GZ: Let's start with what exactly a television producer does.
LH: A lot of different things. Almost all aspect of the jobs are challenging; many are also creative. Production requires that you travel, at least outside of your office and sometimes to the far corners of the world, but there's also a lot of hard desk and phone work to be done before you can travel.
In TV news and in the independent production company world, producers are basically responsible for coming up with ideas for stories (or entire programs), researching them, locating people to interview and things to film or videotape, making all the necessary arrangements to get the story or show shot (e.g. coordinating with the technical people to hire the camera crew and get them all the necessary information for the shoot, and, setting things up with the people or places that are the subject of the story), going on the shoot to direct the crew and deal with any problems that might arise, and then screening the shot videotapes, writing a script to connect all the filmed elements, and supervising the edit of the finished program. In some places, producers are also responsible for estimating a realistic budget for what the show will cost, and then controlling the money during production in order to stick to that budget.
It can be a very consuming job, especially as you approach the deadline for delivering the finished program, but it's also rewarding when you see your final product on the screen and know people all over the country are going to watch it.
GZ: What did you want to be when you were 13 and how did you get from there to here?
LH: I never really knew what I wanted to be -- I just knew that I wanted to travel all over the world. I didn't figure out how I could do that until much later. In college, I worked for the public relations office writing press releases and also wrote as a campus correspondent for the local newspaper. I also took a year off from college and, after earning enough money working as an administrative assistant in Washington, went to Europe to travel. That really whet my appetite for more travel! When I came back to the States, I kept thinking, I've got to find a way to make this my career. But I still didn't know how.
After graduating, I ended up going to Japan to teach English. I did that for more than two years, which was fantastic exposure to a different culture but I didn't really get much enjoyment out of teaching. I came back home with the idea that working in television, making documentaries would be a great way to combine my love of travel (because I would have to travel places to make the documentaries) with my interest in history (my college major) and my ability to communicate information and ideas (which was what I was doing as an English teacher).
To get into the business, I took an entry level job with the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour in Washington, a widely respected daily national news show. Once I had my foot in the door, I was able to prove myself through hard work and a willingness to learn, and work my way up the ladder. I became a production assistant after a year, and then a foreign affairs reporter, responsible for finding and pre-interviewing expert guests for stories on the Middle East, Asia, and the Defense Department. After 5 1/2 years, having organized interviews with major international figures such as the Chinese Premier and PLO leader Yasir Arafat, I decided to move on.
I became a producer for a Discovery Channel travel documentary show, Travelers, adding a much more visual television production experience to my career. That was a fantastic job which let me travel all over the world. Unfortunately -- and this happens all the time in TV -- the show was canceled after 2 seasons and I had to find another job. Luckily, I was able to land a producer/director job with an independent production company in DC -- which is where I am today.
GZ: On a good day, how would you describe your chosen career?
LH: Exciting, fun, varied, challenging, creative. It's allowed me to do things I never dreamed of doing -- like visiting a tree-top hotel in the Amazon jungle, or talking to a famous musician in his home recording studio, or meeting the Turkish prime minister (a woman). It has given me special access to people and places -- TV cameras often go "behind the scenes" at events or performances or with important people and the producer always goes with them.
GZ: And on a bad day?
LH: Frustrating, scary, hectic, tedious. There are a lot of technical aspects to television, which the technicians -- the cameramen, soundmen, lighting directors, and editors -- are trained in, but the producer only learns on-the- job. Not knowing those things, but being the person in charge means that sometimes you have to make decisions about stuff you're really unsure of -- often under very tight deadlines. And you have to be really strong and sure of yourself all the time, or else the crew (the cameraman and all the other technicians) will walk all over you. Unfortunately, partially because television production is a highly technical and traditionally male-dominated field, there are still a lot of really sexist men in the business. In addition, the world of media has many big big egos, so you have to stay tough all the time -- and believe in yourself.
Libby and cast on location in the Chesapeake Bay for Travelers shoot October,
1996
GZ: What has been the most challenging experience in your career to-date?
LH: Trying to produce an hour-long TV show about Marrakech, Morocco in 6 days, without having anything set up before arriving there. I had never been to Morocco, but quickly learned that it is a poor country where people either turn away from the camera (because they believe it is stealing their soul) or they immediately demand that you pay them to be in your shot (because they see the expensive TV equipment and assume you have tons of money). On top of that, I was stuck working with a very uncooperative interpreter and didn't have many other resources available. Luckily, I was able to locate some American Peace Corps volunteers, who spoke fluent Arabic and had good relations with some locals, and they helped us get interviews and find interesting and colorful stories to tell.
GZ: What about your most embarrassing experience on the job?
LH: In the TV world, you run into a lot of famous people and celebrities. At first, for me at least, it was very intimidating. I'd stumble and get all tongue-tied whenever I met a VIP. I'm sure I've said or done a lot of stupid, embarrassing things in their presence because I was so star-struck, and I've tried to forget most of them. But one sticks in my mind. One time, as a reporter for the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, I had to interview a famous historian for a segment we were doing on the Korean War. I called him at his summer ranch in Montana, did the interview and then inquired about his availability to travel to the nearest big city to be on live TV. I didn't know which city would be the closest to him and so I didn't offer any suggestions ... I just knew that he had to go somewhere that would have a TV station and studio for a live satellite hook-up. He told me he could travel three hours to Helena for us. I'd never heard of Helena, Montana, and so I asked some dumb question, like, are you sure that's the biggest town? And, in a very nasty tone, he replied, "It's the state capital, for goodness sakes, don't you know your geography?" I felt like a complete idiot!
GZ: What is the career accomplishment of which you are most proud?
LH: Hard to pick one single thing. I'm most proud of being able to create TV shows or videos that mean something to someone. I've created some shows which really express someone's idea or activity in a way that makes them happy. For example, for Travelers I produced a show about a heritage festival in South Carolina and I did a segment on a musical group which sang old slave songs. We filmed it in this beautiful old church, and I got one of the hosts of the show to try to sing along, even though he's completely un-musical. It was a really fun, special segment.
GZ: What do you think it takes to succeed in this field - what sorts of interests, talents, personality might be a good fit?
LH: To be a good TV producer/director, you need to be able to communicate well -- both in your conversations with people and as a writer. Being curious about a lot of different subjects and being able to think about them visually -- figuring out what pictures, what scenes can tell their stories -- is also crucial. And, because you have to juggle a lot of information and pay attention to a lot of details, being good at organizing is important. If you want a job where you sit inside all day and have regular hours, don't go into producing. You've got to love variety and love working because it's hard work and sometimes really long hours.
GZ: What advice would you give girls interested in this career?
LH: Good ideas and interesting, unusual stories are the ticket to getting ahead as a producer. Read a lot about a lot of different subjects. Get ideas about what interests people by traveling, if you can, or just taking every opportunity to meet new people and talk to them about what they like. If you've got a good idea for a show or a news story, and you've got the energy and determination to make it a reality, then you're on your way. But don't expect to start at the top. It's a very competitive business and a lot of people are always clamoring to get in. Get your foot in the door when you can and then, through hard work, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn, you can prove yourself and make it up the ranks.
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Links to other sites of interest Both of the sites below look promising for career/internship networking and reading about the accomplishments of women in film and video. Women
in Film & Video (WIFV) of Washington, DC Women
In Film |