Digital Hitchhiker

I know too many designers and animators that are not fans of producers, they think that the producers job is so easy. That all a producer has to do is send emails, talk on the phone and go to lunches or dinners with clients. They think this because it’s what they see producers doing, but a producers job is what you don’t see them doing. Its what all those emails, phone calls, and lunches accomplish. Most of the time it’s just keeping the clients away from you so you can work, be creative and do your thing. Besides getting the occasional lunch, as a designer I don’t want to be doing their kind of work… I’d rather be designing.  Anyone who has ever freelanced knows how much time you put into meeting clients, handling project requests, getting paid and how little time you actually spend just doing the work compared to everything else that goes into it. I’ve worked on both sides, as a freelancer doing both the designing and the producing myself as well as being part of a team where I design and someone else does the producing. As a freelancer I’ve found that the positives of handling the producing myself is that I get to be in control of the entire project and I also build strong relationships with the client. I’ve also discovered an appreciation for the work that a producer does because when I have someone else figuring out the bid and dealing with all the clients requests, I have that extra time to focus and create better work. Being a great producer does require skill. Not only do you have to be highly organized, motivated and focused but you also have to be friendly, calm and understanding; both for the client and for the creatives that are doing the work.  There are a lot of bad producers in this industry and that’s probably one reason I know so many designers and animators that don’t see their value. When a designer finishes a project they have something to show for it, they’ve created this piece of work, all that time amounted to an end product that you can see. For a producer, their time amounts to a smoothly run project. When you have a good producer as part of your team the machine runs much smoother and you may not realize that the producer has done anything at all. That’s the sign of a good producer, when the other people in a team can focus on their own jobs and not have to be bothered by all the tasks that a producer handles on a daily basis. Take some time to appreciate those good producers out there and the other members of your team, cause you’ll surely miss them when you work with the bad ones.