Producing Tomorrow’s Producers: Why You Should Immerse Yourself in Your Passion with Noelle Jones

03/02/2023

The Producers

Production Company

Melbourne, Australia

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03/02/2023

The Producers' co-founder/company director on the power of diversity and surrounding yourself with good people

Noelle Jones has spent her 20-year career carving out a niche in the competitive Australian film and television world. Tired of working for men, in 2013 she became a co-founder of The Producers, one of the few entirely female-owned and led production companies in the world. Since then, The Producers have grown to have offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, Australia. They have produced work both nationally and internationally in the USA, UK, Asia and New Zealand.

There is a culture for inclusiveness, creativity, problem solving and directness at The Producers. On their books are some of Australia’s most sought-after directors as well as a growing stable of emerging talent that is fostered within a collaborative atmosphere of mentorship and experience sharing. Contributing to their success is a no-bullshit approach that has won them many industry fans in Australia and internationally.

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

Noelle> Do it. It’s the best job in the world! I’ve been doing it for over 25 years and I still love it.

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

Noelle> Our industry is ever changing. I think you need to follow your passion. Whether it’s content or TVC’s please immerse yourself in that world by learning from experienced mentors that are generous with their time. Communication is so important. You need to be clear with your instructions so your team understands why you are asking and what you need to achieve. Ask lots of questions and never stop learning. I love the fact that even though I’ve been doing this for so long that I still learn something new on every job.

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

Noelle> Surround yourself with good people. Life is too short to work with negative time wasters.

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

Noelle> Sadly, the struggle is real. Being an all women owned and lead production company we actively try to have a balance between men & women on set. Things are slowly changing but we need more female technicians.

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

Noelle> For me personally, I feel a diverse group of people creates a more powerful voice. We learn to look at problems differently.

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?

Noelle> I believe that there are pros and cons for both traditional approaches to TVCs and the content space. I’m honestly impressed by what content creators can create on little to no money. I definitely feel we should feed into one another.

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?)

Noelle> Time. We used to have more time in the schedule for all stages of production and to allow the director to craft.

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?)

Noelle> I may be old school but you can’t beat experience. Every job will have different challenges and the exposure you have to this the better producer/problem solver you will be.

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?

Noelle> At Eric Tom & Bruce (our sister content company) we have amazing creative producers who work in the fast-paced content world. These amazing women impress me every day with what they can achieve as they often wear multiple hats throughout the production process.

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?

Noelle> Producers are the most adaptable creatures on this planet. We have a thirst for knowledge and if there’s an easier way of doing something we want to know it. I’m excited about what the future holds!