Producing Tomorrow's Producers: Why You Should Never Assume Anything with Estela Pereira
Estela began her career as a photo producer but quickly discovered her passion for film. Over the past 15 years, she has worked for some of the most respected advertising agencies in Brazil and the USA, including Wieden+Kennedy, Johannes Leonardo, 72andSunny, and Deloitte Digital. During this time she has produced for clients such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Diageo, and many others.
Recently, Estela embarked on a new chapter in her career, joining Supercluster. As head of operations for the production companies' collective, she brings her wealth of experience to the table, embracing the opportunity to contribute from a different perspective.
LBB> What advice would you give to any aspiring producers or content creators hoping to make the jump into production?
Estela> Start from the bottom and learn as much as you can. If possible try different areas and roles to find out what your passion is.
Find nice people who are willing to pass on their knowledge to you. And don’t be afraid of asking questions.
LBB> What skills or emerging areas would you advise aspiring producers to learn about and educate themselves about?
Estela> Be open to learning about new technologies. Everything is changing so fast and sometimes it is hard to keep up, but researching and meeting with start-ups to learn more about virtual production and AI integration in productions, for example, are good ways to prepare yourself for what’s changing in our industry.
LBB> What was the biggest lesson you learned when you were starting out in production - and why has that stayed with you?
Estela> Never assume anything. Ask questions, double-check things, communicate, and make sure everyone knows what the plan is and what to expect.
Communication is key. Having an honest relationship with your client and your partners goes a long way.
LBB> When it comes to broadening access to production and improving diversity and inclusion what is your team doing to address this?
Estela> Supercluster is committed to creating a culturally diverse network of production companies from around the globe and has continuously expanded its partnerships in different countries and territories.
From our partners’ perspective, the international collaborations we foster enable them to learn from each other and to understand the different nuances and expertise each local market has. For brands, this helps create work that is more relatable to consumers, who will see themselves and their reality represented in the final work.
LBB> And why is it an important issue for the production community to address?
Estela> For a long time, many consumers didn’t see themselves represented in the work that was out there because the stories were being told by people who hadn’t necessarily experienced the realities portrayed. That’s why it’s so important to hear different voices so the work speaks authentically and in a way that resonates with the target.
LBB> There are young people getting into production who maybe don’t see the line between professional production and the creator economy, and that may well also be the shape of things to come. What are your thoughts about that? Is there a tension between more formalised production and the ‘creator economy’ or do the two feed into each other?
Estela> I believe there’s space for both kinds of content, and also for them to be combined. It will depend on what your client wants to achieve and their target audience. Producers need to be able to navigate both worlds as they will continue to co-exist and you shouldn’t limit yourself to only one of them.
LBB> If you compare your role now to what it was when you first joined the industry, what do you think are the most striking or interesting changes?
Estela> I think social media was a big change from what it was when I first started. The amount of deliverables and the different kinds of aspect ratios that you have to take into consideration when shooting is something unimaginable 15 years ago. Besides that, production budgets are not what they used to be and producers have to be more creative in finding solutions to deliver what the directors, creative teams, and clients expect.
LBB> When it comes to educating producers how does your agency like to approach this?
Estela> Each of our members has a different approach, but there are two great examples in our group that I would like to mention. One is a partnership that Metro Production has with the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs. They created a program called Production Lab where they offer professional courses for graduate and undergraduate students.
The other one is Mr+Positive’s program called Positive Exchange, where they provide internships to young producers from a partner company to join their team in Japan, and in return, they send one of their producers to have an international experience abroad.
LBB> It seems that there’s an emphasis on speed and volume when it comes to content - but where is the space for up and coming producers to learn about (and learn to appreciate) craft?
Estela> It’s important to give young producers the opportunity to learn by doing. Offering guidance without micromanaging them. Helping them to develop their way of doing things and their production instinct.
Having a great mentor and being able to work with them on bigger projects, even if they have fewer tasks, will allow them to see how the more senior producers handle challenges and difficult situations.
LBB> On the other side of the equation, what’s the key to retaining expertise and helping people who have been working in production for decades to develop new skills?
Estela> Don’t feel for one minute that you know everything. This is an ever-evolving and changing industry, and we are always learning.
LBB> Clearly there is so much change, but what are the personality traits and skills that will always be in demand from producers?
Estela> Communication, organisation, flexibility, the ability to stay calm under pressure, and always being nice and kind to people.
