A: There is no set career path into Producing; you will need to build up your experience by getting out there and producing your own productions. Other than that you can apply for internships, apprenticeships or even ask specific production companies/producers if you can come in for work experience – learning from an established producer. Other routes could be as follows:
– Acting. At some stage of every producer’s career they would have acted in some form. In the words of one of our Workshop speakers “None of us got into Producing because budgets and royalties excite us. It’s because we were attracted to the glamour of acting darling”! So if you’re an actor but you find yourself organising colleagues more than standing on stage, Producing could be your calling.
– Directing. Producers and Directors work closely on all productions, so it’s no surprise that some Directors find themselves wanting to crossover into the producing world. People management and sharing you enthusiasm for the production are just as important to a producer as they are to a Director.
– Stage Management. Something I’ve noticed recently is job descriptions are actually specifying Stage Management experience for Producing roles. Which does make sense, you’d be able to deal with difficult situations and happy to get stuck in at any moment to keep the production afloat. It also gives you a great breath of knowledge as to how to physically put on a production which leads me onto my next option…
– Production Management. You’re already familiar with working to a budget, you know how to negotiate and you can recruit suppliers. If you don’t have a great Production Manager on your show (which rarely happens as they are mostly great) you can assume you as the Producer will be filling in for this role!
Stage One recommend not Acting or Directing in a show you are also Producing. This is so you can focus solely on Producing the show and you leave others to the creative processes. Having said this, when you’re starting out you’re going to be taking on many different roles in order to get your show up and running. Which is helpful if you want to be a Producer – as you’ll be the one employing them all!
If you think Producing might be an option for you in the future why not book onto our 1 day Introduction to Producing on Tuesday 14th November at Birmingham Hippodrome? Click HERE to book.