The Role of the Modern EP with Martha Torre Carter

Martha Torre Carter is currently the director of integrated production at Campbell Ewald in Detroit. Her career has spanned decades, where she has held roles in account management (a very short run!), agency producing, as well as post-production and VFX.

She resides in Birmingham, Michigan with her six children and beloved Havanese, JJ Redick, named in honour of her alma mater, Duke University, and her time as a Cameron Crazie. In her free time, she enjoys… wait; she has no free time.

She recently sat down with LBB to encourage all future producers to get onto sets, learn about traditional production and get to understand AI…

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

Martha> Just get in there. Any way and anywhere you can. Get production experiences. Don’t worry where, in what capacity, how, or even how much you make. Get on sets, in edit suites, production planning sessions, wherever. Network, network, network.

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

Martha> Obviously get to know AI. And then keep getting to know AI, as it is changing on the daily. But be mindful and ethical regarding where generations are coming from and where images will go.

Learn how traditional production and AI can and need to work together and how they complement each other, and then keep on top of it because it is changing fast. It’s also important to learn all formats of production and deliverables, from motion to CG to photography and digital.

Most jobs out there are now truly integrated, so understand when to combine still and motion… and when not to.

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

Martha> At the end of the day, you are producing a team. Agency producers, in most cases, aren’t actually operating cameras or editing films (though if you are able, you will be ahead of the game). Producers are managing a team of people with varying personalities, energies and sensitivities. If you produce the team well, the project will basically produce itself.

LBB> When it comes to broadening access to production and improving diversity and inclusion what are your team doing to address this?

Martha> It must be intentional. You can’t wait for multicultural directors, creators and artists to find you. You have to go out and find them. There are so many tools and resources out there to help. Take every call. And then go beyond the transaction. Every meeting and every screening is an opportunity.

LBB> And why is it an important issue for the production community to address?

Martha> It is important to intentionally have as broad an array of POVs at the table as possible to ensure stories are being told in a proper light. From strategists, to creatives, to producers, to members of the crew and casting, we must always strive for the highest representation we can.

LBB> There are young people getting into production who maybe don’t see the line between professional production and the creator economy, and that may well also be the shape of things to come. What are your thoughts about that? Is there a tension between more formalised production and the ‘creator economy’ or do the two feed into each other?

Martha> I don’t view it as much of a tension, but more as different levers that can be optimised as appropriate. Of course, the line between what is considered ‘professional’ production versus leaning into a creator model is more blurred than ever. Many factors go into which way we will approach a production in this regard, and many times (most times), it’s both!

When I got into the industry in the early ‘90s, the equipment needed and expense thereof made it easy to determine which way we even could go. Nowadays, you can make films on a literal shoestring budget. Further, we are making content that needs to feel authentic in the space it will live.

The producer’s role in partnering with creative and strategy is more important than ever in deciding when to go high-end or lo-fi… or both. Sometimes it’s a budget thing, sometimes it’s actually a client comfort thing, but more than ever, it’s simply an executional and go-to-market strategy based on where and how the content will live.

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?)

Martha> Oh man, pretty much everything has changed!

The technology for sure. I’m really aging myself now, but in my early years, we were filming everything on 35mm film (sometimes 16mm!) and editing linearly. I will never forget when directors started proposing digital formats, and those early avid nonlinear editing platforms were such game changers.

Also, the way in which stakeholders review content has massively changed. We used to send a team to client offices, even their homes, to calibrate monitors and audio equipment, just to ensure they were looking at colour passes, mixes and finished masters appropriately. Now, clients (even creatives) will approve a mix on their iPhone. However, I will die on the hill that no matter how much has changed, and how busy everyone is, sometimes, you just need to get in a room with your editor… if only for the time it can actually save. Of course, AI will likely be the biggest game changer of all.

In summary, the role of an EP is becoming even more of an executional strategist and production technologist. But what hasn’t changed? The creative and production processes. We can go quicker. Everyone can take on more projects at once, but great ideas usually take a little bit of time to work through.

An (executive) producer is the key to leading this and advocating for this, from creative development, to approach, to pre-production, to post, the basic process is the same… though admittedly, at a much quicker pace than in the past!

LBB> When it comes to educating producers how does your production company agency like to approach this? 

Martha> Those I’ve mentored through the years will tell you I’m not a big fan of throwing them into the deep end right away. Back in the day, it would be months before they’d be on a shoot in a lead capacity, though we always looked for ways to get them on set to observe the role of the producer and the importance of an organised line of communication. All the great tools and ways to learn online can’t replace the role of experience. The more, the better.

I also feel it’s important for new producers to be exposed to as many producer styles as possible. There is no one right or wrong way to produce a project, and how you produce a project depends on so many factors. Training on tech is one thing, but understanding how to discern the right approach to a creative challenge and creative team and client, and how to anticipate roadblocks before they arise, is quite another. Nothing replaces experience in this regard.

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

Martha> This is certainly a question that has been front and centre lately with the introduction of generative AI and all that it promises. In the meantime, there is a lot of really bad content out there for sure. So, while speed and volume definitely have their place in every go-to-market plan, it should start with a great creative concept that has been well thought out, down to every last deliverable.

Check out local film festivals, film contests and associations that support anyone interested in honing their craft and provide networking opportunities. Find a mentor. Take them out for coffee. Regularly. Learn their story. I am always inspired by the winner reels from Cannes, Effies, One Show, etc. And I definitely encourage up-and-coming producers to stay on top of content within their favourite local streaming services, movie theatres and social platforms.

There is a lot of really great TV out there, entertaining TikToks, and killer social content. Embrace it all. The more we can seamlessly integrate marketing content into those spaces, the better our chance it will get views and not scrolled past.

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?

Martha> I am a production manager at heart, and a firm practitioner of mixing up producer assignments at the agency across clients, creative teams and media. Our producers need to be deep generalists who are as comfortable and nimble on a small social shoot as they are large and in charge on a large scale TV production, with some experiential thrown in for good measure.

I believe that if you keep your producers challenged and learning new things, they will be happy. I highly encourage screenings, particularly ones that are educational, and any new vendor meet and greets so we can always stay on top of what is going on in the industry and what is coming next.

Our solid partnerships with production companies, artists and reps are paramount in this regard.

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

Martha> I look for producers who are open minded and creative, resourceful, organised but not rigid, team-spirited, and work well under immense pressure. When things get heated, all eyes tend to go to the producer, who needs to maintain a calm demeanour regardless of what is going on inside. I am the single mother of six kids. Interestingly, I have found these skills to be beneficial both personally and professionally.