Meet the Team: The Six Steps I took to Build a Succseful Production Company

Hi, I’m Kris, co-founder of Reactor Media. Wearing multiple hats is essential for any successful venture, production is no different. That being said, I feel like most people understand that and I can break my role down into six parts.

First and foremost, as the “executive producer” my job is to oversee projects from conception to completion. I have a great support system in Nick and Tyler to help me lay out our creative responsibilities, then we check these decisions against a budget and come up with a gameplan to complete the “ask” from the client.

I need to make sure things are running on time, all the details are taken care of, and we’re on budget. Also, on most projects, I am the last line of quality control as well, making sure our work lines up with the expectations we’ve laid out with our client. 

Next thing that falls on my plate is the role of leading and directing the team from a creative standpoint. For years I was very uncomfortable with the term “leading.” I’ve worked with and for several leaders and visionaries over the years. Most of those experiences were great and that has helped me define my own style. For us that means, Nick, myself, and whoever is a stakeholder in the shoot gets together, I foster a table discussion and we come up with a solution. A big part of this equation for me is putting the right people in the right room and then getting out of the way!

Thankfully, maintaining relationships has alway come fairly easily to me. Now, I’ve got some incredible people who work with me so it makes it even easier. And going out to networking events and turning total strangers into friends has always been a joy because I know the people back at the studio will be just as warm and open as I am. 

Another facet of what I do is setting strategic goals. Nick and I work together to set a “roadmap” of reactor’s creative journey. It’s just a matter of picking out some niche industries and markets where we think we can make an impact. Then we come up with a plan to approach these companies, agencies, whomever. I think it’s especially important to map out a plan when it involves industries like food and industrial. Where there is a “wrong way” to do, but 1000 ways to do it “right.” It’s a lot to do with trying to understand our target markets. Currently have a very transparent policy when it comes to our overall sales goals for the year but it is up to me to  look at those sales goals and strategies and make sure they line up with what we’re doing in the studio.

The last thing that is my job is fostering team growth and nurturing a culture of collaboration. If you work with us on one job or one hundred, I think it’s important to leave our sets with a feeling that you were not only part of the team, but valued at work that day. Production is a huge wheel of crazy acronyms and nicknames and 40 moving pieces that are all dependent on each other, but at the end of the day, the person that kept one of those pieces moving for 8, 10, or even 12 hours needs to feel seen and appreciated.