Can you tell us about your role at Catchy?
I help our clients make videos by leading production on both the management and creative levels.
Video production is hard to nail down—everyone has a different definition of what it means. For the scale of what we do at Catchy, the goals of my role are similar to those of a project manager. My main focus is the resources available across each phase of a project timeline as it moves from ideation to completion.
This role requires a broad range of skills and expertise across the full video production pipeline. For instance, it’s important to understand what a scriptwriter needs, which is different from what a director of photography needs and what an After Effects artist needs. And “needs” can mean anything from timelines to creative direction, human resources to film gear, and even which snacks will keep the team going on long days.
When done right, I think of producing most like gardening: Most of the time, effort, and expense goes into preparation (pre-production) for when the summer hits, and when it does, you need to step back and let the garden flourish (production and post).
That said, I come from a creative background, so I still like to fill in on production and post roles when I can. Things like directing talent, operating cameras, and editing video.
How did you become interested in video?
I became interested in filmmaking in 1993 when I first saw the T-Rex in Jurassic Park. I was (and still am) a huge dino nerd and wanted to know how they’d been brought back to life so convincingly on the screen. I began consuming every “behind the scenes” feature I could get my hands on and, in particular, was captivated by the solutions used for sci-fi and fantasy films.
As time went on, I started making stop-motion videos with friends on our parents' VHS recorders, worked on the high school AV team, and studied film in college. There isn’t a direct pathway in the film industry: you kinda just have to do stuff and show your work to people looking for that stuff.