5 Tips to Help You Find a Production Manager
Film production managers contribute much of their time and effort to the oversight of budget, shoot schedules, day-to-day business operations, and administrative needs of major film productions. Without a production manager, investors and those responsible for the success or failure of the film will have little understanding as to what’s happening “below-the-line.” Finding a great production managers begins with research, but creativity and networking come into play too. In fact, follow these tips to help you find a production manager that’s right for your film project.
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1 Scrape Your Network First
The first way to begin your search for a production manager is to tap into your own network. Ask around. Find out if any of your existing contacts are either a) production managers that may be looking for work; or b) film crew members that may have production manager contacts that would be considering a new project.
Within your network, make sure that anyone you even consider has the following skills:
- Organization
- Budgeting
- Communication
- Industry contacts
- Legal & regulatory
2 Contact Schools
Local film schools often have deep knowledge of industry contacts that are seeking work. If you’re trying to find a production manager, consider contacting any of the local film schools in your area and talking with them. Chances are you’ll find aspiring college grads there that are looking for work and you may even find potential production managers with educational backgrounds that could be beneficial for this type of work. Look for the following education:
- A degree in film.
- A degree in communication.
- Experience as a location manager.
- Experience as a production coordinator.
- Accounting experience.
- Production assistant members.
- Union membership.
3 Shop the Local Studios
Got contacts at the local film studios? Film studios are an excellent place to check for production managers. They are often associated with local studios or the studio will know of the better production managers that can be found in the area. All you have to do is call your local film studio up and ask!
Your production manager will be responsible for overseeing the film schedule, budget and processes to ensure everything goes just the way it was planned. Someone with a background in human resources may also be an ideal option for the production manager position. Consider asking your local studio if they might know someone fit for the task.
4 Ask the Unions & Guilds
Film unions and guilds are a tight niche network of production crew and staff. Whenever you’re looking for a production manager, a great place to ask for assistance is via the Union. Call your local union and ask for details on members that may be seeking work. Many unions have a dashboard that lists local members, their skills, and their communication information. You will almost certainly find a production manager if you call a local Union for assistance.
5 Role Call
If all else fails, and you haven’t found a production manager via any of the previous efforts, you can put out a casting call or role call for a crew member. Hiring a production manager like this can really be hit or miss. The chance of finding someone with all of the skills you’re seeking is pretty good as long as you are very thorough with your casting call and you post the job description in the right places.
Of course, you could forego all of these options and call Beverly Boy Productions! We’ve got production managers ready to begin overseeing your film project to ensure all of the appropriateness of all administrative tasks is taken care of. From remaining on budget to staying on schedule, Beverly Boy Productions will provide you with a production manager that will dedicate their time and effort to your project!
