Producing : Producers in the house by Jessica O'Donnell

Producing is a magic trick. I love the thrill of helping to create something that didn’t exist before we started putting energy and effort into it. The only thing I hate is when I’m not producing or helping people achieve their goals.

This is an awesome question. I love "connecting the dots" and finding the right pieces of the puzzle to put a project together. Hate is a strong word for me, but I'm not a fan of how long it takes to get reads from agents.

How about you Jessica O'Donnell?

I'm on the story analyst side wanting to know more about what's in the hearts and minds of producers for whom I read...so I'm appreciating the insight so I can get to know y'all better:)

Ah...in that case Jessica O'Donnell, definitely looking at economy for filming. For example, seeing if the writer hast thought through truncating the number of set pieces into something manageable to be shot (example: not having 50 different expensive locations and instead picking 1 or 2 key set pieces to base the story around so filming can be done in those locations and not have to move the crew around a ton of times), or having dialogue heavy moments take place in an easily manageable shooting locations that aren't weather-dependent (example: a living room instead of the interior of a moving car which takes much more equipment and crew, or having it be an outside scene when you are at the mercy of the weather and elements that could impact your shooting day). Hope things like that help you from an analyst perspective.

I'm a big fan of working with crew across different departments to bring the story to the screen.

I love creative problem-solving, as well as championing great ideas and talented people. I don't love how the deal-making and negotiation processes can slow down a project for months at a time, often just when it's getting going.

I love employing people, seeing them flourish and rising to the challenge.

I like championing new writer/directors with a great story that fits the genre and can find a good home/ distributor/network. I appreciate a writer that starts with these 2 things in mind: What is the genre & Where do they see it playing? (ie. Rom-com on Hallmark; Horror on Shudder; Urban Thriller on BET, etc). My least favorite part is line producing/budget. It's not my strong suit, so I am with Amanda Toney on making sure there are limited locations, limited set design, crew, etc.

I love that this post is still getting responses, thank you so much and if there's anyone else out there, I'd love to hear from you!