The Difference Between Great and Dumbass Producers

Before I get started let me acknowledge that not all creative teams are created equal. But in this business, most are pretty damned competent. The creative end of things is highly competitive and the bad apples get weeded out reasonably quick. On the flip side, anybody who can raise money or talk a good game can claim rights as a producer. Who knows what one does for an “assistant producer” screen credit.

That said, there are a lot of great producers and if it was not for them there wouldn’t be much entertainment in this world. Great producers are, without exception, hardest workers with the longest hours. They have to an eye for both the creative and financial and able to weigh them together and against each other.

John Tarnoff, the astute Head of Show Development at DreamWorks Animation, spent nine years as a film producer. I asked for his impression of producers, both great and dumbass. First he hit me with this: “There is no such thing as a bad producer, Peter. This may sound like a syllogism, but what I mean is that a bad producer just isn’t really a producer.” And I’m thinking: ‘Yeah, but there sure are plenty of pretenders out there.” Pressing onward John suggested the characteristics of a great producer:

“A real producer holds the vision of the project. They’re the first person to turn on the lights in the morning, and the last person to turn out the lights at night. They are the leader, the go-to person, the solution-provider, the conflict resolver. They are consistent, passionate, fair and fierce. They know how to pick their battles. They know how to inspire others, even and especially when they are taking hits and bleeding profusely from their own battles to keep the ship afloat. They are everyone’s confidante, keep everyone’s counsel, but beat to their own drum. Their number one client: the Director. Their number one loyalty: the project – which brings us back around to vision.”
That was a passionate response. Clearly John has affection for producers. I think with those words, he just defined the position as it should be. But I certainly know “producers” who are nothing like that. Obviously they don’t work at Dreamworks.

Clearly there is a massive rift between the real producers and wannabies. The problem as I see it is that there are more producer pretenders/Dumbass producers out there than I like to see;. Some (mostly younger IMHO) studio execs have clearly been sucked in by “producers” who talk a good game. Consider the number of really bad movies getting made when there is much better material out there being ignored. A lot of really awful TV is being foisted upon us and, to quote Howard Beale, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” Thus you see the motivation for this column.

As we all know, film and television production takes team work. You got your money people, your management team and youre creative team. To confuse things, there is often overlap. When it all works right, the money people get behind a project, raise the money and hire the right managers. Together they hire the best creative team they can put together. The money and management people then keep things organized and supportive while respecting and guiding the creative and production teams to put out an entertaining show. The Executive producer (and often the creator) is a part of it all, like a bridge. They are the ones with the original vision, or who spotted the property and made it a reality, the Ringleader., the Show Runner.

I asked well known writer Billiam Coronel about producers from a writer’s perspective:
“A good producer creates an environment in which the writer feels the relationship is actually helping to make the writer’s script better; whereas a bad producer makes the writer feel like he or she is just another cog to put the producer’s vision into script form.”
I have to agree for the most part ‘ with David E. Kelley being a notable exception I’ll talk about in a minute.
I then talked with one of my heroes, the guy who built some of the most famous star ships in the universe along with tribbles for the various Star Trek incarnations, now he’s doing the same but more transparently, for Chuck: VFX Guru Dan Curry.
“Great show runners surround themselves with competent people they trust and share vision with, let them do their jobs and communicate directly with them. They keep the approval process as streamlined as possible to minimize pointless remakes. They have people skills, and are supportive, and they are as quick to praise as they are to find fault. They also have a clear vision of what their show is about and can communicate that vision to cast and crew inspiring them.”
Great, but I wanted to know about the really bad ones…so, over a really nice single malt Dan gave me this: “Poor show runners surround themselves with “court sycophants” that insulate them from the people who directly do the work. The intermediaries justify their own existences with pointless remakes that ultimately have to be done again when the show runner sees them. This results in wasteful expenditure. Poor show runners are poor judges of character who frequently promote the undeserving and perceptually challenged.
“This results in disgruntlement among the real workers and ultimately affects the quality of the shows. Poor show runners frequently use the philosophy “always find fault… it keeps them humble”. This is truly counterproductive as creative people need positive feedback to keep doing their best. Over negativity can create docility but then the show runner is denied the collective power of many great minds.”
On the other hand, according to producer Gale Anne Hurd, the title “Producer” is the only film credit that you don’t have to contribute anything tangible or perform any specific function, that studios often negotiate a generic producer credit in lieu of financial compensation. Gale has been a producer on the “Hulk” movies, Terminator, Abyss and more.

In talking with many people who didn’t want to be quoted, but have to deal with producers; I was enlightened both on the positive and the negative. Here are a few of the things that surfaced:

Greed is one thing you’ll always find somewhere in the production line. It’s pretty much expected which is kind of sad in itself. It seems everybody wants to line their pockets and the money is sometimes distributed in inverse proportion to actual contribution to the show. It’s not unusual to find people on the payroll who really don’t contribute much if anything but haul down big chunks of cash per episode. It inflates the hell out of production costs without contributing to what’s on the screen.

The cost of a project can really skyrocket when it gets cluster-produced…that’s when you see the credits rolling for ten minutes with the names of all sorts of producers and producing entities. One guy finds a neat project and goes to another guy to finance it. That guy comes up with little money and three other guys who can raise a significant amount, but then we need to get the right people on board to grease the rails with the studio, network and distribution etc.. Pretty soon you have a large cluster of producers, many of whom bring little to the party except who they know. But then they are ‘producers’ with an IMdb credit and everything and have that business model to build on. Beware.
I’d like to make a small concession here. When you end up with a show like Mash, 2.5 men, Friends etc, that have a long run, it makes sense for the producers to take home more money. They took the risks, created the show and now that it’s in syndication and there are multiple revenue streams, maybe spinoffs, the producers deserve to benefit big time. But it’s usually only the great show runners that end up in that situation. The bad ones get too greedy early on.

You can see there are producers at all levels with many different job descriptions. It’s probably one of the most poorly defined jobs in Hollywood. Perhaps that’s why so many Hollywood wannabies have their cards made up with “Producer” beneath their name. It could mean almost anything.

So I’m going to go out on the limb and point out some people whom I believe to be great producers. There are many more but I wanted to honor these people in no particular order.

Chuck Lorre, creator/ writer/ and EP of many the really great comic TV shows over the last 18 years, from Rosanne to Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory. Chuck has a great sense of humor, respects his people, especially his writers and knows entertainment better than almost anybody. He’s truly a legend in this business.

Bill Prady, executive producer of Big Bang Theory and Dharma & Greg among others. Bill is an other example of a great producer who started out as a writer. He’s been a producing for about 13 years. He’s exhibits qualities of a great producer, being mostly attached to great shows, working his ass off and learning from those around him, especially the legend, Chuck Lorre. He’s also a family man striving to achieve balance.

Jerry Bruckheimer ‘ One of the most successful film and television producers of all time, I’m thoroughly impressed with Jerry on all levels. He spoke at a class I was taking at UCLA night film school and was sharp as a tack. He is produces some of the very best programs starting with Flash Dance back in 1983 to the “CSI” TV franchise. Even his reality show The Amazing Race is one of the few I enjoy. Jerry is perhaps the greatest legend of them all.

Manny Coto, executive producer of 24 and Enterprise among other things has been producing for more than 12 years. I understand that he is held in high esteem by his crew and respected by his peers.

Josh Schwartz, executive producer of Gossip Girl and Chuck. Josh is an example of the best that our younger producers have to offer. At 26 he became the youngest show runner in network history. It was a good choice. He has all those stellar qualities that John Tarnoff mentioned above.

Gale Anne Hurd ‘ Gale has been producing movies since 1982. She can be a tough negotiator, has great passion for her projects and can do hand holding when necessary. Her academic achievements before producing were stratospheric. This may be sexist, but I also think she brings something of the feminine to her work; and that is a wonderful thing.

Rick Berman, executive producer of various “Star Trek” incarnations and creator of some. Rick took over the franchise after Gene Roddenberry passed away and did a fine job of it.

Ronald D. Moore, executive producer of many space operas from Star Trek Next Generation to the new Battle Star Galactica. Ronald is respected by his crew and exhibits many traits of a great producer.

Steven Bochco ‘ For 24 years, from NYPD Blues to Raising the Bar this creator/writer/producer has performed with style, brining to us some of the most authentic TV drama ever created. He’s a legend.

David E. Kelley ‘ For 19 years Dave has brought us some of the wackiest and most entertaining shows on television, from Doogie Howser MD, Ally McBeal, and Boston Legal, to serious shows like Chicago Hope and Picket Fences. David is truly a legend, a family man and a great creator/Writer/Producer.

Ron Howard and Brian Grazer ‘ a great team, they founded Imagine Entertainment 22 years ago. Don’t let Brian’s hair fool you, he’s a sharp business man and an excellent producer. Ron is the penultimate example of the actor who has all the talents needed. He’s a fabulous producer; he’s one of our most talented directors and from my observation (only meeting him once,) a decent guy. Imagine entertainment has brought us much of the best entertainment on TV and in the movies over the last two decades. Ron and Brian are huge co-legends.

Okay I’ve listed mostly TV producers. You go with who you know. And Gale Ann Hurd is the only woman on my list. It bothers me too… chalk it up to my ignorance. Help me find more great women producers, or is producing mostly a boys club? I knew female film producers when I was a member of Women in Film, but most of them were just starting out and didn’t fit this category. Forgive me. I am willing to be enlightened.

As with all my columns, this is how I see things based on my experiences and discussions with friends and associates in the biz. If you think I’m wrong then you need to speak up and tell me your side of the story. Or add to the list of what makes a good and what makes a dumbass producer in the comment section below or email me.