Producing Tomorrow's Producers: Learning How to Listen with Lisa Gatto Setten

Lisa brings more than two decades of experience to her role leading integrated production across all Arts & Letters client partnerships. Prior to A&L, Lisa was SVP, executive director of integrated production for MullenLowe US where she oversaw the seamless integration of the agency’s US production offices across brands such as Acura, Corona, E*TRADE, JetBlue and KFC. Before that, Lisa was the head of integrated production at JWT New York, where she led a team of 100+ content creators. She also served as head of broadcast at BBH New York, where she led the production for partnerships like Sprite, Levi’s and Cadillac.

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

Lisa> The world of production is constantly changing. My advice would be to ensure that you are fuelled by challenges and that you love creative problem-solving. And, of course, that you always stay curious. As producers and content creators, we’re constantly learning and researching things, to figure out how to do something that hasn't been done before. It’s a lot of work, but it is incredibly rewarding to create great work that communicates a message successfully to the world.”

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

Lisa> New technology, talent and workflow are always emerging. I encourage our team to find what they are passionate about, learn about it, and then share it with others. We have amazing resources and tools available that allow us to easily share ideas with our team. The best producers harness that interest and knowledge and use it to enhance the work. 

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

Lisa> The biggest lesson I learned was how to listen. It’s one of the most critical skills you can have as a producer. This priority doesn’t change with experience, it is always imperative to truly listen and hear what your team and clients are saying to you.

LBB> When it comes to broadening access to production and improving diversity and inclusion what are your team doing to address this?

Lisa> As an agency, it always starts with people. At Arts & Letters, we have a philosophy that ‘Everyone Means Everyone,’ which sits at the core of how we operate our business. It is truly a place where every person has a voice, across all of our teams, including production. Bringing in as many unique voices as possible, who contribute at all stages of the process - the possibilities are endless! As an industry, producers have a very important role to play here. We are able to be the connection point between external talent and our work for clients. It is a must that we educate everyone with the shared learnings from our experience.

LBB> And why is it an important issue for the production community to address?

Lisa> The way we tell our stories has never mattered more. We strive to ensure ideas are shaped by as many people as possible because ultimately this has proven to make the work better. As producers, we have an advantage in that we are, in part, responsible for building the teams that execute our work. This also means that we can help create space and platforms for the marginalised voices.

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 formalized production and the ‘creator economy’ or do the two feed into each other?

Lisa> The best producers are focused on a wide range of craft, including work from Creators/Influencers, and considering all of the resources available along the way. The key is knowing when craft is critical in sharing your message. I encourage producers to search for expertise in different forms of content and to be inspired by it. Millions of people have a story to tell now, but how they tell it is the thing that varies from creator to creator. Producers need to be able to identify our strengths and our experience in storytelling in order to be able to distinguish which type of content creator is the best fit for the work. Again, having access to a whole new variety of talent allows us to have even more opportunities to make great work.”

LBB> If you compare your role to the role of the heads of TV/heads of production/ Exec 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?)

Lisa> The leaders in our production community now hail from a wider variety of backgrounds and disciplines. While it used to be all advertising, it’s now film, gaming, experiential, TV, you name it. In the end, we are all makers and all of us are adding talent to our market with different backgrounds and foundations. This has really helped us as a community to expand our knowledge and open our minds to different types of production and management.

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?)

Lisa> I am focused on providing opportunities for producers to be in the work from day one. When you consider the volume of work in our industry, producers are able to stay busy and have access to a variety of projects at any given time. I like to make sure that we’re creating space for guidance from executive producers and senior producers, where the more junior producers get hands-on training by shadowing other people. By providing this level of exposure, it allows for talent to see different approaches to the work and then they’re able to start developing their own style of production. No two producers produce the same, so it is important to give each producer the tools to develop their own style and encourage them to grow.

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?

Lisa> You can still craft work when you move quickly. It’s just a matter of prioritising. Producers can always figure out a way to find enough time for what matters most in the process, whether it is casting for the perfect character or ensuring that the team has enough sound design and mix time to perfect the audio, for example.

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?

Lisa> What producers love about producing is the fact that it’s different every day and you learn something new on each and every project. There are so few industries that can say that. So, even if a producer has been producing for years, each new job is a new creative execution in an environment that they haven’t experienced before. New personalities, new curveballs, and new challenges. This is where the best producers thrive and why so many stay in it for so long. We are always learning.

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

Lisa> Creative problem solver, organised, proactive, calm, patient, thoughtful, having the ability to bring together a lot of different creative thinkers to create one thing together (AKA the mediator), detail oriented, communicative,  financially responsible and overall passionate.