SVP, Executive Producer
The Martin Agency
1) When it comes to directors, I’m looking for the best creative fit first. Everything else (scale/complexity of the work, agency or client credited, etc.) comes second. If a reel isn’t appealing visually, emotionally or comedically within the first couple spots/content pieces, it will probably get passed over. So, even though it’s kind of obvious, lead with your most engaging work. Also, if you’re sending a reel for something specific (particular client, agency producer or EP, etc.), it definitely helps to do some homework and customize for that specific intent versus sending a broad “catch all.” You’d be surprised how many reels I get which have nothing to do with the type of creative or clients I work on.
2) For producers, the same advice applies, but with some modification. If I’m evaluating talent for possible staff or freelance, I want to know you can handle what you’re being considered for and/or are a good fit. I’ll look at complexity and breadth of work on the reel. Have you produced animation, retail, comedy, complex storytelling, and so on? Also, agencies and clients you’ve worked with definitely get a closer look. Creativity is still a piece of it, but I’m looking for the skill set of a producer first since I can’t be sure how much creative input they’ve had in the work on their reel.
What Technology is a “must be proficient in”:
Programs like those in Adobe Creative Suite are tech you should have some familiarity with. Decreasing budgets and time, coupled with less willingness to take creative risks are leading to more proof of concept edits before work is sold. If you add in the increased need for ultra-low budget content, I think knowing the basics of software like Premier, After Effects, Audition, etc., especially among more junior producers, is a good thing. Yes, final editing/animation/audio on larger projects should be left to skilled full-time artists, and not producers (or creatives) who dabble in it, but some basic skill in those areas is definitely the future of production departments.
Career-Life Balance:
It might sound simple, but turn it off. Yes, there are times when I have difficulty putting down the mobile phone, but having four kids made me realize there’s life outside of advertising. I’m not one to take frequent breaks during the day, so I go pretty hard at it when I’m in the office or on set, then try to spend as much time as possible with family when I’m home (again, it doesn’t always work out). Also, take time to decompress. Our jobs are pretty stressful, so take some time to get lost in things that aren’t advertising or production related.
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More