Interview with Carol Appleby, Freelancer/Production Manager

1. Can you briefly describe your job for me?

As a freelance production manager I wear many hats. Most of the time with smaller clients and productions I act as the producer, director, production manager, writer or even location scout. My primary responsibility as a production manager is to organize materials and the overall production.

2. How did you get started in the business?

I started in two ways. First I started in front of the camera. I was interested in theatre and performing. I was an actress for 8 years. I became interested in production from working in the field. I went back to school to get my masters and got an internship and worked my way up in the field. My duties and responsibilities evolved from a production assistant, to working with audio to an array of other jobs. I learned a lot from working. And now I freelance, and do a little of everything.

3. How do you tell someone over you (your boss) that you can’t accomplish an assigned task?

Since I work independently, I does not typically have a boss. But I do have to tell clients I cannot accomplish a task. Client relations are difficult. I generally explain what’s doable and what’s not and why this is the case. In a lot of situations I’ll explain that I cannot complete something because of scheduling issues, budget issues, legal reasons and even my own ethical reasons. I give them a concrete reason that they can understand. I find that I need to educate a client because most of the time they do not understand why something cannot be done.

4. Do you have any advice for a media student starting out?

Get all the production experience you can. Don’t be afraid to start off at a lower level and work your way up by various routes; through editing, shooting, assisting. Look for any internships or other opportunities like student productions or low budget/no budget productions. By working on those to get the experience you need. Also, it’s important to know that producing for features, television, corporate and advertisements requires the same basic skill set, but the career path and responsibilities are different in each industry.