Law School

Producer's Perspective April 1, 2011

The blogs don't necessarily blow my mind every post, but I appreciate the quick read on the train and useful bits of information that help me get a better idea of the industry in the city I'm currently in.  Yesterday's blog provided a much needed reminder.

Producer

When I grow up I want to be a...

This answer changes sometimes, but in many ways I want to be a producer. In many other ways I want to be an artistic director/dramaturg/lighting designer/electrician/event planner/organizational guru/ assistant.

I have to explain about half of those answers to people, but today I pass to Oscar Hammerstein to explain to us what a producer does:

A producer is a rare, paradoxical genius: hard-headed, soft-hearted, cautious, reckless, a hopeful innocent in fair weather, a stern pilot in stormy weather, a mathematician who prefers to ignore the laws of mathematics and trust intuition, an idealist, a realist, a practical dreamer, a sophisticated gambler, a stage-struck child.  That’s a producer. 

                    - Oscar Hammerstein II  

 What else does a producer do?  A few producers give us the answers because everyone's a little bit different. I want about 70% of their jobs.