Sol Hagen: What I’ve Learned So Far As a Production Coordinator
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I barely knew what Maya was when I took my first step into the Animation Industry. I knew it was a software that animators used to make a 3D model hit the griddy... and yeah, that was basically it.
I was gung-ho about working in games though and Steamroller saw that seed and opened their doors to me over a year ago. I started as a PA working on Fortnite and since then I've just picked up my third project as a Production Coordinator. I really dove into these projects with reckless abandon and an insatiable hunger to absorb everything around me. Fear not, since then I have developed a modicum of tact and internalized many lessons in my thought cabinet. I would love to share with you guys some nuggets I've learned along the way while failing forward.
If there's one singular thing that I know, it's that no one studio can agree on what Production does. My tiny hat collection is ever-growing since we wear so many. No matter how you hash it out though, the three common denominators are: project management, scheduling, and team cohesion. We strive to deliver on time, under budget, and most importantly, ensure we don't lose a team member to any eldritch horrors. It's our highest priority to make sure the team is thriving, preferably with sanity still intact.
What I really want to hone in on here is the team cohesion aspect! To put it very roughly, I'm here to do the things you suck at so you can keep on truckin' doing what you do best without disruption. If an animator is a gear, then I am the motor oil, supporting them to run smoothly. If an animator is a brick, then I am a mortar, holding it all together and filling in the gaps. I play the role of oracle, using my foresight to predict roadblocks, so we can hit our target without delay. I'm the realist, hooking a team member back in when they've wandered a little too far out of orbit. I'm the cheerleader, celebrating your successes and encouraging you to bounce back higher no matter what obstacle is thrown our way. I'm here to do whatever the team needs so they can sit down, relax, focus on being a creative, and do what they do best. And needs... they never look the same.
There is no template for being a "good" production coordinator. There is no one-size-fits-all way of managing a project. Projects, clients, and teams will always differ based on scope and needs even if they look identical from the outside. What never changes is our purpose, which is to provide value to the team and work with them. We find out what they need and make sure they have it, and we find out what they can't handle and do it for them. Being a force amplifier, there is a skill set you retain and continuously develop no matter what flavor of project you are on. There is a sort of finesse to tempering chaos and creating order. Order usually looks like schedules, milestones, and all the other metrics to make us feel warm and fuzzy and ensure us that the game is getting done and our animations are setting sail. Order can also look like resolving internal conflicts, helping a team member with estimates, or even being a soundboard for their ideas. Jumping from one project to the next might even have you unlearning behaviors because what worked and was helpful for an AAA might potentially be detrimental to an indie studio environment.
Either way you cook it, being malleable is the first step to becoming the momager of your team's dreams.
