Softwares:
Shotgrid Airtable Notion Miro
Office suite Google suite
Mentored by: Max Howard
Senior Vice President
Walt Disney Feature Animation (1986 - 1995)
President
Warner Bros. Feature Animation (1995 - 1998)
Executive Producer
DreamWorks Animation (1998 - 2001)
Key Takeaways:
"Never enough time; Never enough money"
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Figure out everything beforehand, then problem-solving. Prepare for the unexpected!
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When there are delays, avoid getting emotional.
Rather, try asking the crew members, "How can I help you?"
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Be the support structure!
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Manage inventory:
Get everything ready early on to ensure the pipeline moves forward smoothly.
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Avoid holding up the pipeline:
Any crew member could be doing something else whenever downtime occurs.
FLIP SIDE (indie animated show)
Role: Producer (Besides Creator & Director)
Responsibilities:
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Recruit talents and artists to collaborate on this project
(voluntary with prospects of compensation from a future crowdfunding campaign).
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Manage & Estimate the budget for crowdfunding purposes.
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Set up easily accessible folders and pathways for crew members
to submit work and take reference from existing info. and artworks.
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Keep track of crew members' progress on their work.
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Pitch the project to potential studios & investors.
Recruiting:
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Reaching out to potential artists via email or social media private messages, depending on the platform that they're most active on
(by checking the dates of their most recent posts & posting frequency).
Setting up a crew discord server:
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Provide a central hub for crew members to communicate and socialise with each other.
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Sharing work-in-progress in the server also allows other members to chime in with comments and suggestions.
Provide important info. for new members:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1cZ5gjpBh-1pV6W2wb94UNvbbHfG9Jw_Oha91H1jrt-Y/edit?usp=sharing
- Rules -
- Project Folder Directory -
- Project Timeline -
- Discord server navigation -
Budget Spreadsheet:
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Research & Input the lower, upper limit, and average salary of each role.
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Data mainly referenced from a reliable open-source spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hLki-RUHJXgYj_RJKWlwUXfrWUWEi9yIcyLzEifxYrY/edit?gid=143902278#gid=143902278
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Update & Conduct periodic budget checkups whenever the project reaches a milestone
to adjust the project management strategy.
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Budget spreadsheet can be viewed by crew members to ensure transparency.
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As a voluntary project, it is important to maintain contentment among the crew and make everything crystal clear to maintain a sense of ownership among team members.
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Crew Timesheet System:
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Due to the voluntary nature of the project, avoid putting pressure on crew members' output speed. If any part of the production is experiencing availability issues, recruit more artists to compensate for that.
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There's almost no change to the number of hours clocked in. The only variation factor being the artists' skill level, which might lead to longer hours per task.
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Consult crew members with their availability and their preferred check-in frequency.
Communication is KEY
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Keep the team up to date with whatever is going on with the project.
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Avoid staying silent for an extensive period of time.
Progress Tracking
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Set up & constantly update the check-in dates of each crew member on a calendar, as a memo to myself.
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Set up Asset List (by both episodes and departments)
Pitching to Potential Sudios/ Investors
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Seize opportunities to attend networking events.
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Mention the project whenever the chance comes up.
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Attended TAAFI’s Perfect Pitch Development Program.
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Pitched the project to showrunners and studio executives in Toronto.
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