Tips For Being A Successful Producer

Being a producer may seem scary at first, but it really isn't that bad.

All three producing positions have different skills you must use in order to get everything done in a timely manner. Let me give you a few tips so you can better ease yourself into the world of producing. 

Web/Graphics Producer:

1. Always have stories in mind for the web people to work on right when the day starts. You're wasting precious time if someone is just sitting there and you don't have something for them to do. Constantly be thinking about what local or big national stories that we can put on the web. 

2. Double check the graphics before you show them Stacy. A lot of times things can get crazy and you don't have time to look at every single graphic that is made. Just make sure to glance at them before Stacy does. You can catch little mistakes that are easily fixable and make you look like you're taking charge of your position. 

Video Teammate:

1. Write down where each MJ/Reporter is going and what they are supposed to be doing. Essentially, you have to keep track of everyone and know what they need to get. Writing it down and keeping a list is an easy way of remembering or taking a quick glance if you need to. 

2. Write down every video you order and what is in it. This may seem simple, but it really helps! That way you can talk directly with the lead producer and tell them what exactly they have and what we still need to get. 

Lead Producer:

1. Put stuff in the rundown as soon as possible so then you can move stuff around/add stuff/float stuff/ much easier. Also, this helps the video teammate and the MJ's start writing things, as well. 

2. Know your rundown like the back of your hand. The rundown meeting can go much faster and smoother if you know exactly what video you have and what the stories are actually about. 

Good luck producing! Even if you don't end up wanting to go into news, you will learn so much from this class that you can apply to any job you do!