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What trends, developments or issues would you point to thus far in 2022 as being most significant, perhaps carrying implications for the rest of this year and beyond?
The world seems to have moved on from COVID-19, but the pandemic is still affecting production and will continue to do so for the rest of this year and into 2023. Production costs are rising due to mandatory COVID-19 testing and protocols while client budgets and timelines are shrinking. Moving forward, creative solutions are needed to keep up the quality of productions while managing these realities.
While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for the second half of 2022 and beyond.
Content creation is not going anywhere; in fact, the amount of content we’ll generate will grow exponentially in 2023. I’ve noticed the amount of deliverables per project has increased. Clients want more for their money so there’s an immense need for creativity and efficiency during the production process. There’s a need to also balance the profitability of the business while maintaining the creative integrity of a project. Producers need to work more closely with their creative counterparts to come up with solutions that work for everyone’s goals.
Has the first half of 2022 caused you to redefine or fine tune the goals of your company, division, studio or network–and if so, in what way(s)?
Yes, the first half of 2022 has pushed me to redefine the goals of our company. We are now debuting a new production model that marries the expertise of agency producers with the expertise of line producers all under one roof. This will enable us to be far more efficient with client dollars, cut down on some of the communication breakdowns that happen between agencies and production companies, and protect the creative vision for each project. We are now able to engage with projects faster, thus turning around estimates and solutions in a more timely manner. I also have a goal of bringing in more BIPOC and female directors and editors into the fold which will only better the creative product.
