Scripted Drama with a Purpose: The Stories That Make Producer Jessica Badenoch Tick

Experienced producer Jessica Badenoch oversees diverse production projects from development to final delivery, helping bring nuanced stories to the screen that range from the police procedural Grimm (NBC), supernatural drama Proof (TNT) and multiple award-winning music drama Empire (Fox) to NBC’s Ordinary Joe and romantic drama Tell Me Lies (Hulu). Her career spans numerous notable projects where she has established a reputation for meticulous organisation and creative vision.

Purpose-Driven Storytelling

“I like to work on scripted dramas with strong writing that talk about real-life problems,” Jessica says. “If a show has a purpose, it can help people relate to the story and characters, even if it is purely entertainment. I think that's why I like post so much. You can do so many things with colour and sound and editing to affect and engage people's emotions.”

From Theatre Beginnings to Professional Production

Jessica went to Creative and Performing Arts High School (CAPA) in Philadelphia before heading to college in New York. There, studying theatre, she and her friends began to stage plays.

“We were young and we’d tend bar to make enough money and then put all our money into these plays. It was trial by fire but each time we learned a little more about what it takes to produce a show, whether that’s lighting or ticketing or insurance.”

After relocating to Los Angeles, Jessica concentrated more and more on production, landing a first job as assistant at a local NBC station. After producing commercials and live viewing parties for awards shows she decided to cross over into scripted television, where she quickly rose up the ladder from PA to associate producer to producer.

“I already knew how to manage people and so I needed to learn how to run everything else that makes a show tick.”

Collaborative Leadership and Technical Expertise

Known for her collaborative leadership style, she has guided teams through challenging schedules and technical requirements, contributing to productions like Empire and Tell Me Lies and gaining recognition for her versatility and attention to detail.

Adapting to Remote Work with ClearView Flex

Most key technology and workflow decisions fall under Jessica’s purview. “I welcome input from editors and my post-supervisor. I’ll meet with vendors to learn about new developments but every project is different and has a different budget. Usually, the showrunner will be the one who selects editors, although I may have some influence in that decision. As long as the DoP is happy with the colourist, I pick the post facility we use for dailies and final colour. A lot of times, the studio will have a relationship with a certain company which I’ll take into consideration. I consider myself a very loyal person and if there’s no reason for me to leave then I won’t.”

That relationship holds true for Sohonet and ClearView Flex, the video collaboration software which has been a fixture in Jessica’s workflows since the pandemic. “Before 2020 there was not really any concept of remote. Everyone had an office. All the editors and assistants would be a few feet away down the corridor. It was all so self-contained. Then suddenly we were on lockdown and I found myself sitting in the parking lot waiting for a bunch of hard drives to be brought to the trunk of my car from the local Best Buy so we could clone all the media.”

Embracing Flexibility in Workflows

At the time, Badenoch was working on the sixth and final season of Empire. Editorial teams had to have workstations set up at home and post producers tried to jury rig a system that would connect everyone up.

“We tried a few different systems and ClearView was the most stable at that time, so we just kept with it,” she says. “It's served us tremendously and we still use it daily. I mean, it’s basically our lifeline.”

Jessica just wrapped season two of Tell Me Lies on which showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer was based in Atlanta near the set. “Since she was going to be remote, it made more sense for everybody to be remote. If there was a question or concern with a daily that comes in or an editor wants to show me something, we just hop on ClearView really quick. Then, as soon as the director’s cut starts, our editors are on ClearView with them for up to 12 hours a day.”

Even during final mix Jessica will always be on the stage but a showrunner or composer might have the session ClearView-ed to their location.  

“ClearView affords us the opportunity to continue to work and to stay on schedule. With our showrunner in Atlanta there's no way that we would have been able to do it otherwise.  Not every show has to go remote but we have the flexibility to decide on a case-by-case basis.”

Challenges and Rewards in Post-Production

“For a pilot shot last year the director and executive producer wanted to be in the room with the editor. Not a problem. We rented a small office suite and also offered the editor a remote system. They assembled the show from home and reviewed in person with the director.”

There are broadly three options for workflow, she explains: completely remote, entirely in person or a combination. “I think I prefer the hybrid situation. I miss the human aspect and the creative conversations with everybody in and around the office but I totally understand the convenience of working outside of the office.

“Even if the show is fully in-person I feel like Clearview will still be used quite a bit. Maybe not to the extent that it was before but simply because of convenience. If a director doesn't live in Los Angeles, as on Tell Me Lies where one of our directors was from the UK, then it is not even a question any more whether they can do the same job from thousands of miles away.”

Looking Forward to Technological Innovations

Having been given a preview of ClearView’s forthcoming video chat feature, Jessica is excited for it to launch.

“Normally you have ClearView to watch a cut on one monitor and you talk to your people on Zoom on another. It’s always better to be able to make eye contact all the time. Realtime chat will be another nice step up for ClearView.” 

(Ending blurb) Jessica is a critical player over a wide array of projects; demanding and long-running hits that simply must run well. Story-driven at her core, she brings her incredible depth of knowledge and talent to every project. While projects and tools change, at her core, Badenoch understands story, and also how to get it to the screen as it is envisioned by the creative team and that’s a real talent.