A Course in Production Lesson Four: My Experience in Production

In which I interview myself.

Perhaps the greatest legacy we can leave from our work is not to instil ambition in others, though this may be the first way we describe its arrival in our life, but the passing on of a sense of sheer privilege, of having found a road, a way to follow, and then having been allowed to walk it, often with others, with all its difficulties and minor triumphs; the underlying primary gift, of having been a full participant in the conversation.

from Consolations by David Whyte

I’ve said previously that it takes all sorts of folks in the Animation industry to get a show out the door. 

Myself, I’m try to be an intersectional feminist, I’m a hapa yonsei, and I’m a visitor on these unceded and traditional territories of the  Coast Salish, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nations.

I have my bachelor of arts in religion of all things; I did not go to film school or have any formal training whatsoever before I got my first role as a production coordinator. 

This is all to say that for Production in particular, our path to how we get to a Production role can be so varied, and no one way is more or less better than the other. 

I’ve seen people come from live action, from another department in animation, work their way from Facilities, and there other randoms like myself who don’t have the background at all and just stumbled in to it.

As such, for this lesson, I’m going to pretty much interview myself on what I love and dislike about this role, with hopes that it will give you insight to how I got to where I am now. 

What do I like best about working in Production?

Production is an interesting gig - nothing we actually DO for the show ever makes it to the screen in the same sense as our artists. We don’t animate an incredible shot, we don’t build a remarkable rig. We take notes, update a lot of spreadsheets, and run meetings. 

Unless you really have a passion for Excel, you might see how this could be an unfulfilling career path. 

Here's what I like best about working in Production. If you get to know your teams, give them a little space, and trust them, every once in a while you will get to witness some real magic. Rebecca Campbell says, “One of the greatest offerings we can give another person is to witness truly their gifts. When we witness the gifts of another, we are actually witnessing the soul and light in them”

What do I like least about working in Production?

Production can be, depending on your studio, a bit of a catch all for miscellaneous office tasks, and one of those is often planning parties and social events. This is what I like least about being in Production - I hate planning parties like wrap parties, client dinners, etc. Event planning is my personal hell. I will happily hand the reigns over to someone who enjoys this task and beg to be left out of event planning clubs or groups.

Though I hate planning studio events, I of course love attending and participating in them.  I am therefore especially grateful for the party planning committees or culture clubs that do exist in Vancouver’s studio.

How did I get my start in Production?

I have not had any formal training in animation. I have an arts degree from UBC, but I have not gone to any film or animation schools. I did this the old fashioned way, and with a lot of help from my mentors, I clawed my way in.

In university, I assumed that I would continue on with my work in non-profits, my work of choice being anti-violence work. After I graduated I had a change of heart—this is still an issue close to my heart, but I wanted to help shape the narratives that shape us. I didn’t want to be at the end of the line anymore where culture and media has failed us.

So after flailing around a bit, I landed at Women in Film and Television Vancouver. I started volunteering for the festival committee as a judge and was also tracking and distributing the films that had been submitted to the festival to our judges.

I met an amazing group of mentors at WIFTV, they even gave me an award! During this first stretch of volunteering for WIFTV, I started applying for coordinator jobs in both animation and games. 

My big break came when the Head of Production at a local studio called me up, I got an interview, and she gave me my first job in this industry. I was even more lucky in that my Producer and Senior Coordinator at the time were fantastic and they trained me very well. The rest is history!

I would like to emphasize at this point that it was women all the way that I owe my success to. I had great mentors who encouraged me, I had women who were willing to take a chance on me even though I knew nothing about animation. They say to lift as you rise, and I have been very fortunate in that this has always been my experience. 

What is something I struggle with in Production the most?

I asked the first woman who trained me in Production what she felt made for a good Production person. She said that a good coordinator/PM/Producer is a strong people-person and that they defend their teams. I have always kept this in mind, even years later.

At the time, however, I was horrified: I’m an introvert! Production is a very high energy, very public job. How could I ever possibly succeed per my friend’s standards?

Let me clearly say: presence has nothing to do with extroversion. 

Not only are introverts every bit as likely as extroverts to 

demonstrate resonant presence, but research conducted in the

 last decade has also overwhelmingly shown us that introverts tend to 

have qualities that very effectively facilitate leadership and entrepreneurship, 

such as the capacity to focus for longer periods of time; 

a greater resistance to the kinds of decision-making 

biases that can doom entire organizations; 

less need for external validation of their self-concepts; 

and stronger listening, observing, and synthesizing skills.

from Presence by Amy Cuddy

Over the years of course I have figured it out, and I would still say that that the part I struggle with most is finding sustainable, elegant ways to do the extroverted part of this job. There are still some Fridays when I come home and I just need to not talk for like, four hours. And that’s okay. I don’t think I’ll ever feel fully comfortable with this, and that is part of the learning journey.

What is something I excel in working in Production?

For this I would defer to people who have worked with me. I have read Insight by Tasha Eurich, and her thesis in this book is that people (generally speaking) have very poor awareness of themselves, including their strengths and weaknesses. Eurich goes on to explain how critical 360 degree reviews are, and explains how you can actually develop stronger self-awareness, thus becoming a stronger and better leader.

Since we still don’t have the option of asking one of my former colleagues right now, I will say that what I excel in comes from the compliments and positive feedback from my teams. The biggest one is organization - I often hear that I’m very organized and keep things running smoothly. The other thing I hear a lot of is that I can really bring teams together. 

How do I actually run my shows? 

Once more, I think the most accurate way to answer this question is not actually to hear from me but from people who I have worked with. Since we don’t have that option right at this moment, I will say this: I recently read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, and this quote caught my eye:

“As a teacher, I have come to believe that many truly great classes teeter on the very edge of chaos. Synergy tests whether teachers and students are really open to the principle of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.”

I’m not a teacher, I’m a Producer. I will say though, that my best shows and teams tend to teeter on the very edge of chaos...

Lesson Four Resources

1. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
2. Free online Myers-Briggs personality quiz via 16personalities.com
3. Ordinary Women: Daring to Defy History VIDEO series via Feminist Frequency
4. the Bitch Media blog
5. themarysue.com
6. Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual (for a Sexist Workplace) by Jessica Bennet
7. 3 paradigm shifts that made a difference for me
8. Presence: Bringing your Boldest Self to your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy