Producing Tomorrows Producers: Greg Bassenian on Having a Magical Mindset
Greg Bassenian in the founder and managing director of ARIS, a commercial production and post-production studio based in Los Angeles, CA. Greg started his career in network television working on shows like CSI: Miami, before founding his film production business. Current clients include agencies and brands like FCB, Saatchi & Saatchi, Edelman, Weber Shandwick and Abbvie, Amgen, Shamrock Farms, Hubbell, Inc., Chevy, and more.
LBB> What advice would you give to any aspiring producers or content creators hoping to make the jump into production?
Greg> If you're just getting started, it's going out and building relationships with directors and production companies to just get your foot in the door. From there, it's putting your head down and learning the nuts and bolts of it all. Understanding how to work with people and support production, and to make sure to be a team player who finds solutions, not someone who points out obvious problems. Or if you're a content creator, find a niche, separate yourself through visual technique, and build a focused creative portfolio.
Then ask yourself what path you want to follow and what interests you in the production world. In the commercial space, there's so much variety, so when we look at producers and production managers, we like to see people who have a consistent depth of experience in the commercial space. With directors and content creators, it's an artist with a clear vision and consistent body of work that often speaks to one vertical incredibly well.
On a purely practical level, for producers, it's also understanding bidding, costs, and really being able to help the production team work a little bit of magic. All agencies and brands look at producers and content creators who can take what is given and really overdeliver. As a rep once said to me, "Making something that looks like a million bucks when you are given a million bucks isn't special. Making something look like a million bucks when you are given a hundred thousand — that's special."
So have a deep understanding of production and technology and leverage that to creatively achieve out-sized results. That helps propel you further and faster. And whether you are a producer or content creator, that particular ability will always get you noticed and serve you well. Especially in today's world where so much more is expected for so much less!
LBB> What skills or emerging areas would you advise aspiring producers to learn about and educate themselves about?
Greg> For producers, educate yourself on the newest technologies, equipment, and methods. This is everything from virtual production and unreal engine down to payroll software. It's all about constantly building efficiency to gain quality, and new tools come out everyday. Don't get caught in a static mindset. Always look out for new ways and means to execute, and more importantly, think about how they can bring value to the directors and clients/agencies you are produce for.
LBB> What was the biggest lesson you learned when you were starting out in production - and why has that stayed with you?
Greg> This is a service business. Ultimately, we provide film production as a service to advertisers, and so always remember that we are hired to problem solve for the clients, not problem create.
Make things as seamless as you can. Simplify their world. Take things off their plate. And be the expert.
The same goes for working with directors. Exercise all your abilities to help their vision sing. Go the extra mile to try to get the creative pieces for them. When you do that, you create a rising tide that will lift all boats.
LBB> When it comes to broadening access to production and improving diversity and inclusion what are your team doing to address this?
Greg> We are consistently and proactively looking out for diverse directors, content creators, and producers, and we reach out to them to make sure we put them on our radar for upcoming productions. Diversity and inclusion are critical for so many reasons, and we want to support diverse perspectives while also providing new opportunities to new voices in the industry.
LBB> And why is it an important issue for the production community to address?
Greg> It is critical to have new, diverse voices in production so that the industry can better support and include those different perspectives, and begin to evolve to be a more supportive system. Production has often felt like a walled garden that can be incredibly difficult to break into as someone new in the industry, and we can only grow bigger and stronger by embracing new talent that can bring new abilities to what we do.
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?
Greg> From where we stand, they are somewhat separate from each other. The 'creators' who are individuals shooting, editing and delivering their own content often exist as their own brand, and they fill a specific niche for agencies and brands. On the other side are production companies that handle larger, more logistically complex shoots that must have a production entity to execute. So, they are somewhat two distinct worlds.
Is the creator economy possibly eating away at some of the work that might have at one time been more 'formally produced', yes, but we all have to evolve and adapt. The creator economy is an exciting place where we see how much technology and software empowers new ideas and talent. And it can also be a place to find talent. Some creators eventually move up and graduate to being exclusive with a production company and working on more formalised productions, so in a way, it can be positive and symbiotic in instances.
LBB> If you compare your role to the role of the heads of TV/heads of production/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?)
Greg> I started my business as being part of the creator economy, as a content creator myself, but then gradually the business grew and I've stepped into more of an EP role. So, from my perspective, the EP role is someone who is involved across the board from production through post — since that's how the business evolved.
Creators usually are doing post on their own, so we as a company now do that, and so that responsibility falls on my lap. That means working with directors not just on bids and treatments, but on how to shoot things more nimbly on smaller budgets. It means working on small details to make magic happen.
Expectations are much higher now for how much content agencies want, so I work in detail with directors on how to strategise how to shoot all the content the best way for their vision, and also most efficiently for post and delivery as well. I think that is more and more common as we see more and more production companies that offer production and post as a full-service model.
LBB> When it comes to educating producers how does your agency like to approach this? (I know we’re always hearing about how much easier it is to educate or train oneself on tech etc, but what areas do you think producers can benefit from more directed or structured training?)
Greg> Personnel management is a big one. Learning things like budgeting software, crew rates, and equipment can be straightforward. But learning the roles on set, the personalities of departments, and how to manage that team in the proper way day to day through communication is critical.
So, shadowing on phone calls is a big one. Just being on calls, listening to more senior people, and to understand professionalism in how the work is done and also how interpersonal communication is done. The worst kind of differences can be creative differences, and understanding how to properly address and communicate with production team members, but also agency is something that I feel is overlooked. We put emphasis on that, and also provide direct feedback on communication styles.
LBB> It seems that there’s an emphasis on speed and volume when it comes to content - but to where is the space for up and coming producers to learn about (and learn to appreciate) craft?
Greg> You can have craft, even with speed and volume. In fact, that's where we try to separate ourselves as a a production company. Doing speed and volume, but also not losing the craft. For producers, that's working with a director and team that can do that, and understand what that process is. Being part of those productions is really the key, and then just absorbing things at the granular level.
That means down to the type of cable that is used for media offloads, and how it affects how quickly you can get the footage off-set and into an edit bay. We get down to that level!
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?
Greg> The best way to retain expertise is to always be working and pushing, but also taking on new types of productions that might challenge you and help you add more skills. Stepping out of the comfort zone, so to speak.
And that goes for the more experienced crowd as well. There is a generation of producers who are very used to having large resources, lots of equipment, and the 'nimble' production that agencies desire so much, isn't comfortable for them.
The only way to get comfortable with it is to work on it, and learn how it's done. Learn that you can operate a set without certain things that, maybe in the past, seemed a total requirement across all productions. You can definitely be leaner and meaner now, and still do great work, you just have to be able to let go of having certain tools these days, and be okay with the fact that your resources are a bit less, and you just have to work a bit harder.
LBB> Clearly there is so much change, but what are the personality traits and skills that will always be in demand from producers?
Greg> We love producers who are positive thinkers, and problem solvers, and stay in a solution-oriented mindset. These are people who don't panic if you can't afford that extra crew member or piece of equipment. They understand they won't have a million dollars of resources, but magically come up with solutions, and quickly. They are responsive, communicative, and get along well with others. And, most importantly, they are patient with other people.
I often tell producers and directors, "Be a magician." Do something that makes us say, "Amazing. Can't believe you pulled that off!" If you can do that, you will always stand in good stead, whether a producer or a content creator. And so we look for those people who can be occasional magicians when the time calls for it.
