Setting Productions up for Success

Jen Milano was born in Seoul, South Korea then came to the land of pizza and bagels, New Jersey. She attended a small high school, with only 40 other graduates. From there, she went on to study telecommunications and sociology at Penn State. There, she was able to take the first digital-only post-production course, working in Premiere, and thus the love of post-production was born.

Jen began her post-production career working as a coordinator, assistant editor, flame/motion assist, and presently a producer. Through her travels from the creative to operational, Jen has a broad understanding of the post process.

Known to still hop on the box every so often, Jen has a nerdy appreciation for everything that goes into this final step of the process. Bigger than her love of the post process is supporting the people who craft the work. Paramount is protecting work-life balance, mental health, and ensuring people feel empowered as a part of the team.

When not immersed in post, Jen can be found taking care of her rescue dog, baking up a storm, searching for the perfect hot dog (no condiments, of course), and enjoying her guilty pleasures, BTS and puns.

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

Jen> Think outside the box! Producing is balancing logistics, finances, and timelines – often getting creative with workflows and job setups can help get a client what they need but also set the team up for success.

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

Jen> Having a general sense of post workflows will help you plan out a project but also effectively communicate with the team. It will also help to anticipate issues and troubleshoot informedly with both team and client. While it is necessary to collaborate with the team for solutions, having a base knowledge of post is always a good thing!

For emerging tech, AI and its role in creativity is something to stay informed on. It will inevitably be a part of our workflows and creative process, so knowing how to leverage this tool will be invaluable as it evolves.

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

Jen> Empathy! Teams and clients are usually under pressure and the ability to understand that will only help lead a team and help a client feel taken care of.

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

Jen> We actively look for talent and good people from all across the US, and even overseas.

Ensuring people with various backgrounds, experiences – work related and life based – will only enrich our team and bolster the work!

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

Jen> It’s an important issue for everyone to address. Equal access and opportunity is our foundation as a nation.

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?

Jen> As with anything, taking a balanced look at the traditional vs the new is incredibly important. You could discover new ways to work on a project, new ways to scope it. But having the tried and true ways of professional production will serve as a steady backbone to the new ways of working.

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?

Jen> Titles stay the same, but roles and expectations have changed and evolved. It varies by company and industry. What a head of production does in the TV industry vs commercial can greatly change based on the organisational workflow.

But even within a single industry, like commercial work, the role can still change among various post houses/companies. At the end of the day, there is an expectation of leadership in these head roles. But how to lead and communicate has changed over time.

LBB> When it comes to educating producers how does your company like to approach this?

Jen> I think first and foremost, there should be a structure in place. Even if that structure inevitably evolves, there should be a base for how the company runs and expectations for producers clearly laid out. From there, producers should lean on their leadership to clarify questions and specifics to jobs/projects.

In terms of technical training, there are several tools, especially in this day and age of information overload, that can help educate producers on more technical things – and even help them get that overview of post workflows. Some such tools are available on LinkedIn for general post and project management, Scrum Alliance for specific project management skills, and even by Adobe / Autodesk / DaVinci for post specific learnings.

LBB> It seems that there’s an emphasis on speed and volume when it comes to content – but where is the space for up and coming producers to learn about the craft?

Jen> Even with the fast and furious pace of content creation, there should still be space to appreciate the craft. The quality of the work is still there, it’s just quicker! Tracking with the editor on the project and communicating with the client, you will inevitably absorb the craft, learnings and discussions behind those quick turn projects, all while keeping open communication with senior producers to help guide and foster the creative lens!

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?

Jen> Inevitably, the project will necessitate learning. Fostering an environment where people can ask questions and gain support from others who have various backgrounds and experiences will only enrich the team and naturally lend itself to learning, for those open to it.

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

Jen> First and foremost, empathy, it’s a must. Also, a natural leadership disposition in guiding teams. Assessing the tone of a project and working to keep the team motivated and on track is another essential for producers. Lastly, a collaborative nature will help everyone on the team feel heard.