Meet Your Makers: Learning How to Produce with Veronica Webb

Veronica Webb is a producer at New York-based post production studio Assembly. A rising star in the production field, Veronica honed her experience at Final Frame and Harbor, before joining the Assembly team wherein she works closely with the studio’s award-winning colorists to produce their commercial work.  

LBB> What first attracted you to production - and has it been an industry you’ve always worked on or did you come to it from another area?

Veronica> My junior year of film school I was producing a student film and on one particularly eventful day I thought to myself “hmmm…. Is this what a runner’s high feels like?” I liked the way I felt on a busy day. I liked the collaborative aspect of production and wanted to be more involved in projects. Shortly after I graduated, I had the opportunity to move to New York and begin my career in post-production. I really can’t say that I’ve come from another area since I was able to dive into post as soon as I graduated, but up until I worked on that student film I always envisioned myself to be more of a 2D artist. Now I feel like my art is based in communication and problem solving. 

LBB> What was your first role in the production world and how did this experience influence how you think about production and how you grew your career?

Veronica> My first role in production was as a coordinator at a picture and sound finishing facility. That experience was super impactful to my career because it gave me the opportunity to be fully involved with the process. Since it was a boutique operation, I wore many hats (from client services, to offline production, to both audio and picture finishing, to final delivery). Getting hands on experience right off the bat was largely impactful, but what was even more so was the exposure I had to amazing mentors who I still rely on today.

That first role also showed me that so many hands go into making a film, series, commercial, etc., and no matter your title you’re still involved in the process of bringing that project to the finish line - and I think that’s pretty cool!

LBB> How did you learn to be a producer?

Veronica> Well! I am still actively learning how to produce! Luckily I’ve been surrounded by great mentors since I started producing a year and some change ago. I’ve also been fortunate to have a lot of hands-on experience which has been my primary learning tool. 

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?

Veronica> Oooo! I like this question. I definitely think a good producer has the drive to make the thing happen, and if asked to produce something out of their element, they’d take the initiative to ask the questions to get the ball rolling on whatever the production is. They might not be an expert event planner, but they’d utilize their resources to make sure the event happens as smoothly as possible. When I graduated college I actually almost got a job in event coordinating before landing my production job, so I certainly see the correlation there! 

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

Veronica> My favourite thing about production is by far the relationship built between the client and the producer/artist – it’s so fulfilling to see someone leave happy after a successful session and already excited to work on the next project together. I think it’s so great we live in a world where hybrid sessions can happen, however there’s nothing I love more than a director, producer, etc. coming into the office and having the opportunity to learn a bit more about how they got to the point that they’re at now! It’s all so inspiring.  

LBB> What do you think is the key to being an effective producer - and is it something that’s innate or something that can be learned?

Veronica> I think what’s innate about it is the desire to connect with people and “make the thing happen,” but what’s learned is the technical background and individual nuanced experiences that are used to guide the production in the direction it needs to go.  

LBB> What are your personal ambitions or aspirations as a producer?

Veronica> Currently, my ambitions revolve around developing a stronger technical understanding of what happens behind the scenes in post production so that I can be better at schedule management and setting client expectations. 

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

Veronica> Does my producer brain ever shut off? I’m not sure…. I’ve definitely always been the planner (read: micromanager) of the group when it comes to me and my friends making plans together. Lately, I’ve been shutting off my producer brain by reading novels in my downtime, it’s an outlet for me to escape on those particularly busy days!

LBB> Producers are problem solvers. What personally fuels your curiosity and drive?

Veronica> I would say as of lately, my main focus has been trying to better understand the technical aspects of post production, so that I can handle each client interaction with as much confidence as care as possible. It makes me feel good when a client leaves happy, and I’m fortunate to be surrounded by a network of people that are always willing to walk me through questions I might have so I can become a better producer and therefore facilitate a more enhanced experience for everyone!

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

Veronica> Take as much initiative as possible. In my experience, people are almost always willing to give you an opportunity if you have a positive attitude surrounding the work. When I was coordinating, I’d jump at any chance I could get to greet clients, sit in on meetings, assist a more senior producer track down an answer to something. Basically anything I could do to help, I’d offer. Now that I’m a color producer, I take time to talk with my teammates if I don’t understand something, and am still asking questions every day so as to better hone my skills. 

Looking back to the beginning of your career, can you tell us about a production you were involved in where you really had to dig deep and that really helped you to grow as a producer?

In a lot of ways, I am still at the beginning of my career so I take every project as an opportunity to dig deep and help me grow as a producer. Each project comes with its own unique set of “challenges” that might require a different approach than the previous one. Lots of exciting stuff really! It’s hard to pinpoint an exact production because I think each one is such a unique learning opportunity.

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

Veronica> I’ve been loving the short form workflow! Don’t get me wrong, I am still super excited about any long form project I get the chance to work on but I love how fast paced short form is. Not only that, but I think it’s fascinating the role color can play in commercials.