A Traditional Path to a Non-Traditional Way of Empowering Filmmakers

For executive producer, Steve DeVore, keeping the atmosphere relaxed is a crucial ingredient to successful collaborations - "that's when the magic happens". Born in Muscatine, Iowa - a blue-collar town along the Mississippi - Steve credits his Midwestern upbringing for a love of working hard.

Starting as a production assistant, he climbed the ranks and learned to value every crew member's contributions. As a producer, he worked with highly-regarded shops, including Smuggler, Backyard, Brand New School, and Hello and Company. Equally adept at long-form production, Steve earned a Sports Emmy for his work on the 2011 World Series.

Working with celebrity activists Susan Sarandon, Chuck D, Danny Trejo, Busta Rhymes, and Academy Award nominated filmmakers, he’s produced documentaries that shine a light on major issues within our criminal justice system.

Steve co-founded 8th Street productions with director, Jonathan Nowak in 2012. After a long run in Los Angeles, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee with his wife and their three young children.

LBB> What was your first gig in production, and how did it shape your career?

Steve> Moving from Iowa to Los Angeles, I hit the ground running as a production assistant at MJZ — a dream job for anyone getting started. It was a front-row masterclass with A-list directors like Frederick Bond, Craig Gillespie, and Clay Williams. There was so much trust instilled in them by the agency to execute their creative vision.

They lived for that collaborative process. From the moment they got the initial board to final cut, they were all in. And they’d bring the same passion and energy to low-budget spots, too. Their drive was unreal. For them, it was always about creating something they could stand behind. That energy and commitment left a huge impression on me — it's the kind of passion that fuels a lifetime.

And it wasn’t only the directors — the executive producers were equally as passionate. Legends like Lisa Rich, David Zander, and Eric Stern — each one, an amazing mentor. Even though I was way down in the hierarchy as an office PA, they treated me with the same respect afforded the top dogs — which fuelled my ambition and made me want to give back.

LBB> How did you actually learn the ropes of being a producer?

Steve> As a kid, I was always pulling everyone together — organising the neighbourhood Wiffle Ball league, leading the fort-building projects in the cornfields, or picking teams for kick-the-can. And if we needed money for cans, balls, or supplies, all eyes were on me — my friends knew I always got that shit done! And although I didn’t have a name for it, those were my first “producer” roles!

To learn the professional ropes, I worked as a production manager for a-list producer, Carr Donald. One of the biggest lessons, is how he ensured every dollar ended up on screen. That’s something I’m proud of at 8th Street — we make sure all the money goes into the project and not a super expensive overhead.

LBB> What is the key to being an effective producer?

Steve> It's all about being a great listener and collaborator. An effective producer is a master planner — someone detail-oriented, who thinks ahead, and knows how to handle problems as they emerge. I’m a big believer that a project is won or lost during pre-production. And if things go sideways, you’ve got to stay cool and trust your team. That’s how you get through the chaos and come out with an awesome shoot.

Being a producer is a 24/7 gig, but that’s part of the adrenaline rush. Anything can happen, and when it does, it’s all hands on deck — client, agency, production — working together to find the best solution. It’s fast-paced and unpredictable, but that’s what keeps it fun.

LBB> Which project from across your career are you most proud of and why?

Steve> To pick a favourite is tough because I’m proud of every project I’ve worked on, but I’d probably say it was the very first project we officially did at 8th Street. We didn’t have some big master plan to become a production company.

Before we started 8th Street, [Jonathan] Nowak had vowed that he never wanted to be a partner in another production company. There were a ton of reasons I won’t get into here, but a big part was the inherent risk that a lot of folks don’t think about.

Because of that, 8th Street never really had an official “start date” — we started it organically, doing one small job and another and then, out of nowhere, we land a huge Target campaign with Olson — now ICF — out of Minneapolis. We shot this giant production with Nate Berkus in New York City. That project was a turning point — it showed us we could build something great.

LBB> What personally fuels your curiosity and drive? What are your personal ambitions or aspirations as a producer?

Steve> The thing that fuels my curiosity is the job itself — it requires daily learning. Every project brings new challenges and opportunities to delve into cultures and worlds we might never encounter. Nowak has a deep love of learning, too — I think that’s something that drives both of us.

And as I got into producing, I realised my skills as a producer could be used for social causes, too. About 10 years ago, I got involved with documentaries revolving around issues within our prison system. It started from a partnership with an Academy Award nominated filmmaker. We put together a documentary about surviving an incarcerated life that shined a light on so many injustices. And now, I’m in production on a documentary about a severely corrupt state judicial system and a wrongly imprisoned person.

Beyond all that, my main goal as a producer — well, now as an executive producer — is to make sure 8th Street stays the kind of company that consistently nails it for our clients. I want 8th Street to be seen as a crew of filmmakers that everyone — clients, agencies, brands — wants to work with. That’s what keeps me going — building a team that people love working with and creating a company that people talk about in the best way possible.

LBB> What advice would you give to people who are interested in becoming a producer?

Steve> Once they decide this is what they want to do, I’d tell them this: you’ve gotta be all in. Getting involved as a production assistant is a solid move because it puts you right where the action is.

Be on set as much as possible. If you’re lucky, snag an office PA gig during pre-production. You'll be front and centre, seeing how everything comes together. Also—ask questions and listen.

But before all that, I’d want to know what’s driving them? What are they passionate about?

Because that’s what keeps this industry so exciting — new points of view. And that’s pertains to everyone — not only directors. Everyone is coming at this work with their own life experience and perspective that they’re pouring into this amazing community. 

LBB> What’s the key to a successful production-client relationship?

Steve> It starts with integrity. And that sounds like a no-brainer. But even something as simple as what’s on a company’s site can be misleading. Let’s be honest, we all see these new companies pop up with scores of top tier work on display. And we’re all left wondering — what did they actually produce? If it’s an established company with long-standing director relationships, it’s safe to assume that most of the recent work was produced by that team. In other cases, it can be a total mystery. The work on our site is our work.

Beyond that, the secret sauce for a solid production-client relationship is collaboration and staying open-minded. There are always going to be bumps along the way — that’s how it goes with production. But our job as a production company is to solve those problems and bring the work to life as a team. We do what we say we’re going to do.

LBB> As an EP, how do you balance being hands-on with managing a team?

Steve> For me, the best part of being an EP is that thrill of bringing together the right people and resources to bring a project to life. Whether it's a commercial or a documentary, it's all about combining my experience with the talent and ideas around me to create something unique.

You’re constantly using all the connections and resources you’ve built up over time. Being an EP means knowing when to jump in and when to step back. Another one of my other favourite aspects — finding the right director for the right project.

Back when we started 8th Street in 2013, we leaned into this idea of a treating commercial directors like independent filmmakers — that was Nowak’s vision from the start. We never wanted to stand between work and our director friends. We would have our crew of directors, but we wouldn’t force them to commit. If we could find work for a director we loved, great — if we couldn’t, we helped them figure out other ways to find work.

That’s been working well for us. And as freelance filmmakers have been levelling up, it’s been truly exciting.

It’s interesting, though — in many circles there’s still this misconception around directors not being on a roster. Don’t get me wrong — when a rostered director is working, it’s great for everyone. They have their team and momentum on their side. But when a director is slow. Or when a company is slow. It can be a tough situation for everyone.

There’s also a perception factor — it’s an easy sell to say to a client, “we’re going to use this top tier director at this top tier company.” But there are only so many Stephen Currys or Kyrie Irvings in every field. Just as in professional sports, there are a ton of great players that no one has heard of — it’s the same with directing. Sure, there are the superstars who work all the time — those are the easy sells.

But what about the other directors who were great enough to make it into the NBA of our industry, but still need to fight for every job. Who is advocating for them? So often, these bigger production companies are about doing what’s best for the brand of the company — that doesn’t always align with what’s best for the filmmaker who is supporting their family and doesn’t have a salary to depend on.

That’s where we come in — we want to empower these filmmakers to manage their careers within the current state of the industry. We want them to learn to advocate for themselves. We talk about how to create work for themselves and cut through the noise. 

And let’s be honest, there are a lot of production companies who will say they only believe in working with a rostered director — but then they’ll admit they work with freelancers when they don’t have the right director for a specific board. I don’t fault them for that. It totally makes sense. But I guess we believe that everyone should have the flexibility to follow the work.

Some EPs will talk about how freelancers don’t get any sort of career management and that the only way that’ll happen is on a roster. To be fair, there are a lot of freelance based companies who do throw spaghetti — they grab a ton of directors they don’t really know and throw them into a submission stack that’s going to be over 250 directors.

Cutting through that noise is impossible.

But in many cases, even being on a roster doesn’t guarantee anything — a lot of reps work with over 70+ directors between all their companies! There’s also this idea of not knowing if a director is available if they’re not on a roster. What’s funny is that you also gotta do that with a rostered director. All these top directors have reps globally. And they do features and TV so it’s always about finding avails — if it’s a responsible company. Because there are always those bait and switch companies — they try to lure you in with a big director they suspect isn’t available only to slide in this unknown they’re trying to “build”.

For 8th Street, working with freelance directors is just as hands-on as working with roster directors! From the minute we get a project lead, we’re working together on the reel, picking the best shots, and prepping for creative calls with the agency. If the bid’s a go, we dive into treatments, bring in our best resources, and go all in on making the director’s vision shine. And it doesn’t stop there! I’m in touch with freelancers regularly, checking in, seeing their latest work, and staying up-to-date.

Having a director as a business partner helps a ton when we’re tackling projects with our other filmmakers. We might not always agree, but that back-and-forth actually makes the treatments and projects stronger. And we believe in promoting directors — even without a signed contract.

We honestly just want to see the directors we love find work. Even Nowak still does jobs outside of 8th Street!