Meet Your Makers: With Unity Among Teams Success Is Inevitable for Bob Cagliero
Bob Cagliero is an integrated media and advertising content creation executive with extensive leadership experience derived from the production company, advertising agency, post-production and digital media businesses. A prolific manager with a unique heritage in building brands, strategically evolving company infrastructure and maximising creative talent for integrated digital media content creators, brands and their agencies.
Direct strategic interaction with Fortune 500 CMO's, brand directors, marketing managers and in-house agency leaders, partnering on award-winning, advertising campaigns, by collaborating with top-tier creative directors, directors and artists worldwide.
Strong, proven track record in growing creative production and post-production companies by leading sales/marketing/PR efforts, honing production process and recruiting award-winning talent. Significantly increased billings and market reach through long-established client relationships, aggressive recruiting and management of artists and creative leaders.
LBB> What first attracted you to production - and has it been an industry you’ve always worked on or did you come to it from another area?
Bob> I’ve always liked making things, deconstructing things to see how they work or to learn how to create or make something similar. And that seemed to guide me to the production industry, where I’ve been my entire career.
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?
Bob> I was fortunate to be selected for a “vacation relief” studio/field engineer program for ABC Network in NYC. I worked my way up from coiling camera cable to being a sports cameraman in the field and a soap opera cameraman in the studio.
I didn’t want to be a broadcast cameraman forever and always loved a clever TV ad and yearned for a more creative environment. So, I started from the bottom again in the commercial production business as a PA and grew to a line producer.
LBB> How did you learn to be a producer?
Bob> Being fortunate to be embraced by senior producers and directors and really just watching great people produce and support the director. I immediately grew to like that role while admiring the producers who were excellent planners, problem solvers and managers of people and expectations.
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 to grow as a producer?
Bob> We were on two short winter location days for an IBM Super Bowl project at Ogilvy. It was clear at lunch on day two that we were not going to get through the (absolute necessary) shot list.
I had to convince the pro co EP and star director that me, the AD and their 2nd unit DP had to split off and cover two shots at another location. It was a battle with the director, but we finally convinced him and pulled it off.
LBB> A good producer should be able to produce for any medium, from film to events to digital experience. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why/why not?
Bob> Absolutely. If you are a producer you will need to adjust that skillset and apply it to any project - it’s just using a different hammer. Ultimately, the nuts/bolts production skills become rote, with the true skill being team and client management.
LBB> What’s your favourite thing about production and why?
Bob> If you are lucky, the adventure and variations in challenges of each project. I don’t think their are many job roles that place you in the remote corners of the world with a small team under tight deadlines/budgets to make something beautiful (once again, if you are lucky)..!
LBB> How has production changed since you started your career?
Bob> It seems that early on commercials were very important to a brand and the successful brands would back great creative with adequate budgets.
Now, with social campaigns often the seed or sometimes star of brand marketing, creating “brand content” is much more complex, data driven and under-funded, leaving less anthemic brand messaging and the like - especially with streaming more common place. And mega-cap brands that weren’t around 20-30 years ago have become such powerful parts of our lives, they are less likely to create national broadcast campaigns or brand content at the volume as in the past.
So, volume is down, budgets are down and amount of suppliers remains ever-growing.
LBB> And what has stayed the same?
Bob> A great idea always wins and those strong enough and bold enough to create them continue to produce smart and successful messages.
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?
Bob> A little bit of both. You must have the innate juggling and people skills, but you learn things along the way that creates invaluable senior production experience. Like never saying no to a CD or director - figure it out. Make it work. Hopefully you learn that early in your career. And see Dustin Hoffman’s 'Wag The Dog' description of what being a producer is as well :-)
LBB> Which production project from across your career are you most proud of and why?
Bob> When I was a senior producer at Ogilvy, our team was tasked to recreate the biblical conflict of David & Goliath for Wilson Sporting Goods. It was their only TV and cinema production at the time and aired on the Super Bowl.
We travelled to Jordan and the Wadi Rum dessert, casted 500 extras from the Royal Jordanian Army and put them in period costumes for four days. Principal talent and crew were brought in from around the world. It was an epic production masterfully directed by Vaughn Arnell & Anthea Benton. It was shot all anamorphic for cinema in pre 16:9 television and we sold the client to air it that way, essentially paying a $1 million + for the minute and only using two thirds of the TV screen.
LBB> And in terms of recent work, which projects have you found to be particularly exciting or have presented particularly interesting production challenges?
Bob> Our project list is always varied - from being a long-time partner with agencies, to collaborating with brand in-house agencies, while also a major player with networks and streamers for show opens, promos and events.
We are continuing to push the boundaries of photo-real CGI with our partners at Dell with a completely 3D workflow that often includes interactive elements for web, and social components. We are currently engaged with them in designing an OOH (out of home) projects that will be seen in airports and the like, along with creating many product stories around their hardware and software.
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?
Bob> The aforementioned Wilson project comes to mind. We had five days schedule and learned that a sand storm was on the way and our Louma Crane never made it out of customs for our grand opening shot - both scheduled for use on day five of five - which never happened due to the sand storms. The directors pivoted, everyone remained calm (except the AE) and we worked around it...
LBB> What are your personal ambitions or aspirations as a producer?
Bob> I have been fortunate to be on the production company, agency, post-production and VFX/Design sides of the business over my years in the industry. That has truly allowed me to help our clients in initial stages of opportunities and as needed throughout the production process. More specifically and when dealing with in-house agencies at brands, it allows for a more collaborative process in getting to know BODEGA Studios.
LBB> As a producer your brain must have a neverending "to do" list. How do you switch off? What do you do to relax?
Bob> Somehow, the important stuff stays in front of you and gets checked off. If you are surrounded by a really good team like we have at BODEGA, you rest assured things will get done properly. I learned a long, long time ago not to take it home. Best remedies for production anxiety should it arise - exercise, great food, a fine glass of wine and meditation. Not necessarily in that order.
LBB> Producers are problem solvers. What personally fuels your curiosity and drive?
Bob> Finding a solution from the team - from building a reel, closing the deal and partnering on a project with the client - there is always a puzzle piece to correctly place. Over time, you realise that the greatest challenge is to sometimes find the outlier who keeps their distance from the team. Making that person a believer and teammate asap fuels my drive at this stage.
LBB> What advice would you give to people who are interested in becoming a producer?
Bob> Observe, think, pause, resolve. Don’t react - there is always a few seconds to think it out.
LBB> From your experience what are the ingredients for a successful production?
Bob> The unity of all levels of client and production team to support the director's vision to maximise the creative message. When everyone has bought in, success is inevitable.
LBB> What’s the key to a successful production-client relationship?
Bob> Trust. And the effort to build that trust before during and after a project is complete.
LBB> Producers are naturally hands on - they have to be. How do you balance that in the more managerial role of an EP?
Bob> We are fortunate to have a team of eight veteran production and post-production EPs at BODEGA Studios. They and our creative leads have long-time line producers working together regularly. That enables building an impenetrable production and post-production safety net, which to me is tantamount to success - and repeat business.
