When Bozell New York awarded managing director stripes last year to its head of broadcast production and its then number two creative director, it said that the two would "work closely together to streamline the creative process," and that they would "open the lines of communication between the broadcast and creative departments, and expedite the production process."
If, at first glance, that seems to imply that there was some kind of an impasse at Bozell between producers and creatives, the two new partners reply—and a sampling of executives at other agencies agree—that it only recognizes that closer collaboration and trust between the two disciplines leads to better advertising. If that trusting and collaborative mindset needs a little help sometimes, it only reflects the inherent challenge of turning ideas into reality.
"Generally, the producer’s side is more cautious and conservative because they’re the ones that have to make this happen," says Bozell’s David Nobay, who was recently named executive creative director. "The creative side is naturally more cavalier."
That said, Nobay and his new partner Andrew Chinich, executive director of broadcast production, say they’re all but joined at the hip , and that their close relationship filters down through their departments. "David and I are a team and partnership—always have been, and it’s worked well," Chinich says. "Although it’s now being recognized as such and formalized, it’s no different than it’s ever been. Our mission is to bridge all the gaps, and have [creative and production] be one cohesive effort. It’s still the church of one sermon, which is ‘do great work.’ "
"The idea of the head of production and the creative director working closely together is hardly bizarre," says Nobay. "The difference is that we’ve formalized it. Hopefully, we articulate it more in the way that we manage the agency and the creative department. Our way of managing is not managing from above—it’s trying to create a culture by example. I still write ads and Andrew still produces ads."
Chinich and Nobay both joined Bozell about three years ago, and they bonded during extended European shoots during the SAG/ AFTRA strike in 2000. Although a memo about the pair’s mission did get distributed internally last year, Nobay believes the example they set will be more important in accomplishing it. "What’s great about us being formalized to the extent that we are—and literally spending all our time together—is that it sent such a clear message through the ranks that there will be no bullshit about ‘what he said, she said’ condoned," Nobay says. "There is no excuse for ‘the producers [screwed] it up because they didn’t get me the director I wanted,’ or vice versa."
He notes that the stereotypical complaints—from the producer’s point of view that the creative is a nightmare, to the creative’s frustration at a producer who is inflexible—can fester very easily. "We’ve cut it off at the head," relates Nobay. "If I have a creative director coming to me saying, ‘Look, I’m getting push-back from so and so because I want to try this and he says it can’t be done or it’s too expensive,’ they know they better be straight with me because within the next hour I’m going to be spending time with Andrew and immediately it’s on his radar. And vice versa. It cuts out all the usual bureaucracy of e-mails, territory and meetings."
Chinich’s production staff of some 30 people, including about seven producers, occupies the same floor as Nobay’s creative teams, and the two hope to bring their respective staffs even closer this year. "What Andrew and I are working toward doing is literally mixing it up a lot more," Nobay says. "From being on the same floor to potentially being around the same tables and desks, which would be great."
As it is now, Chinich’s corner office is where the troops congregate informally to catch the latest reels and talk about directors and techniques. "There’s constant debate about who we like or who’s interesting and who did something we wouldn’t expect," Nobay says. "By the time a script is done, the creatives are as articulate as the producers about who would be great for the job."
Most agencies with strong reputations for creative excellence say they have a high level of collaboration and mutual respect between producers and creative teams, but a close relationship is not something they have formally defined. At BBDO New York, production is part of the creative department, and Regina Ebel, executive VP/director of television production, reports directly to Ted Sann, chairman/ CCO.
"BBDO is a pretty informal place by nature, considering how big it is," Ebel says. "I think our relationships are so strong and intertwined that we are already in that place where we have really close collaboration with the creative process. We sit on the same floor and get involved whenever they need us. If a creative is working on a project, they call a producer they know or call me about an idea. There’s an open dialogue."
A key part of that collaboration is physical proximity. "The fact that we share space and have our coffee together means you always have contact with the creative department," Ebel says. The production department at BBDO is comprised of about 45 people, including the music department. Assignments to producers often come out of the relationships they have with certain creative teams. "You understand each other, you like the same editors, the same directors," she relates. "You know the process together. Once a producer and a creative team are put together, the relationship is tight and people spend a lot of time together."
At Young & Rubicam (Y&R), New York, Ken Yagoda, managing partner/director of broadcast production, points out that advertising is a relationship business on a number of levels, including production. The department consists of 21 producers, five of whom are executive producers assigned to specific accounts. "One of the reasons we have an executive producer system," explains Yagoda, "is so they will stay involved with the creative directors and the account managers as to when work is being developed and what kind of timeline, strategic issues and budget issues are involved. "
Mark D’Arcy, creative director on Sony, adds that creatives and producers at Y&R have mutual respect at the base of their relationships. "Unless you fundamentally respect the unique abilities of the people you work with, you’re not going to listen to a damn thing," he says. D’Arcy cites the recent Sony spot "The Trip," directed by Joe Pytka of Venice, Calif.-based PYTKA. "We started working with Ken on that ad before we had a strategy really," D’Arcy says. "We picked in our heads the directors we wanted to work with, and then we had to write work that we could con them into doing. As we were creating work, we had in our mind’s eye what we wanted to achieve on a production level."
"Most projects we do, I don’t think anybody could really tell you exactly how it worked," says Yagoda of choosing directors. "It’s ‘these are the guys we want.’ You want to make it feel like you don’t remember how someone got chosen at the end of the process. It’s one of the joys of the business."
At Deutsch LA, Randy Morton, senior VP/director of broadcast production, says the agency is designed to be team-oriented. "The tone of the agency is set to encourage an environment of collaboration and communication," he says. "Nobody works with an attitude of isolation or exclusion. Everything sort of springs from that."
Morton emphasizes that the agency believes a good creative idea can come from anyone. "Once creatives get into a comfort zone with concepts, there is always an internal presentation process that follows," he notes. "Oftentimes, concepts get sharpened and new ideas injected. Once a client buys a board, producers and creatives continue to work together to mold the execution. It’s a team effort, because at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the quality of work."
At The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va., John Noble, senior VP/ head of broadcast production, says the nature of the business today has put a premium on having a close relationship between producers and creatives. "Lately, short turnarounds and reduced budgets have challenged the work, and you have to be smarter and more efficient for your clients," says Noble. "We found when the producers get involved earlier, they’re able to figure out either that the idea is workable within the budget right then, or how to make it work just by tweaking something in the concept. A lot of ideas live longer and actually get produced, as opposed to dying earlier."
Noble says the creatives hold producers in high regard, especially when deadlines are short. "They’ll say, ‘We’ve got to get the producers over here. We’ve got five weeks to produce something and I don’t want to waste a week-and-a-half going back and forth without a producer seeing it,’ " Noble relates.
Open process
Jennifer Golub, director of broadcast production at TBWA/Chiat/Day, San Francisco, says she doesn’t see a clear line where the producer’s contribution begins and ends. "We have a very open dialogue," she says. "We participate in the evolution and development of the concepts long before they’re written—everyone is open to good concepts and to great resources. That’s the joy of the craft."
The primary responsibility of Golub’s dozen producers is adidas, and they embrace the brand. "To be truly effective, a producer should embody the same knowledge that’s available to the creative team, account management and planners," she says. "Then, ideally, the producer has the intellectual and creative capacity to inspire a concept, as well as enable one."
Like the San Francisco office of TBWA/Chiat/Day, the Chicago office of Y&R is relatively small, and smaller offices tend to engender closer relationships between staffers, says Matt Bijarchi, Y&R, Chicago’s director of broadcast production.
"We all work very closely together and try to keep track of everything that’s going on without stepping on each other’s toes," Bijarchi says, noting that he sees his staff as part of the creative department. "I think we’re there to advocate for and partner with the creatives. It’s their baby, but we’re very much a part of the process in collaboration and seeing it through to fruition."
A key part of the relationship with creatives is being careful with the word "no." "I don’t like to use that word," says Bijarchi. "I prefer to say, ‘We can do this, as opposed to this, and here’s why.’ It’s the most challenging part of a producer’s job. You’re the one responsible for budget. That’s why the relationships between the producers and creatives are paramount to anything else. If it’s good, they’ll understand you when you have a hesitation to say, ‘We can do that.’ Oftentimes it’s in the delivery."
