Producing Tomorrow's Producers: Elizabeth Thuvanuti Keating on Seeking Opportunities to Learn

Artjail's head of production for both their NY and LA offices, has worked in VFX for over 14 years. Prior to joining Artjail, Elizabeth was senior VFX producer at Alkemy X, working on episodic series such as AMC's 'Fear the Walking Dead' and Amazon's 'The Wilds'. She has also worked as a senior producer at MPC and as a producer at Spontaneous. 

LBB> What advice would you give to any aspiring producers or content creators hoping to make the jump into production? 

Elizabeth> The advice that I would give to aspiring producers is to take advantage of every opportunity to learn and expand their knowledge of production and VFX. We all have to take ownership and be proactive with our training and growth, especially as remote working has increased. Some ways to think outside the box could be seeking out online tutorials that focus on VFX, asking questions to creatives while working on projects together and shadowing any department when possible. 

LBB> What skills or emerging areas would you advise aspiring producers to learn about and educate themselves about? 

Elizabeth> I would advise aspiring producers to really invest time in learning as much as they can about the different software's out there, such as CETA, ftrack, Flow Production Tracking and even Excel and Google Sheets. Being able to expertly work within any of these programs will always be an asset to any producer. 

LBB> What was the biggest lesson you learned when you were starting out in production - and why has that stayed with you? 

Elizabeth> The biggest lesson I learned when I started in production was to listen and learn from every person I work with throughout my career. You collaborate with different clients and teams on every project and you can take a different lesson away from each experience. This will only make you a better producer as you continue along your path! 

LBB> If you compare your role to the role of executive producers when you first joined the industry, what do you think are the most striking or interesting changes (and what surprising things have stayed the same?) 

Elizabeth> I feel that the biggest change from when I first joined the industry to now is the shift to remote working. Most senior-level artists and producers easily adapted to working from home. The challenge now lies with juniors and how they can be set up for success outside an in-person setting. At Artjail we’ve really invested time in finding out what works best for this for our team. 

LBB> When it comes to educating producers how does your agency like to approach this? (I know we’re always hearing about how much easier it is to educate or train oneself on tech etc, but what areas do you think producers can benefit from more directed or structured training?) 

Elizabeth> At Artjail we really try to think outside the box when it comes to training. Our production team is invited to various workshops throughout the year held by the creatives. Some recent ones have been on tracking and AI. We also do production-focused training sessions with the heads of departments to give the producers an opportunity to learn outside their project work and to also ask any questions they may have not had the time to ask on past projects.

We also hold wrap-up meetings for every project once they deliver - this gives the producers the information on what worked and what could be improved upon moving forward.

LBB> It seems that there’s an emphasis on speed and volume when it comes to content - but to where is the space for up and coming producers to learn about (and learn to appreciate) craft? 

Elizabeth> Especially in this new world with a lot of remote work, up and coming producers really need to be proactive and seek out the opportunities to learn. The creative teams they work with are such a valuable resource. So much can be learned by asking the right questions and just observing and listening to what’s going on within a project. Junior-level producers should ask and seek out opportunities to shadow more seasoned producers on bigger jobs or even just listen in to calls and internal meetings. 

LBB> On the other side of the equation, what’s the key to retaining expertise and helping people who have been working in production for decades to develop new skills? 

Elizabeth> The key to retaining expertise and helping people who have been working in production for decades to develop new skills is to consistently offer opportunities to continue learning and growing. VFX is ever evolving and we need to constantly work to keep up and expand our knowledge. Even the most experienced producer will need to keep asking questions and learning on a daily basis! 

LBB> Clearly there is so much change, but what are the personality traits and skills that will always be in demand from producers? 

Elizabeth> The personality traits and skills that will always be in demand from producers are a high attention to detail, strong interpersonal skills and a consistent curiosity and commitment to improving.