Producing Tomorrow's Producers: Jonny Kight on Slowing Down and Holding Your Ground

Jonny Kight began his career in music videos, producing promos for artists like Blur to John Newman and collecting a BRIT award on the journey before moving into commercial work. His commercial productions are varied and acclaimed, with Jonny producing for such directors as Peter Lydon, Diarmid Harrison-Murray, Chris Faith, Kiku Ohe, Ben Green, Ben Taylor and Paul McGuigan. Jonny has won Cannes Lions, APA Awards, Yellow Pencils and British Arrows.

LBB> What advice would you give to any aspiring producers or content creators hoping to make the jump into production?

Jonny> I remember being told this by a friend's dad when I was about 18: “How would you act if you were paid a million dollars to do your job? Take that attitude and do that.” Then everything changes. 

LBB> What skills or emerging areas would you advise aspiring producers to learn about and educate themselves about?

Jonny> Learn everything and eat your humble pie. 

LBB> What was the biggest lesson you learned when you were starting out in production - and why has that stayed with you?

Jonny> Hard work pays off. Your crew are your backbone and foundation. Treat everyone how you want to be treated. 

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?

Jonny> Work is work, producing is producing. Do good work. 

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?

Jonny> You are 100% right. It's a challenge, requiring thick skin. But all I can say is; try to slow down and hold your ground. 

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?

Jonny> Look below you and learn. 

LBB> Clearly there is so much change, but what are the personality traits and skills that will always be in demand from producers?

Jonny> Producers make things happen - we create. As one of my mentors (Jonas Blanchard from Mad Cow) told me, producing is essentially a dark art, just without the capes. We make things happen.