Dear Art Producer: John Ancona
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With each episode, Dear Art Producer aims to bridge the gap between the photography and advertising communities, offering invaluable insights and fostering a sense of camaraderie among industry professionals. This week I sat down with John Ancona, Senior Producer at PXP Studios.
John worked as a creative producer and agency operations manager for a decade with Publicis group, leading such disciplines as Resource Management, Studio Design, and Brand Production. John worked on healthcare accounts such as Pfizer, BMS, Abbott, and Gilead. Now as a Senior Producer with PXP Studios and Harbor Picture Company he develops and produces mold-breaking motion media campaigns from rare disease medical education to high-concept broadcast ads. He also takes a special interest in virtual production/extended reality, real-patient healthcare marketing, and in-house production services.
Translating Vision into Collaboration
We explored what makes someone invaluable to their team. The answer wasn’t a single skill, but rather the unique ability to translate—to act as the connective tissue between different people, perspectives, and needs. This producer likens their role to an enzyme or catalyst, someone who not only brings people together but helps align communication styles, expectations, and creative visions. They emphasize the importance of understanding how individuals speak and ensuring that everyone involved is "speaking the same language."
The Role of the Creative Translator
The producer described their day-to-day as a kind of translation exercise. Artists might express an idea one way, while clients or agency teams may need to hear it in a different tone or level of specificity. This back-and-forth often requires interpretation, refinement, and, sometimes, complete re-articulation. Drawing a parallel to their time as a waitress, they illustrated how this same translation work happened between the kitchen, the front of house, and the customer—making sure everyone got what they needed for the overall experience to succeed.
What Artists and Reps Should Know
When asked what photographers, directors, and their agents should better understand about her role, the producer stressed the importance of breaking things down to their most essential parts. Often, creatives rely too heavily on past experiences or industry shorthand without taking the time to walk partners through the details. Especially when working with clients who may not understand the technicalities—such as lighting or crew roles—it helps tremendously when creatives explain their choices thoroughly and patiently.
Detail, Curiosity, and the Value of Starting Fresh
The takeaway? Don’t just default to your usual answers. Instead, slow down and approach each project with fresh eyes. The producer encourages creatives to be curious—to ask more questions, to explain more clearly, and to remember that what may seem obvious to them may be brand new to someone else in the room. This openness leads to better collaboration and stronger work. Starting every project by establishing a clear, shared foundation sets the stage for success, even if that level of detail isn’t necessary at every step of the process.
A Word for the Year: Perseverance
As the industry continues to evolve rapidly, the producer shared their personal word for 2025: perseverance. Especially in the healthcare and wellness advertising space, where uncertainty is often unwelcome, they’ve seen the need to keep pushing forward despite challenges. Whether it's adapting to new technology like AI or navigating virtual production methods, resilience has become essential. As teams face new hurdles—from regulatory shifts to evolving creative expectations—coming together with intention and determination is what makes great work possible.
How Creative Agencies Are Using AI in Concept Development
At many creative agencies today, AI tools have become instrumental in the conceptual phase of a project. Rather than starting with hand-drawn sketches or relying solely on written descriptions, teams can now generate visuals to communicate ideas more vividly and efficiently. These AI-generated images often serve as a “North Star” during ideation, providing a shared visual reference point across internal teams and clients.
Whether it's for storyboards, ad mockups, or website hero images, AI helps bridge the gap between abstract ideas and tangible creative direction. Anyone on the creative team can input prompts and refine results, enabling them to speak visually and bring clarity to early-stage discussions.
Navigating Client Expectations and Creative Flexibility
AI-generated visuals also affect how clients engage with early concepts. While these tools help clients better visualize outcomes, they can sometimes create unrealistic expectations—clients may assume what they see is final rather than a draft. However, the interviewee emphasized that most clients still understand the iterative nature of creative work and that these visuals are just starting points.
The key is maintaining open communication and reminding clients that what they're seeing is a proof of concept, not a finished product. The real magic, they noted, happens during the production process—through collaboration, craft, and human execution that AI cannot replicate.
Defining Craft in the Age of AI
A recurring theme in the conversation was the role of craft. While traditional photography and video production are widely recognized for their complexity and artistry, the craft behind AI image generation is less understood. Yet it exists—in the form of thoughtful prompting, refinement, iteration, and creative direction.
Agencies are learning to blend AI tools with traditional production methods. By showing AI-generated examples to clients, teams can offer a clearer vision while still advocating for real-world production, which brings energy and authenticity to the final outcome.
Ethical and Legal Considerations
One of the more complex issues surrounding AI is usage rights and legality. Many artists face a moral dilemma: while some criticize AI for pulling from publicly available imagery, they may also use it to build treatments or pitch concepts. This tension speaks to a broader uncertainty—who really owns the work generated by AI?
The guest pointed out that AI should be seen as a “power tool”—useful and powerful, but not without risk. Artists and creatives must understand the legal landscape and be able to justify their use of the tool, especially if they choose to avoid it.
The Value of Understanding AI, Even If You Don’t Use It
Whether you embrace AI or remain skeptical, one thing is clear: creatives need to understand AI to participate in industry conversations. Just as with any other tool in the creative toolbox, it’s important to know when and why it enhances a project—or when it doesn’t.
Being able to articulate your position on AI, whether you use it or not, is becoming a necessary part of the job. As the technology evolves, so too must the creative community’s fluency in how it works, what it offers, and how to use it responsibly.
In-Person Meetings Are Still Invaluable
Despite the rise of virtual communication post-COVID, in-person meetings are still thriving—at least in this producer’s circle. They emphasized a love for all types of meetings, whether it’s a quick chat, a full presentation, or a casual catch-up. The core value lies in relationship-building, not just the transactional nature of sharing portfolios. While digital presentations via email still work, nothing compares to the energy and connection that come from meeting face-to-face.
Bringing something tactile—like prints, group portfolios, or even cupcakes—can spark deeper conversations and leave a lasting impression. The focus is on creating experiences rather than simply dropping off work.
Physical Portfolios Are Rare, But Still Effective
While iPads and digital presentations have become the norm, the occasional physical portfolio or mailed-in print still has impact. Physical materials—especially those picked up at trade shows or sent by vendors—often generate buzz around the office. These tangible pieces give producers a chance to experience the work in a more immersive, memorable way.
Instagram as a Discovery Tool
Instagram continues to be a powerful resource for discovering talent. The producer highlighted the joy of falling down “rabbit holes” through tagged credits on music videos and creative projects. They actively use the bookmark feature to track artists, styles, and projects they’re interested in, keeping a folder of references they return to when matching talent to jobs.
They also maintain an Excel grid of contacts and discoveries, showing that discovery is both intuitive and organized. Awards nominations—more so than just the winners—are another key source of talent scouting, helping the producer connect the dots across agencies, creatives, and production companies.
Excitement and Authenticity Matter on Creative Calls
Creative calls can be daunting for artists, who are often juggling multiple priorities: introducing themselves, aligning with the project vision, and connecting with agency teams—all within a tight time frame. While these calls can feel overly structured or transactional, the most memorable ones are those where the artist authentically shares who they are and what excites them about the work.
The producer emphasized that even brief expressions of passion or personal connection to the project can elevate a call. They encouraged producers and agencies to carve out space on these calls for artists to speak from the heart—not just respond to specs and logistics.
Creating Space for Emotional Connection
One powerful takeaway from the discussion was the importance of asking the right questions. Simply inviting an artist to share how they feel about the project or what about their work excites them can unlock more meaningful dialogue. This creates a collaborative atmosphere and ensures everyone walks away from the call with a better understanding—not just of the task, but of each other.
Without that, the interaction risks becoming just another checkbox in the production process. Instead, producers and reps are urged to go beyond the basics and foster emotional connection, even in tight timelines.
The Role of Treatments in the Creative Process
Treatments are more than just proof of concept—they are an opportunity for artists to show how they interpret a brief and bring a project to life. While some artists may present polished ideas, others may offer mood references or conceptual descriptions. Either approach is valid, as long as it communicates vision clearly. The treatment allows creative teams to imagine the world the artist is proposing and determine if they want to immerse themselves in that world for the project’s duration.
From an agency’s perspective, treatments are essential decision-making tools that consolidate ideas into a single, cohesive format. They help creative teams weigh options and consider which concept aligns best with their goals and sensibilities over the long term.
Sharing Treatments with Clients
While treatments are created in full by artists or vendors, they are often distilled before being shared with clients. Agencies focus on the unique aspects of each proposal, especially in competitive bidding scenarios. If treatments lack distinctiveness, agencies may provide feedback and collaborate with artists to elevate and differentiate their concepts. The focus during client presentations is always on what sets each treatment apart and why it stands out.
Transparency Around Budgets
Budget transparency is a recurring theme in successful collaborations. Most agencies try to provide clear budget ceilings so that everyone involved knows the financial parameters. This clarity helps artists and production teams craft realistic proposals that stay within scope.
However, there are still occasions where budgets are withheld or vague. This creates inefficiencies and leads to unnecessary guesswork. A transparent budget doesn’t require the full amount to be spent—it simply sets a framework that allows everyone to work strategically and avoid misalignment.
The Problem with “Ballparks” and Miscommunication
Increasingly, artists are being asked for “ballparks” which are often treated like actual bids. But there’s a big difference between a loose estimate and a formal budget proposal. A ballpark might take minutes; a real bid could take days. Clear communication about what is truly needed—an estimate or a bid—respects everyone’s time and ensures accuracy.
Agencies should aim to be as clear as possible in spec sheets, including details like deliverables, usage, and budget. When those details are absent or vague, artists are forced to make assumptions, which can lead to problems later in the process.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
One of the most common pitfalls for artists is assuming how much time an agency has to advocate for them. In reality, even the most enthusiastic agency team may only get a few minutes with the client to present options. Understanding that context can shift expectations and help artists tailor their materials accordingly.
Asking the right questions upfront—about how treatments will be shared, how much time is available, and how important the job is to the client—can make a big difference. Empathy and mutual understanding go a long way in building strong, collaborative relationships.
The Need for Better Feedback
One of the most frustrating parts of the bidding process is the lack of meaningful feedback. Many artists receive generic rejections like “we went in another direction,” which offer no insight. While agencies may not always have detailed reasons, even one extra sentence explaining what happened in the client meeting can provide valuable context.
Good feedback doesn’t always need to be constructive criticism—it just needs to acknowledge the effort and provide a clearer picture of the decision-making process. It helps artists and their teams feel respected, and it strengthens relationships for future opportunities.
Link Here for Episode 117 – John Ancona on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify.
This weekly series shares conversations with Art Producers in Advertising, where together we can envision the future for this industry and take steps forward as a community. If you are interested in being on the podcast, please email me at Heather@Heatherelder.com – we are still recording episodes. And if you like the podcast, please consider sharing it on social media and leaving an iTunes review. We would love help spreading the word.
