Main Responsibilities of a Story Associate Producer at Pilgrim Media Group

I watch a ton of footage, usually nine cameras at a time. It's all security cam footage from every angle. I listen and try to pick out story moments.

Story meetings dictate the main themes for our episodes. For example, if an episode is about rough weather, I look for moments related to it. I search for when captains talk about incoming storms or what fishing in rough weather is like.

I also look for good shots of waves crashing or when the guys are looking for something specific. I have to be extremely organized when reviewing footage. I mark good lines that I know I can use later.

I also save any good shots of the fish finder. Seeing the fish finder, how deep it is, and when they mark a fish is important. I mark, categorize, and label these shots in our editing system.

This way, when I open the footage for a specific day, I can immediately find all those shots. I can then clip them and give them to other producers or editors who need them. I look for both dialogue and visual content that helps tell the story.

After my first pass, where I pull all the story beats, I hand it off and start on the next episode. However, a producer might come to me and say we're switching a storyline. For instance, they're leaving at night instead of daytime. I then need to find new dialogue and footage that matches the updated details.

If the exact footage isn't available, I have to come up with a solution. I might present something like, "They're not wearing that exact thing, but it's nighttime and they're talking about this. This is what I have." I can't invent footage, only manipulate what's available to tell the story.

It's been interesting learning my limitations. I can't create dialogue if it doesn't exist. I can't make them say nice things about someone they never mentioned positively.

My main responsibility is keeping a catalog of footage and knowing what's there. I also need to know what has already been used, as we can't give the same shot to multiple people. Our viewers are very keen and call us out if they see repeated shots.

I also sometimes compile interview documents for cast members. I help write questions for sit-down interviews, often based on the footage I've already pulled. This makes it easier for me to write poignant questions directly related to the episode.

I keep a library of good shots, like good waves or interesting wildlife. We call these "bins" in the project. Some of these shots are reused as b-roll in later seasons.

I've been working on the show and the same boat for four years. This allows me to go back into my catalog and find shots I pulled years ago. It's about knowing what footage you have, what you can use, and where to find it.