Meet Your Makers: Constantly Creating with Chris Ohlson

Chris Ohlson has produced nearly a dozen independent feature films, hundreds of commercials, brand films, and various other projects that have taken him across 5 continents. He moved to Austin, Texas in the late 90’s where he immediately dove into working on any project that would have him, to learn the nuts and bolts of film and commercial production, from the ground up. After freelancing for nearly a decade, he and director Matt Muir founded Revelator, a creative production company that’s grown to include a full-time production and post-production staff. The company takes projects from concepts and briefs through to finish and delivery. Revelator has 8 distinct directors on its roster, and a bevy of longtime agency and brand clients.

Chris Ohlson was previously a Sundance Institute Creative Producing Fellow, as well as an alum of the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) Narrative Lab Program and the Rotterdam Labs. He is a winner of the  Piaget Producers Award at the 2015 Independent Spirit Awards. He has lectured at the University of Texas at Austin and has been a mentor and speaker for the Sundance Institute, IFP, Film Independent and SXSW.

He calls himself a retired line cook, former first baseman, plant lover, voracious reader of books about war, mixed martial arts enthusiast, Pearl Jam fanatic, and whiskey-lover.

LBB> What’s your favourite thing about production and why?

Chris> I love the term ‘maker’ in the title of this interview series.  I very much feel like a maker of commercials, films, videos, campaigns of all shapes and sizes.  For me, after nearly 20 years of creating projects all over the world, I still love ‘making things.’ I love collaborating with our Directors, Editors, Cinematographers, and at the same time, CMO’s, Creative Directors, Account Managers, Engineers, Data Scientists and more. 

I’d have to say my favourite thing about production is the collaboration and the strategization  – in bringing things to life.  It’s the ethos I try and consistently bring to our shop, Revelator – where I’m one of the partners and the Executive Producer.

A great example of this is the work we did on a brand new project with the good folks at Indian Motorcycle. It’s a spot that showcases a new limited-run bike called the Challenger Elite (150K views in its first 24 hours!)

Alongside their agency, The Speed Shop, we crafted the unique story of the bike. We interviewed Indian Motorcycle’s Sweden-based Director of Industrial Design, Ola Stenegärd about his team's mission to create style in its boldest form. Director Matt Muir developed a visual approach to be executed on an LED Volume stage. The creative strategy incorporates original design drawings, fabrication lab photography, and the final industrial design imagery to unveil the exclusive new Challenger Elite. All of this was finessed into sleek motion graphic animation presented as an exciting visual integration on the LED Volume stage.

I consider myself a “maker” while I’m producing projects, but I also still embrace directing creative projects too. When I direct a project, I love working with real-people doing exceptional things. I’m curious about how people become masters of their craft.

I had heard about a chef named Bryce Shuman in NYC (I have a deep affinity for chefs having previously been a line cook!) and recently crafted a cinematic portrait of him, which we shot in one long day. It was a chance to hone my craft as a creator and collaborate with some of our favorite folks who work with Revelator. I focused on his story and the fire he uses to cook. I show how he collaborates with fire, works alongside it, ebbing and flowing with the unruly primal energy, bending and being bent by it.

LBB> As a producer your brain must have a neverending "to do" list. How do you switch off? What do you do to relax?

Chris> I’m not sure if I’ve at all learned to truly switch off, but I have made a concerted effort in recent years to be more and more present.   My son (born last year) has really been an amazing teacher and mirror for me.  Watching his curiosity, observing how he interacts with the world because EVERYTHING is new to him, is really special.  Yes, he’s made me think about “priorities” but more than that, he constantly reflects back a sense of “time” to me.  I’m more aware than ever of doing the thing that must be done now, rather than doing the 20 other things that could/should be done now (but could be done later as well).  Spending time with him isn’t switching off, it’s more like truly switching on, and focusing on a single thing at a time.

LBB> A good producer should be able to produce for any medium, from film to events to digital experience. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why/why not?

Chris> I believe a good producer, scratch that, I believe a curious and inspired producer should be able to produce for nearly any medium, from film to commercials to digital campaigns and experiences.  For me, the tools and the techniques are very much the same, but it comes down to understanding the lay of the land, the hierarchy, the tone, the partnerships, the calls to action and emotional takeaways.

I love that some of the talented interns, coordinators, and production managers from our shop have gone on to become Heads of Production at other production companies, Executive Producers at advertising agencies, VPs of Film and Television at Financing Companies, and yes, award-winning commercial directors. I won’t pretend that we taught them everything we know, but I do believe that our flexible and nimble approach to production at Revelator helped set up a mindset of being able to tackle and execute projects across a wide spectrum of approaches and needs.

LBB> From your experience what are the ingredients for a successful production?

Chris> We’ve survived (and thrived) in recent years. As the EP of our shop, I try to be wildly cognizant of the experiences that our partners (i.e. clients, agencies, brands) AND crews have on each and every production. I only want our team to take on projects where we can see a path to having a successful production.  Do we have a creative voice in the approach and tone?  Are the dollars in the same realm as the creative?  What are the motives (which is sometimes tricky!) of the Agency… the Brand… the Client? 

If a brief or boards come through our door and I have the sense of it being a backbreaker and we can’t as a team solve the riddle of how to prep it/shoot it/deliver it in a humane way, then I’m more than happy to pass and move on to the next. I’m proud that we almost never work long-long shoot days, we don’t take on campaigns with agencies or brands that we disagree with on an ethical or moral level.  We don’t burn vendors or locations or the hundreds of other people, places and things that one needs to collaborate with to bring 10+ years of work to life.  As the oft-said industry mantra of “timelines are shortening, while budgets are shrinking and number of deliverables are growing” is true to a certain degree, I still push our shop to find ways to create great work within that.

Successful production at Revelator happens when our directors and producers and key collaborators are all very much on the same page about the size and shape of the thing that we are creating.  What’s the tone?  What’s the takeaway?  What are the biggest potential pitfalls?  Where are the weak links?

LBB> And in terms of recent work, which projects have you found to be particularly exciting or have presented particularly interesting production challenges?

Chris> I’m proud of a lot of the work we create!  But more specifically one of the recent projects I’ve been excited about includes a campaign for IBM Quantum. Early in the pandemic, as we were all just figuring out how to shoot anything, we worked alongside the IBM Team to concept and develop a creative strategy to build an engaging campaign. Yes, it’s a simple direct-to-camera, in-studio style approach, but we developed a human, relatable, and entertaining way to showcase complex ideas; breaking down and dispelling myths about quantum computing.

I’m also incredibly proud of our team that brought to life a short documentary for the Harlem Globetrotters, which just premiered on NBC. It’s called The Jersey and tackles anti-bullying in schools. 

We were the Globetrotters creative partner and found the mother and son for the story after casting and scouting all over the country.  We developed the concept for the piece and found the best way to tell the story – and it’s exactly the kind of story we want to tell!

LBB> Producers are naturally hands on - they have to be. How do you balance that in the more managerial role of an EP?

Chris> That’s a great question and one that I’ve had to learn on the job. I love the nuts and bolts of producing, but if I’m doing that now at Revelator, that’s bad for our business. There are busy times during the year where we’ll have 15-20 projects/campaigns in various phases of prep/shoot/post and I need to have a feel for where each and every one is. If I’m mired in a single project, I’ll lose that vision as to everything else that’s going on. For me, it’s become about trusting the producers, directors, and project managers on those projects and campaigns.   Being there and available when there’s a bigger question or a larger issue that has to be dealt with, while leaving many of the ins and outs of the productions to the people dedicated to them.   It’s been a constantly evolving role for me, as even going to set on a consistent basis is tricky, because there are so many other projects to touch in pre-production or post. 

At the end of the day, I understand what the producers on our productions are up against, so I can be a sounding board, “the bad guy” when needed, or tag-in on a particular bigger to-do item, if I’m carefully managing my time with regards to all of the projects.

LBB> What advice would you give to people who are interested in becoming a producer?

Chris> Right away, I would say you’ve got to learn all the steps of pre-production, production, and post.  It’s essential to be able to understand the different departments, the things that they do, and what they are up against. People expect you to have the answers (or get them!) so you better understand what it is they are doing and need. It’s important to understand the mechanics of a film set: work on as many as you can, see the different styles, crews, directors, and how there are different ways to make things happen.

I also tell up and coming or wanna-be producers, you’ve got to have a thick skin. It’s a tough job a lot of the time. You’re always juggling art versus commerce and the creative versus the logistics, using only the resources you have available. I’m also keen to say that it’s a marathon of a job, not a sprint.  It takes a long time to build a big network, to be confident in discussions with agency partners, as well as DPs, editors, and everyone in between.

But the biggest piece of advice I often give is that it’s a small community and industry in a lot of ways.  Be nice to people. A lot of people know one another and your reputation is king. The production assistant on today’s shoot will be someone hiring you for a job five years from now when they are working at a brand or agency. (It’s happened to me repeatedly!)  If you were an asshole or couldn’t take the time to learn someone’s name, that’ll hurt you in the long run. Build a good reputation and pay attention to the folks working with you. So many of them will move on to different parts of the industry and will be your allies for years to come!