Meet Your Makers: Production's Baptism of Fire with Kate Gooden
Kate Gooden is an executive producer at the award-winning production company, Scoundrel. With over 20 years in the industry, she’s made her mark in leading production companies and creative agencies, including an executive producer role at Saatchi & Saatchi, Australia.
In 2023 Kate led the Scoundrel team to remarkable success, with major wins such as Production Company of the Year at both the AWARD Awards 2023 and the CICLOPE ASIA Awards 2023, along with Silver Production Company of the Year at the SHOTS ASIA PACIFIC Awards 2023. Elevating her influence in 2024, Kate assumed the role of co-chair of the Commercial Producers’ Council, enabling her to action meaningful industry change through this governing body.
Throughout her career, Kate has been honoured with numerous industry awards, including recognition at Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, Ciclope, and AWARD.
LBB> What first attracted you to production, and has it been an industry you’ve always worked in or did you come to it from another area?
Kate> It was actually acting that first attracted me to production. As a teenager, I really enjoyed acting but decided it was too risky to pursue professionally (that must have been the producer coming out in teenage me). Instead, I decided to pivot that love for storytelling in a larger sense to filmmaking and from there found a path into production.
LBB> What was your first role in the production world and how did this experience influence how you think about production and how you grew your career?
Kate> Within a couple of months of starting my first role in production, the company I worked for asked all of their staff to take a fifty percent pay cut while they overcame some financial troubles. Needless to say, I resigned a few days later. But the experience did give me my first insight into how tenuous and, at times, cut-throat this industry can be. I suppose I had to learn some of the harsher realities quite early on, which I’m sure was for the best in terms of my personal growth in the industry.
LBB> How did you learn to be a producer?
Kate> I think it was a combination of learning from some very experienced and creative producers as well as a baptism by fire. In my mid-twenties, I found myself the last woman standing in an agency production department. This time I decided to stay put as I recognized that the situation was actually quite fortunate, allowing me to take on projects that were far beyond my experience level at the time. Definitely a case of "Fake it 'til you make it," which I’m sure is quite a common way for a producer to learn.
LBB> Looking back to the beginning of your career, can you tell us about a production you were involved in where you really had to dig deep and that really helped you grow as a producer?
Kate> As a young agency producer, I remember having to really dig deep on a campaign that was very well-loved and highly awarded for Toyota called ‘Border Patrol.’ The budget was very lean, and our ambition was very high. We all had to wear a lot of hats – many of us appearing on camera in more than one shot; even the clients found themselves on camera having to deliver lines. It taught me that passion goes a long way in this industry and that fighting for great creative can really pay off.
LBB> A good producer should be able to produce for any medium, from film to events to digital experiences. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why/why not?
Kate> It’s definitely the way the world is going, and I am in awe of people who can produce across lots of mediums effectively, although I’ve not met many of them. While it’s true that a lot of the skills are transferable, many of the mediums are so nuanced that it’s best to work with experts in the given field if you want the best outcome for the project.
LBB> What’s your favourite thing about production and why?
Kate> I really enjoy the project nature of our industry, I love the fact that we end up with something tangible, something that’s completed and we’re able to hold it up and say ‘I made that’ and then dust off, recharge and start all over again on something completely different.
LBB> How has production changed since you started your career?
Kate> I think the biggest thing that stands out to me is the rise of social media and how that’s changed the way we consume advertising. There’s a far greater need for shorter format work and for more assets to be delivered as part of a campaign to avoid consumer burn out.
Unfortunately, budgets haven’t kept up so clients are now demanding much more for the same budgets. On top of that consumers have become so sophisticated, through their exposure to quality programming, that the standards and expectations on the creative output are incredibly high. It’s a far cry from when the brief was just for one, well-funded, 30 second ad.
LBB> And what has stayed the same?
Kate> In an overarching sense, I think it has very much stayed the same. We’re still driven by a desire to entertain our audience and tell stories. The core of how we resonate with our audience remains unchanged in its essence: finding a truth in an idea and executing it with great craft.
LBB> What do you think is the key to being an effective producer - and is it something that’s innate or something that can be learned?
Kate> I think it’s both. There are so many things that a producer has to learn – protocol, technical aspects, stakeholder management, to name a few – but the people who excel have a personality that allows them to relate to and maintain relationships with all the different advertising/production types we work with daily: the more artistic creatives, the business-minded account managers, and the more practical production types.
It’s the art of trying to keep everyone happy all at once, so naturally, I think some personality types are more suited to that than others.
Another key quality is creativity, a great producer understands the creative goals and actively contributes to the creative process. I think directors and creatives have a much better working relationship with a producer whose creative opinion they value.
LBB> Which production project from across your career are you most proud of and why?
Kate> That’s very difficult to answer. I’m always proud of a few special pieces of work that we’ve made at any one time, but as is the nature of our industry, they quickly become yesterday’s news. So, I suppose I’m most proud of producing work at a very creative standard across the board and for an ongoing period of time. But if I had to call out a few of our projects, I’m really proud of our recent AAMI Olympics, Toyota Hilux and Kia Tasman campaigns.
LBB> And in terms of recent work, which projects have you found to be particularly exciting or have presented particularly interesting production challenges?
Kate> We recently made a campaign that involved a large gum tree falling narrowly between two buildings. We always strive to do things in camera where possible, rather than resorting to VFX, so this did pose quite a production challenge.
There were great risks around damaging property and also only having one real chance to get the shot in camera but, as always, we did our homework, we prepped everything within an inch of its life and we had a solid back up plan to reinstate the tree if we failed to get the shot. And it was a very sweet pay off when that tree fell perfectly and the camera work was faultless – the video village went wild!
LBB> Producers always have the best stories. What’s the hairiest/most insane situation you’ve found yourself in and how did you work your way out of it?
Kate> There certainly have been plenty of challenging situations! I've had actors thrown off bulls, cliff divers given just minutes to complete their dives before the swell became too high, babies who won't fall asleep, children who refuse to perform on shoot day, and even a director with a bad gastro bug on set.
I think the key to overcoming these obstacles is to surround yourself with the best team. When you bring great minds together, there's always a solution. Another valuable lesson I've learned is to always be kind to your post-production partners—they've saved our bacon on more than one occasion, that's for sure.
LBB> What are your personal ambitions or aspirations as a producer?
Kate> I'm currently the co-chair of the Commercial Producers’ Council, and I hope to make meaningful changes in our industry through this role. We're working on modernising our pitching process, which should benefit both directors and production companies in a very real way. Additionally, we're examining environmental and social policies that directly impact our industry. There's lots of advancements we can make in production so it’s a really exciting time to be involved.
LBB> As a producer, your brain must have a never-ending "to-do" list. How do you switch off? What do you do to relax?
Kate> Yes, it is hard to switch off, and often I don’t quite manage it, but I wonder if that’s production-related or just symptomatic of modern life? With that said, I think exercise is helpful, and for me, that’s mainly running. My mind continues to tick over when I run, but sometimes I find it enables clarity of thought or encourages an idea to come to the forefront. But with that said, let’s be honest, wine and trashy TV help too.
LBB> Producers are problem solvers. What personally fuels your curiosity and drive?
Kate> I enjoy the problem-solving aspect of our business, so I think that in itself fuels my curiosity and drive. It’s rare to say there’s ever a boring day in what we do, and it’s the fact that our projects are always different and require new solutions that keep it interesting.
LBB> What advice would you give to people who are interested in becoming a producer?
Kate> I would help them understand that while it can be hard work and stressful, it's also interesting, creative, and a lot of fun. It's not just about balancing the books—that's part of it, but there's so much more to the job than number crunching it’s a very collaborative role that services creativity at the end of the day.
LBB> From your experience, what are the ingredients for a successful production?
Kate> I think a successful production comes from a great creative collaboration between agency, production company, and client. Each needs to be mutually respectful of the others' expertise and therefore allow them to do what they do best without standing on each other’s toes. Uniting on a creative front is also key to ensuring a smooth experience, as the final goal you’re pushing to achieve is ultimately the same.
Additionally, I think allowing the production process the adequate time and resources it requires is also a necessity, as having ample of both allows the production to run smoothly and means the time is spent on maximising the creative rather than just problem-solving the logistics.
LBB> What’s the key to a successful production-client relationship?
Kate> Honesty and communication, simple as that.
