JustFab’s Post

Brilliantly done as always

Chances are you are hiring production professionals who are faking it. This is just facts. Most up and coming in the regional markets weren't trained, weren't brought up on set, or in a production office. Production isn't easy... well unless your creative is weak and you have a big budget, then its impossible not to screw it up. And many have figured out, hire a good DP, say yes to everything and "you too can be an exec producer or even a director!" I'll leave you with this. In Wherespot FB group this past week this was a post: A client wants to hire me to produce a few commercial spots in Houston. The project requires Talent, Director, DP, key grip with gear, and multiple locations, so maybe a location scout. So my question is, what is the person called to put all these pieces together? Would that be the Production Manager? I am looking for a person in Houston who can help me put all these assets together and give me price points for these individuals. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Sigh... this was not satire. This person was being hired to "produce" for a client, and literally asked for help "producing" the job without knowing what he was being asked to do or how.

Good opportunity

#wouldyouratherwednesday Team builders. Which person would you rather hire: Person A: 20% chance of being a 10X producer, 80% chance of failing and having to be let go w/in 3 months, 0% chance of being an average producer. Person B: 80% chance of being an average producer, 20% chance of failing and having to be let go w/in 3 months, 0% chance of being a 10X producer. As always, please show your work in the comments.

How to go from a 16-year-old production assistant to opening your own multi million-dollar creative studio in 4 years: I started working as a production assistant at age 16, but I always knew I wanted to be a producer. So I had to start working my way up … from the very bottom. The first thing I did? Start turning down jobs as a production assistant and look for gigs that would get me to the next level. At this point, that meant hunting for “production coordinator” jobs. So I became a production coordinator. After being a production coordinator, I knew I needed to get into production managing. So I became a production manager. From there, I focused on getting into “line producing”— the next step up. Again, I turned down the stability of production managing jobs whenever possible, giving me the capacity to accept more line-producing work. So I became a line producer. This process repeated over the years — work hard to prove myself and then take the leap to get to the next level. And finally, at the age of 20, I started my own creative studio, SixTwentySix. Through every transition, from one role to the next, I consciously took the risk of losing work to make space for what I really wanted. I’ll be honest, it was a pretty uncomfortable place to be. But so many of the founders I look up to have said the same thing: Want to accelerate your own growth? Get comfortable being uncomfortable.

Smart move to check out your future at NewsNation

As the Operations Manager of a content channel, my role is unusual. I don’t just crunch numbers and punch them into Spreadsheets. No. I’m basically the shield of the business. Complete with an eye-catching star, a la Captain America. Like a shield, I protect our channel from any bad contracts or potential poor publicity. I surround and equip the creatives to do their work, removing them from day-to-day admin. I throw myself into the deep end to fix problems, and I attend meetings nobody else might understand. Simply put, I sacrifice my time and energy to keep all team members safe and happy. That’s the responsibility of an Operations Manager for a content channel. #Operations

Two fantastic opportunities in the UK

What the heck is a producer, anyway? "Producer" is a term I've shied away from for a few different reasons. - The term is so fluffy and has one million meanings, varying between disciplines and companies. - Producers often get treated like gaaaarbage. (I know this varies from organization to organization, but I've definitely seen it!) - Producers often don't get paid as much or have as much of a leadership role as other roles I've had, like Product Manager, Strategic Partnerships/BD Manager (although many of the responsibilities are identical to what a producer would do!) Lately I've gotten a lot of feedback that I'm really more of a Exec Producer than x (role I've applied for). This isn't wrong, I've won awards for my production work. And "producer" is a fluffy term and I focus more on getting stuff done rather than any one job title. But being called a producer again is wild, because it means I need to re-adjust how I position myself as a professional and the opportunities I pursue. Have you noticed something similar happening to you? What advice do you have?

When I was working my first Production Assistant gig, I learned one lesson that has applied to basically ever other position I've worked in my career. "The smaller the production, the larger the role you need to play." Now this was told to me while I was a PA on a 40+ person television production, but it has stayed true across every project I've worked on since. This doesn't mean that working on small projects or as a part of a large organization is bad. Both environments can be fantastic for you in the right scenario. To me, this phrase helps you understand where you efforts will serve your team the best. For me now, it's taught me that I enjoy working in small to mid-size operations. These are the spaces that allow my natural desire to broaden my horizons and pick-up new skills to also be incredibly beneficial to the team as a whole. If you prefer to master the tasks at the core of your position, and add value by pushing further down one specific area of expertise, then maybe being part of a large operation is a better fit. Just my experience reflecting on the variety of environments I've been in. What do you think?