Young Agency Producers Discuss Their Roles

What was it that attracted you to the industry, and the role, in the first place?

Alex Coughlin: It was 1999, in a cold classroom in the northwest, Mr Marlow rolled in a pretty sizeable TV and inserted a VHS tape introducing us to the world of Levi's with an in-depth review of their advertising throughout the ages. Now, I don’t know if Mr Marlow had run out of work to give us, or if he knows how this slightly questionable approach to teaching has shaped my life

Stefanie Forbes [below]: I worked as a creative for five years, before moving over into production. It's the 'making stuff happen' part that attracted me most and I always felt a sense of jealousy for the producers I used to work with. They're the people who are the driving force behind a project; juggling all aspects of the production and making sure everything is delivered on time, on budget and the best it can possibly be. I wanted to be one of those people.

Tom Dean: From my background as a freelance filmmaker, this seemed like a stable career option. And I wanted to work on larger-scale projects, with great creatives and visionary directors. That, and the benefits package.

Rosie Hutchinson: All I knew was, after doing a law degree, I definitely did not want to be a lawyer! So, I fell into the industry through some work experience, a lucky break, and being in the right place at the right time. I spent six years in account management before I realised that I am much more suited to production. I have always been happiest when I can physically make things happen, see the results, and have some creative input. 

"The advertising industry won me over immediately. Everyone showed so much creativity."

David Lynch: I did work experience at BBH when I was still at university. The advertising industry won me over immediately. Everyone showed so much creativity and a want to make the work as good as it could be. With production specifically, I loved how the job was not at all monotonous. You would work on something new everyday and would learn new things throughout your career. 

Charlotte Marshall: I very much fell into the industry without knowing the ins and outs of an agency and what it did. Media was always something that I thought I wanted to be involved in. I joined TV admin in my first agency role and saw the producers around me running around arranging shoots and I was fascinated. So, I hounded my head of TV for months to let me move across into an assistant producer role. 

Was there a particular piece of advertising work that inspired you?  

Stefanie Forbes: One of my all time favourite pieces of work is Fredrik Bond's After Hours Athlete for Puma. I love everything about it, from the creative insight, to the way it's shot, right through to the casting, track and locations. Wish it was one of mine.

Tom Dean: An old girlfriend had that early Levis poster of the black sheep ‘zagging' in a field of white sheep ‘zigging’; I remember liking that. In terms of film, I grew up with the great work of Jonathan Glazer, Gondry, Spike Jonze... that generation. I particularly loved Glazer’s Ice Skating Priests [below] spot for Stella Artois; that as much care and artistry as went into any of my favourite classic films could be poured into a commercial was something of a revelation to me. 

Rosie Hutchinson: I can’t remember if anything specific attracted me towards advertising in the first place, but I can remember the campaign that made me realise I wanted to make the move into production. My agency (FCB Inferno) did incredibly well at Cannes last year with This Girl Can for Sport England. It’s a campaign that really makes you proud to be in advertising, and shows how impactful a great track, great editing, and an awesome concept can be. Seeing that come together really made me want to produce great work like that moving forward in my career.

Tommy Frankau: The first ad I remember properly paying attention to was the Xbox Champagne ad directed by Daniel Kleinman. I was 13 when it was released and didn’t even like Xbox, but it stuck with because it looked amazing and the idea was so good.

What’s currently the most difficult part of your job?

Stefanie Forbes: Saying 'no' to creatives. Having come from the creative side, I'm all for making work the best it can be. It's often really tricky when the creatives want to spend another week in post to completely change something that was previously signed off, but you're unable to. Even though we all know it might make the work better, there are times when the money and time have run out. It's those times where I hate being the 'computer says no' producer. 

Rosie Hutchinson [above]: Keeping on top of the finances is always a challenge! It would be a much easier job if everyone had unlimited budgets to work with, so that the main focus could be the creative. Unlimited time would be handy too.

"It is a constant struggle to have high quality output and keep creative teams happy with how their work is being executed."

Sam Breen: Balancing a number of jobs at the same time and dealing with the politics of advertising.

Charlotte Marshall: I find the most difficult part of my job navigating ever restricting budgets and shorter times frames. This is obviously an industry wide issue but it is a constant struggle to have high quality output and keep creative teams happy with how their work is being executed as ultimately a producer's main goal is to create the best work that we can. 

And the most rewarding?

Stefanie Forbes: Saying 'yes' to creatives. I recently worked on a project with an extremely tight budget. After several 'thank you, but we'll pass' from various production companies, everyone was close to writing the project off as 'not enough money'. But the creatives and I didn't give up. Eventually we found a production company with a young director who was as excited about the idea as us. Three weeks later and we've just finished shooting and are about to start the post. It's moments like these, when you can help the creatives make their idea come to life, just by persevering, that make the job even more rewarding. 

Joseph Ogunmokun: Observing how producers silently control all aspects of the production, and get the best from everyone. Also seeing them using their skill-set to transcend advertising; my current mentor, Glenn Paton encapsulates this. 

Rosie Hutchinson: Seeing a project come to life, and having a key part to play in that process. There’s a great sense of achievement in overcoming the challenges that come with every job. You always feel more proud of something that was more difficult to achieve.

Charlotte Marshall: Whenever anybody asks me what the best thing I have worked on is I say every piece. I find that the entire experience is rewarding and see every finished piece of work reminds me of the process, the people that I have worked with – we get to work with some of the most talented creative people in the industry and that is always really existing, the camaraderie, the experiences – good and bad, and what I have learnt on every single job. 

What do you think the main challenges will be in your role – or for the industry in general - over the next few years?

Tommy Frankau: Integrated productions. I haven’t worked in production for long enough yet to really know the impact this will have on a an individual producer, but I imagine there will many more aspects for a producer to consider when commencing a production.

Tom Dean [below]: I think that as the demand for content grows and schedules shrink, it will become harder to strive for originality in ideas and execution, and wholesale copying will become more difficult to defend against. 

Rosie Hutchinson: I suppose technology in general. In the old days, you could only do what was achievable within the time you have. Now, everyone expects everything to happen instantly, and jobs move along at a crazy speed. I’d worry that if we keep going like this, the creative might suffer.

David Lynch: Budgets aren't what they used to be but expectations haven't really changed. It is a challenge to put out the highest standard possible when you are confined financially. I think this will continue to be a challenge moving forward but at the same time it can sometimes bring out the best in the producer using all the skills they have at their disposal. 

 

"For the industry as a whole, finding ways to reach a further disinterested audience is becoming the biggest challenge."

 

 

 

Joseph Ogunmokun [above]: Alongside the creative function, we'll need to be responsive to creating content that can compete in an engaging (and fiscally resourceful) way. 

Phoebe Rixon: For the industry as a whole, finding ways to reach a further disinterested audience is becoming the biggest challenge. It’s easier to avoid advertising all together with skippable ads and TV you can fast forward through. Ideas have to be stronger and cut through the huge amounts of moving image material that we are bombarded with on a day to day basis. 

How important is it to network with your peers from other agencies?

Phoebe Rixon [below]: Networking with peers from other companies is great for getting a general awareness of what’s going on outside the bubble of your own agency. Having these other contacts not only allows you to get an insight into what else is going on within the production world but is also is a nice way to just have a good natter about our role, from building knowledge of recommended suppliers, to letting off steam after a particularly challenging job it’s great to hear what people are working on and how they’re getting stuff made. 

Stefanie Forbes: Having just enrolled on this year's IPA course, it's become increasingly noticeable how important it is to network with peers from other agencies. Speaking to your own colleagues about great work they've recently seen is interesting, but what's even more important is discussing with fellow producers about the latest work they've produced, great suppliers they've worked with as well as certain issues they may have come across.

Rosie Hutchinson: Very important! There will always be a new project on the horizon that relies almost purely on contacts. Sharing experiences and recommendations for the best talent in the industry is vital. Everyone works on recommendation nowadays.

Charlotte Marshall: Working as a TV Producer at an agency you are often working alone as opposed to part of a team in the way that creatives and account management do, so you have to rely heavily on your production colleagues to be able to bounce ideas off of and sense check the best ways of doing things. I really think that TV is one of the only departments that really rally around each other to offer support and advice. 

The full list of producers nominated by their department heads is;

Sam Breen, Karmarama

Alex Coughlin, Iris

Georgina Cowley, Havas

Tom Dean, Wieden+Kennedy

Tommy Fankau, Mother

Stefanie Forbes, WCRS

Lauren Gray, The Corner

Nikki Gregory, Publicis

Camille Hanish-Oakes, MullenLowe

Rosie Hutchinson, FCB Inferno

Elliot Lieberman, VCCP

David Lynch, BBH

Charlotte Marshall, JWT

Joe Ogunmokun, Grey

Holly Pienaar, AMV BBDO

Sam Rendle Short, Saatchi & Saatchi

Phoebe Rixon, Brothers & Sisters

Charlie Woodall, adam&eveDDB