By ROBERT GOLDRICH
city throng, the turnout for The Broadcast Producers Conference last week in Beverly Hills was quite respectable, drawing some of the ad industrys leading agency heads of production, exec producers and producers. But the merit of the two-day confab cannot be measured strictly by numbers. The fact that the event finally came to fruition is a progressive development in and of itself.
This is not just an idea whose time has come, its overdue, said Ben Grylewicz, head of broadcast production at Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore. There arent many opportunities for producers from around the country to get together and discuss the similar issues and problems we all face. Having the chance to share ideas, concerns and frustrations will help educate everyone, especially young producers, who often get thrown into this and then must fend for themselves. Im hoping it will open up conversations among producers at different agencies. Creatives converse quite a bit more with their counterparts at other agencies. If producers can create a similar dialogue, it can only be a good thing.
I love the idea of us as producers getting together in our own forum, said Grant Hill, executive VP and executive production director, DDB Needham Chicago. Echoing that observation was Damon Webster, director of advertising production, Saatchi & Saatchi Pacific, Torrance, Calif., who described the event as being the first conference where producers can speak about what they do instead of having Aproduction just being an adjunct topic [to some overall agency conference].
Freelance producer Diane Flynn noted that the conference represented a great opportunity to meet face to face with other producers to share sources and work styles, and to discuss the problems and opportunities of our functions. Producers move from creative team to creative team and learn their styles, but producers rarely get to work with one another. As far as I know, this is the first time this kind of [national] forum has presented itself. (Regionally, freelancers have been networking via the New York-headquartered Freelance Producers Network, founded in 90.)
Frank Scherma, partner/exec. producer of bicoastal/international @radical.media, was one in a series of conference speakers (full coverage will be in next weeks SHOOT). Scherma expressed support for The Broadcast Producers Conference, noting that account execs and creatives have their share of events in which colleagues can compare notes, discuss issues, pose and hopefully answer questions. This is the first of its kind for agency producers where they can join a group of peers to talk, question, exchange ideas and work together. Its the kind of event, I hope, where you can walk away feeling the possibility that you can help bring about positive change.
Scherma admitted, though, that when he first heard of the conference, he was skeptical as to whether some agencies would pay for their producers to attend the event. He based this observation on the fact that some agencies dont seem to invest in training and grooming new producers to begin with. Noting that the difference between an experienced and an inexperienced agency producer is enough to make collaboration on a project worthwhile or mind numbing, Scherma viewed the decision of many agencies to get their producer talent to the conference as an encouraging sign. He emphasized the importance of developing agency producer talent. Scherma advocated internal training programs at agencies, mentorship within ad shop ranks, and providing assistant producers with opportunities to go on shoots and to take film classes.
Jane Jacobsen, a founder of The Broadcast Producers Conference, was encouraged by the event. Formerly a staff producer at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, and head of production at Riney, Chicago, Jacobsen-whos currently active as a freelance producer-said she expects the conference to become an annual event. She plans to hold the year 2000 confab in New York, perhaps beginning a pattern of alternating coasts from year to year. Its an important forum which we hope to build upon, she said.
“Memoir of a Snail” Takes Top Prize At London Film Festival
The Official Competition jury said: “Our jury was incredibly moved by Adam Elliot’s Memoir of a Snail, which is a singular achievement in filmmaking. Emotionally resonant and constantly surprising, Memoir tackles pertinent issues such as bullying, loneliness and grief head-on, creating a crucial and universal dialogue in a way that only animation can. The jury is delighted to recognize an animated film alongside its live-action peers.”
Rounding out the winners of this year’s films screening In Competition are:
- Winner of the Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition – On Falling (Dir. Laura Carreira)
- Winner of the Grierson Award in the Documentary Competition – Mother Vera (Dirs. Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson)
- Winner of the Short Film Award in the Short Film Competition – Vibrations from Gaza (Dir. Rehab Nazzal)