Freelance Art Producer Feature: Greg Lederer
The advertising world is always changing. Clients always want their next campaign to be ahead of trends and stand out amongst a sea of creative content. The art producer role is pivotal in the success of projects, and behind every campaign is an art producer meticulously crafting the perfect atmosphere, sourcing talent, and ensuring every detail falls seamlessly into place. They are the invisible hands that turn imaginative concepts into tangible works of art, serving as the vital bridge between advertisers and photographers.
Oftentimes, agencies will work with freelance art producers who have the challenging task to not only jumping into a new campaign, but a new agency, often working with creatives and producers for the first time. They must be nimble and adaptable in order to actualize the vision of a client. We created the site FreelanceArtProducer.com years ago, in an effort to make finding a freelancer easier, and also to help freelancers get their name out there to more agencies. As the end of the year approaches and agencies are looking for freelance work to complete quick end-of-year projects, we wanted to highlight some of the freelancers on our site and share their answers to questions about their work, trends in the industry and some of their favorite past projects.
Our current feature is Greg Lederer. Greg has been producing integrated production projects for such clients as: Kellogg’s, Whirlpool, Maytag, Miller/Coors, Kraft Foods, Diners Club International, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Gatorade and more. Greg has worked at award-winning agencies like Leo Burnett, FCB, Dentsu & Publicis Groupe.
What went into your decision to go freelance?
I’ve been a full-time staff Producer for a long time. I am really looking forward to the opportunity to work with different agencies and meet new teams. The people we get to work with in this business are still what it’s all about and I really look forward to that.
Favorite part of your job/role?
I’ve always loved the variety of projects in this business. Nothing is ever the same. Each comes with its own challenges and solves. The relationships you make and seeing a great idea come to life make all of the hard work worth it.
Being an art producer means managing a lot of different people and projects simultaneously, what is your trick to balancing it all?
Multiple projects with condensed schedules and challenging budgets really require managing your time properly. We’re definitely producing more jobs simultaneously so staying on top of things, being organized, and remaining calm are important. Beauty in chaos.
How would your team describe you?
Calm and easy going. I always try to be a calming influence. I truly care about the projects I work on and hopefully, that shows.
A project you are most proud of and why?
I worked on an international project a few years back with a pretty challenging budget but extremely high-level creative. Eight of us (which included myself and the creative team) traveled around the world for 30 days writing & shooting stories as we went throughout 5 different countries. It was an all hands on deck approach which was just so much fun. I’ll never forget that trip and the work was fantastic.
Best practices for collaborating with other creatives as a freelancer?
Collaboration is a little bit more challenging when working remotely. Making sure your teams know early on that you’re dedicated to supporting them and bringing their idea to life. I like the creative teams to realize how much I care about the work and we’ll do whatever it takes to make it successful.
How do you find new talent?
Many times just sitting down and workshopping with the team is a great way to find great ideas about who might be right for a project. There’s so much great work out there and it can come from so many places. Of course I lean on valuable relationships with reps, friends and studio heads as well.
When you’re on a creative call, what do you look and listen for when selecting talent?
Enthusiasm for the project, a distinct point of view, how they can elevate the idea and collaboration are a few things we look for on creative calls. And to see where that goes once treatments come in is a really fun part of the process.
How do you stay updated on current trends in the industry?
Keeping up with current trends is an important part of what we do and trying to figure out which ones will stick can be pretty challenging. I think just having an open mind and continuously learning about new technologies is important.
How do you stay creative when you’re not working?
I listen to and see quite a bit of live music. There’s something about how that makes you feel. Photography is a hobby and I really love being behind the camera. I’m also fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time out in Colorado. There’s really nothing like being in the mountain air.
Thank you Greg for your insights! Be sure to check out his profile on freelanceartproducer.com.