. I had to humble myself when I realized that I was lowest person on the totem pole. I had to check my youthful confidence, that wasn't based in anything but a millennial sense of entitlement. And this idea was something that would take years to fully comprehend. It's best to be humble and helpful on set, always, no back talk. Just do it.

The next assumption I had was that this was going to be an office thing. I came the first day dressed in a suit. Gideon asked me to meet him at CC Rental (the go to production vehicle rental place) at 4 am to pick up a shuttle I'd be driving. I never drove a car that big before! I didn't know any of the processes. I was tired from staying out the night before. And I was in a suit.

It was my job to drive the production team from the Empire Hotel in midtown, to where the theatre was on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. I spent the majority of that production in the van. I was so timid. I didn't know where to stand or go when I was on set. I was too nervous to ask for my credential for the day of shooting, and couldn't watch from back stage with the other PAs. I couldn't get in without my credential.

After the first day which I was told was 12 hours, but was really like 16 hours, I was expected to be back on set again by 4am. I had to commute back to NJ at the time and the bus wasn't running at that time. Here I am doing all this transportation, and I had no personal transportation plan for myself. I assumed I'd be able to get home by public transportation but I didn't check. Remember this is 2011... phones were pretty bright, but they weren't smart yet.

When I did get on set the atmosphere was intense. The production was behind on script development. There was issues with riders for talent. I never researched who was running the set when I received the call sheet. I didn't research the production companies that were involved. So thus I was ill equipped to assess the temperament.

Gideon would go on to become a great mentor to me. At the end of the production he pulled me aside. I was expecting a pat on the back. Instead he outlined all the things I did wrong. I didn't get all of my receipts. I made a wrong turn that cost the production valuable time. Not getting my credentials made me unable to help on set when needed. It hurt. I was more concerned about my ego than my performance. It would be another 3 years before I was on a set again, and 5 years before I was on a professional one. But I had got the bug. I got a glimpse behind the curtain into how the bagels were made and I was hooked.

Gideon alerted me that since I had worked on the production, and was on the call sheet. I could now professionally reach out to anyone on that call sheet for future work, as long as it was tasteful and professional. I remember thinking, what a weird thing, even though now it seems second nature.

My next post will be about research as well, but on a more granular level. I'll talk about some of the specific resources that are out there to get you hired in the industry. Organizations that support freelance lifestyle, and little known facts about #setlife.

I hope this was helpful. I'm really starting at the very basic level for people who don't know where to start. If you're a little further in your career, these next posts will be more your speed. Please comment any questions or remarks below. Have a great day!