Question 1

What is the single biggest suggestion you would give to someone wanting to get into this career?

Hamed Hokamzadeh · Accepted Answer

“Humility. Be nice and be humble. Most of the Company Producer’s job is dealing with egos. Whether it’s their own creatives or a client, it’s a position of keeping projects on track within the scheduled time frame, with everyone leaving happy. If the Company Producer starts throwing their ego around it’s just a greater chance that a fight will happen.
“Large personalities aren’t only necessary in many fields of the film industry, they’re required for many jobs. It takes a lot of confidence to spend tens of thousands of dollars a day and believe that the outcome will be good.
“There’s a sort of insecurity that can’t be gotten rid of, too. It’s the Company Producer’s job to make sure that nerves can relax so the client and creative don’t blow up at each other over senseless things. It’s very much a peacemaker career.”

Question 2

What’s the #1 mistake people make when trying to get into this career?

Hamed Hokamzadeh · Accepted Answer

“The biggest mistake that people make is they think technology can solve all their problems. Actually, there’s a tie for largest folly in the Company Producer world; the other thing is a know-it-all attitude. That can be crippling because it rubs people the wrong way and limits its practitioner’s capability to learn.
“Jumping back to relying on technology, the reason that it is bad is that everyone has the same technology. Rarely are the tools a sole proprietary program. Even if it is, there’s another version out there. What clients want is a unique perspective that will get the job done in a timely manner and make their product stand out.
“The Company Producer is in many ways a facilitator; they are helping the overall experience. If somebody can stay in a good mood they’ll be more collaborative and easier to work with, which allows everything to move forward. Fights over small details are time drains and they are rarely about the art itself. The Company Producer must avoid these skirmishes at all costs or their budget will suffer.”

Question 3

What is the question people should ask about this career but rarely do?

Hamed Hokamzadeh · Accepted Answer

“Why is separation between work and personal life so crucial?
“Most people don’t talk about separating their personal life from what they’re working on. There is a propensity to make work the only thing that matters and while it is great to be driven, it’s also what leads to burn out. The human mind needs to focus on multiple things, which can be as simple as taking an exercise class in the morning.
“Everyone in the business has a passion to make films. If it’s done day in and out, then when burnout hits, it’ll be crippling. A lot of times the brain takes twice as long to recover and during that time it hurts to even think about doing work. This isn’t an excuse to be lazy but a call for people entering this career field to take a moment and check-in with themselves.
“Taking a moment can feel needless but making it a constant practice will give a better perspective on workloads. After all, the Company Producer is managing a lot of other people’s work schedules so if they burn out everything can go up in flames.”

Question 4

What is one thing I should have asked which I didn’t?

Hamed Hokamzadeh · Accepted Answer

“Why does making your workplace ergonomic matter?
“Once someone begins to feel the effects of sitting at a desk with the wrong mouse and keyboard, it’s already too late. If the pain starts then it takes forever to heal and usually, it gets ignored. It’s a bit strange to think that physical injuries happen from working at a computer but sitting down for ten hours in a day can destroy a back.
“The best thing to have is a standing desk. And if that isn’t available, then invest in a good chair. Additionally, the position of wrist and keyboard matters. How is somebody supposed to stay focused if they’re being constantly distracted by the pain in their wrist? Ergonomics is an issue that should be taken very seriously. It can easily put a hardworking individual out of commission.”

Question 5

If you could describe in one word what makes you successful, what would it be?

Hamed Hokamzadeh · Accepted Answer

“Opportunist. I’m always looking for who I can work with and what opportunity will be the best to pursue. It’s a constant search of discovering companies.”

Question 6

What is the role of a Producer in a company?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

The general role of a Producer in a company is to oversee the day-to-day activities of that facility. If it’s a post-production house, their job may be to supervise the editing, sound design, and other needs of the projects coming in through to their completion. If it’s a studio, they might overlook the budgets of projects in production and the hiring of cast and crew for them.

Question 7

What are 4 types of Producers?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

Because filmmaking can be an intricate and expensive process, the role of Producer is often broken down into several specialized positions. Some of these positions include Executive Producer, Co-Producer, Assistant Producer, and Line Producer.

Question 8

How do you become a Producer of a company?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

Because Producers are largely considered the individuals responsible for a film getting made, it takes a substantial amount of experience and expertise to be hired as one for a company. Those skillsets can be gained through producing on smaller projects such as indie films and other lower-budget productions. With accumulated experience, Producers can rise through the ranks of Assistant Producer to Co-Producer to Lead Producer to Executive Producer. Often once a Producer has several years under their belt, they’ll be trusted to run an entire company.

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