Joey Williams - 1st Interview

Here is my interview with Toni Carpenter. Her contact info is at the bottom of this post. She is listed as a producer/field producer on a website for the Jacksonville, FL Television and Film Commission. It was an exciting interview (for me). Her experience in the industry seems pretty unique, although I'm sure that is par for the course. She said her most common title(s) on a production is writer/producer or director/producer. Here we go:

Will you briefly describe your job?

I work mostly in TV, as opposed to film. I wear a lot more hats as a result, mostly for scheduling reasons. Recently, I worked on a series as a producer/director. My job consisted of a one paragraph description of an episode. My final product was 26 mins. and 42 secs. In addition to basically creating this episode from scratch I was also responsible for working with writers, getting locations, scheduling guests interviews, hiring crew, scheduling crew, paperwork edits, etc. Some shows are just a one day shoot, single camera. Each producer was assigned two separate episodes in a five day period. The series had a 6-8 week turnaround total.

How did you get started in this business?

Well I actually have a degree in broadcast production, but I wasn't able to find a job like that. I knew how to write, so I got a production job writing; but soon thereafter, I took sabbatical to have children. When they went back to school, I co-authored a book. My husband was in the [film] business, and he had a client come up that was notorious for doing things wrong; shooting first, scripting second. It was a charity job, and he needed a script, so I wrote it in a day and a half, and it was produced the following week. Non-linear editing had just begun, so that was great for me. I live for the edit.

I don't like movies unless it's a small, familiar crew. I'm not geared for commercials. I like TV productions, corporates, broadcasts; it's a client management thing that you have to get used to. In ten days, my husband and I are actually taking a two year hiatus to go sailing. I plan on doing a lot of writing.

Do you have any advice for a new media student?

It's just luck a lot of times, you have to be very flexible. I came in writing. Never discount the obnoxious writing classes. The work I did as a Producer/Director, my writers got half as much as I did for writing the first half of the show; the money is in writing as far as turnaround. You can get in as a writer writing opens, closes, tags, etc. You can fix bad scripts. I often rewrote scripts well into the night. For me, writing was the best way in. PA is a pretty easy in, but then you have to find another way to bring yourself out of that level, and that can be hard. As a writer, its assumed that you have brains. I have never looked at my PA's as anything other than PA's. IF you are at all technically inclined, lighting is a much better track. I frankly hire people who know what there doing. I know if I'm getting what I want. I'm lucky I'm married to a great lighting and shooting husband. I'm spoiled because of that. As a producer, the best thing is to find those people who do the work the best they can. Pay them the best. Honor the 10 hour work day always. Work hard, treat them with respect. And lastly, understand the hierarchy. If you have a problem, go as close to the top as possible right from the start.

Carpenter, Toni Garcia

Wolf Creek Films, Inc.

Jacksonville, FL 32211

(904) 910-7372 (mobile)

toni@wolfcreekfilms.com

Field producer, producer. HGTV, Lifetime, PBS, Travel

Channel, DIY Network.