Anyone can hit record but...
A lot of people can hit record but...
The most important thing we do happens before hitting record.
A few years ago, we were hired to produce a workout series with Kelsey Heenan, co-owner of HIITBURN, and actress Sarah Levy.
Sarah had recently finished playing Twyla on Schitt’s Creek and had just welcomed her first child into the world. As she prepared for a role in a new series, she agreed to work with Kelsey on a high-intensity training program documenting that process.
On paper, our assignment was straightforward: film the workouts and turn them into a polished series.
But production rarely exists only on paper.
Sarah was returning to physically demanding work after becoming a mother while also stepping back into the public eye following the extraordinary success of Schitt’s Creek. The production needed to respect the significance of that moment without making it the center of attention.
That required more than knowing where to place the cameras.
It meant creating an environment that felt comfortable and private. Reading the room. Understanding when to offer direction and when to give someone space. Keeping the set focused without making it rigid. And never forgetting that the person standing in front of the lens is a human being before they are the “talent.”
We were originally hired because of our relationship with Kelsey and the quality of the work we had already created together.
But lasting creative relationships aren’t built solely on the images you deliver.
They’re built on how people feel while you’re making them.
Over the past several years, we’ve been fortunate to work with people including Kevin Hart, Nina and Russell Westbrook, Mustard, Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, Jason Mraz, Gary Vee and A$AP Ferg.
Different projects. Different personalities. Different pressures.
But the responsibility is always the same: make people feel like people.
A lot of production companies can arrive with impressive equipment and hit record. Fewer know how to navigate the personalities, vulnerabilities and complicated life circumstances that can walk onto a set.
Those soft skills don’t appear on a camera specification sheet, but they directly affect what the camera captures.
When people feel respected, they become more comfortable.
When they feel comfortable, they become more present.
And when they feel present, the work becomes more honest.
That trust is particularly important when filming founders, executives, athletes, actors or anyone who isn’t accustomed to performing from a script. The best moments rarely come from forcing a performance. They come from building an environment where someone can lower their guard enough to be themselves.
You can watch the project with Kelsey and Sarah here:
Technical skill matters. Preparation matters. Production value matters.
But before any of that can translate to the screen, the people in the room
need to trust the people behind the cameras.
That may be one of the least visible parts of our work.
It’s also one of the most valuable.
If you have an upcoming project that requires a production team capable of handling both the creative work and the people involved, reply and tell me what you’re planning.
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