The Most Underrated Skill in the Creative Industry: Producing
Why learning to produce - not just create - is what separates freelancers from founders.
Thousands of filmmakers and creators dreams of directing - calling the shots, shaping the vision, crafting the story.
But there’s another role that quietly determines whether the dream actually happens: the producer.
The producer isn’t just the person booking flights and signing checks. They’re the architect of how things get made - on time, on budget, and on point.
And learning to think like one might be the single biggest career unlock in the creative world.
The Creative Myth
Most creators stay stuck because they only focus on the work.
They obsess over gear, editing, scripts, or aesthetic - but they never learn to manage logistics, client relationships, or teams.
In other words: they know how to make, but not how to make happen.
That’s where producers live.
Producing Is the Bridge Between Idea and Impact
In filmmaking, producing is everything that happens between a great concept and a great final product.
In content creation, it’s the same - but on a smaller, faster, repeatable scale.
Good producers:
Translate vision into scope and budget.
Assemble the right crew.
Keep clients aligned and creatives protected.
Make sure everyone gets paid and wants to work with you again.
When you start to think like a producer, you stop being a freelancer - and start being a leader.
📸 The Producer’s Mindset
Start with clarity, not chaos. Before you say yes to a project, define deliverables, expectations, and success metrics.
Build systems, not miracles. Repeatability beats heroics.
Be the calm in the storm. Every production has problems. Producers are paid to solve them without losing the plot.
🛠 Tool Spotlight:
Wrapbook - A modern production payroll and management tool that lets filmmakers and producers handle contracts, timecards, and payments all in one place. Most indie creators don’t know about it, but it’s quietly revolutionizing how small studios operate - legally, efficiently, and without the spreadsheet chaos.
📈 Why It Matters
In a world obsessed with creativity, it’s the people who can organize creativity who win.
Because clients, investors, and collaborators don’t just want great ideas - they want great execution.
And when you can do both, you stop waiting for opportunities and start building them.
Stay producing,
Alex
Love wrapbook!
Also definitely agree that producing brings with it an entrepreneurial spirit. My best, most lucrative partnerships were the gigs I saw the most potential in. That sometimes meant they weren’t the “flashiest” opportunities at first.
Totally agree about the importance of producing! If I could have one wish for the theatre community, it would be a pipeline to develop indie theatre producers.
And we were sent to Wrapbook by SAG (and many others) as we were using a MicroPod agreement for our podcast. And despite the fact that the MicroPod is a 10K and below contract, Wrapbook won't do their thing for less than a 25k budget. No one seemed to know that before. Kind of important info for us super low budget indie producers!