Producing Tomorrow's Producers: Why Ben Robinson Is a Constant Student

Ben Robinson got into filmmaking to tell stories. He is a big believer in leadership and accountability, while maintaining the fine balance between art and commerce inherent in production.

Throughout his career he has produced work with major brands such as Amazon, Pepsi Co, General Mills, Lululemon and HSBC to name a few. As a live event and experiential producer his work has garnered numerous awards including a Cannes Lion, The One Club award, and a Clio among others. His short films have played at festivals across North America and he is constantly seeking out new projects and creative endeavours.

In a past life you could have found Ben busking on a street corner eating fire, but these days he enjoys a good hike, a solid nap, and baking pies.

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

Ben> Work hard and say yes to everything (at least while starting out, as you develop saying no becomes as important). Put up your hand up for the jobs no one else wants to do. This will make you invaluable to the people you report to. Ask questions when you don’t know something and listen to the answer. Listen more than you speak. Be early. Stay late.

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

Ben> For skills, leadership and accountability/ownership are huge. Learn to take responsibility for your actions and the actions of your team. If something went wrong, first think what you could have done to prevent it. Resist the urge to point fingers, and instead look at yourself. Also calmness in the storm. Production is a chaotic beast and things will go wrong. If you’re stressed or scared, you won’t be able to think clearly to problem solve. Find ways to practice calmness.

Educate yourself on everything. Every department. Every side of the industry. Be a constant student for the rest of your career. You will learn new things every day.

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

Ben> You don’t control what happens. You control how you react to what happens.

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

Ben> We are part of a few organisations working to improve diversity and inclusion in the industry. We also put a particular emphasis on giving opportunities to up and comers while still setting them up for success.

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

Ben> Equal opportunity is important on a basic human level. In addition to this it helps improve the work. Different perspectives and experiences create a richer environment for creating.

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?

Ben> I don’t think there’s a tension here. Clients’ need many different things these days and there’s space for both. They’re such different animals.

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?)

Ben> The industry has had shifts, but I don’t the role of an exec has changed that much. The fundamentals of production are the fundamentals of production. There is a right way to produce work, and a wrong way. I have been lucky in my career to be mentored by some incredibly talented and smart execs. I was also a line producer for many years so I have great respect for the process.

I think it’s important we look at ways of innovating as an industry, but I believe the method of producing film work is airtight.

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?)

Ben> It's impossible to learn to be a producer from tech or in isolation. It’s a sink or swim craft, and at some point, you simply need to jump in. The best thing you can do is surround yourself with people smarter and more talented than you are. Producing is a team sport. Have a good team.

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?

Ben> I think every up and comer (and established professional) should seek mentorship outside their immediate circle. Someone who knows the craft well, is impartial, and invested in your growth. Find someone who is well respected in the industry and ask them to be your mentor. Treat it as a formal process where you meet quarterly and buy them coffee.

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?

Ben> This is a tricky one as every producer is different and there’s no one size fits all. My belief is an exec needs to set up a job properly, ensure there’s a great team on board and people are supported. Then let the producer go kick ass and don’t get in their way. If they need you, they’ll call you.

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

Ben> Compassion. Empathy. Leadership. Problem solving. Creativity. Resourcefulness. Perseverance. Kindness.