Producing Tomorrow's Producers: Why Organisation and Open Communication Matters with Julian Marshall

Julian started his career in post-production, spending five years at boutique facility Smoke & Mirrors. In the 16 years since, Julian has worked as a producer and then executive producer in some of London’s top edit houses, namely Final Cut, Work & tenthree. He has been lucky enough to work with some of the leading lights of the advertising world, such as Ringan Ledwidge, Tom & Walt, 32, Jonathan Glazer, and Sam Pilling on globally awarded campaigns including Ikea “Beds”, Department of Education “Teachers”, Samsung “Ostrich” and Audi “Duel” to name a few.

Julian is also a previous board member of the APA Council, where he was one of 20 leading industry figures tasked with aiding APA members and helping to support the industry throughout the Covid pandemic.

LBB> What advice would you give to any aspiring producers or content creators hoping to make the jump into production?

For junior post-production staff, or anyone wanting to become a post-producer, I would advise you to get out there and meet as many people as possible. It really helps to build long-term relationships in the early stages of your career. There is a lot to learn when starting out, and the amount of technical knowledge can be overwhelming. However, these skills are learnt over time. While you’re learning, the value of being eager to help goes a very long way.

LBB> What skills or emerging areas would you advise aspiring producers to learn about and educate themselves about?

AI is an area that is starting to affect every part of the industry and it is steadily becoming more widespread in our processes. AI doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, developing and integrating further as the years go on, so perhaps this would be a good area to start learning more about.

LBB> What was the biggest lesson you learned when you were starting out in production - and why has that stayed with you?

This is tricky. Our industry can be stressful at times, so organisation is key. Always making sure you have a strong “to do” list, and open communication between all parties are my top tips.

LBB> When it comes to broadening access to production and improving diversity and inclusion what are your team doing to address this?

As a small company, we make sure that any opening we do have goes through a network of companies with access to a diverse and inclusive list of contacts. This includes Just Runners and, of course, the A-P-A, who can help us reach a more representative pool of talent. We are also looking into developing our own mentoring programme with the team at Creative Access.

LBB> And why is it an important issue for the production community to address?

It’s vital! There is very little diversity in the current production staff. While some work has been done, we still have a long way to go to really have clear representation in our industry.

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?

I think now the divide is relatively clear and not a problem. Once the creators get used by a brand, then that’s when the more formalised production process is used, but the creator economy does feel like a separate area and nothing to worry about at the moment.

LBB> If you compare your role to the role of the heads of TV/heads of production/ Exec Producers when you first joined the industry, what do you think are the most striking or interesting changes (and what surprising things have stayed the same?)

I think the industry has become more aware of people’s sensitivities, and there are more processes in place to support staff in general. This is especially clear when it comes to mental health, which is great, and something that just wasn’t considered when I started 25 years ago. Egos were a lot bigger then and being shouted at was not questioned, whereas now I would hope everyone is treated with a bit more kindness.

LBB> When it comes to educating producers how does your agency like to approach this? (I know we’re always hearing about how much easier it is to educate or train oneself on tech etc, but what areas do you think producers can benefit from more directed or structured training?)

It all depends on what area of the industry you are in of course, but I always like to start with training up young producers on our scheduling and invoicing systems (we use Farmerswife). This allows them to quickly start creating new projects and pencils, which is key when learning the basic scheduling skills. As time progresses, I would then ask them to start looking after smaller projects such as short films and promos, and we can help them to develop from there.

LBB> It seems that there’s an emphasis on speed and volume when it comes to content - but to where is the space for up-and-coming producers to learn about (and learn to appreciate) craft?

I think as long as the up-and-coming producer is keen to learn, then they will be spending significant time with our engineers. This gives them great insight into the creative process, and from my experience, they start valuing the craft as a result. This exposure to the work also helps them when it comes to protecting and explaining costs.

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?

I would hope that creating a nice work environment, supporting staff, and building a team mentality helps to retain staff. Of course, it always feels like there is more to learn, in terms of new relationships and tech developments. However, over time you end up learning more about other areas and sometimes this means new opportunities arise. People move to different parts of the industry, but this often has no reflection on how they feel about their previous roles, it is just a natural process.

LBB> Clearly there is so much change, but what are the personality traits and skills that will always be in demand from producers?

I think you can simplify it into three key characteristics. Good organisational skills, a flexible approach and an open and friendly attitude will get you everywhere you need to go!