Content that Connects: Getting in the Creative Weeds with Melissa Tifrere

Any piece of content for a brand means little if it never connects with its target audience - a statement to ponder in this interview series from Comcast Technology Solutions and Little Black Book. 

Over the course of this series, we’ll be speaking to some of advertising’s most respected production leaders to delve into how emerging themes in production, such as data-fuelled production, more lo-fi shooting technology, remote filming, and evolving feelings towards the value of production all feed into creating content that matters to customers and works for brands. 

This week, we speak to Melissa Tifrere, an award-winning producer with over 17 years of experience working alongside some of the advertising industry’s best creative thinkers and makers. Now the head of integrated production at Havas New York and Annex 88, she is driven by her love for collaboration, her curiosity, and a deep passion for the craft of film. In her day-to-day, she oversees and advises on all productions across Havas’ agencies and leads a team of talented producers. Throughout her career, Melissa has produced content for brands such as BMW, Microsoft, AT&T, Footlocker, PepsiCo, Samsung, Unilever and Adidas to name a few.

Speaking to LBB’s Ben Conway, she discusses how she discovered that producing was the occupation for her, the technologies that are changing the production landscape today, and how a producer’s ability to dissect a reel will impact how a film connects with an audience.

LBB>  Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. To start at the beginning, what first attracted you to a career in production, and what’s the most enjoyable aspect of your role today? 

Melissa> Thanks for having me. I wanted to be in the weeds as much as possible with the creatives. I started my career in account management and quickly realised that it was not the right role for me. I needed to be more involved in the making of the work and as close to the creative minds as possible - working with them to help bring their visions to life.  

After months of planning and prepping, seeing an idea finally come to life when I  arrive on set - seeing the crew, equipment, and set builds - is my favourite part. In my current role, I’m on set less, but I enjoy seeing the excitement of the producers on my team every time they get to make something and experience that same feeling. 

LBB> How are brands’ attitudes changing towards production? How are they investing in this area? 

Melissa> Brands are more knowledgeable about production than ever before. There’s a lot less step-by-step explaining for production and more collaboration with the brands and their production consultants on the best approaches for execution.  

Brands are still investing in producing content and they want a lot of assets. The most common challenge we are facing as producers is in making more content with smaller budgets. 

LBB> Can you share an example of a recent project that required the production department to solve a particularly tricky or interesting problem(s)? How did the production team step up to find and execute the solution in that instance? 

Melissa> The creatives came up with this idea for our Reckitt/Finish client that involved creating a monument and dropping it to the bottom of a lake. With the current state of the water crisis, water levels are dropping around the US, but we wanted to make a monument that would hopefully never be seen. We had limited time and budget resources and needed to build a large custom monument out of marble in a  specific region of the US. We were researching, calling up sculptors and universities with art programmes to find the right person, trying to source a large block of marble and obtain a permit for a lake large enough to drop it into - and one that could accommodate the crane needed to do so. 

As a department, we learned a lot about the lake permitting process and how to transport a heavy slab of marble. If anyone needs the information for a marble quarry, we got you. 

LBB> What kind of role does production play in making a narrative or idea connect with its audience?

Melissa> One of the most important roles of a producer is presenting the creatives with the perfect production partners to help bring an idea to life. As a producer, you need to be able to watch a director’s reel or an editor’s reel and really pick it apart to figure out what this person will add to the creative, almost envisioning what the script will be if you put it in their hands. The ability to dissect a reel and have a vision for the end product is a skill and taste level that will eventually impact the narrative and how audiences will connect to the final product. 

LBB> And how is that role evolving in the age of fragmented media? 

Melissa> The role of media is bigger now than ever before. What I’ve witnessed from numerous new business pitches is that clients love data. Creative and media must work very closely together and present a comprehensive media plan together with the creative concepts, before creative moves into production. By the time production starts the execution process, the who, what, where, and when should already be figured out. It’s then production’s job to deliver on assets that all feel cohesive no matter where they are airing. 

LBB> In that constantly shifting media environment, how would you articulate the value of production to a brand? 

Melissa> Production is the intersection between budget planning and the execution of numerous unique assets to work across all media placements. 

LBB> What are some new technologies or practices that are having a big impact on how production is done or have the potential to change things in a big way in 2023? 

Melissa> The most obvious answer: AI. From concepting to production, I don’t think we have even scratched the surface yet of how this technology will impact the entire creative process. 

We have clients that are invested in virtual production and bundling shoots from their roster of agencies to shoot together over the course of a few days on a virtual stage. The VP experience is very different: all the planning needs to take place up front with very little wiggle room during the editing process. It’s a challenge in that the creative needs to be fully thought out in the prep, but that helps streamline the process during the tail end of the timeline.