Most Important Skills for a Story Associate Producer at Pilgrim Media Group
Dannia, a Story Associate Producer, emphasizes organization as "probably number one" for success, highlighting the need for interconnected teamwork. Equally crucial is a strong "gut instinct" for identifying interesting story elements, combined with realistic awareness of industry limitations and a willingness to trust creative impulses, as Dannia advises to "go with it" when a good idea emerges.
Organization, Creative Instinct, Observation Skills, Industry Knowledge, Communication
Advizer Information
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Dannia Alfonso
Story Associate Producer
Pilgrim Media Group
NYU - Tisch School of the Arts
UCLA Anderson - MBA
Film, Media Arts, Visual Arts
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Communication and Marketing
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Organization is crucial for ensuring all team members' storylines mesh together effectively.
2. A strong gut instinct is vital for identifying interesting story ideas and assessing their feasibility within industry constraints.
3. The ability to observe, listen, and gather information constantly is essential for staying updated on industry trends and audience preferences.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
Organization is probably number one, to be honest with you, just because I've explained everything for my boat, right? There are seven of us, and all of us have to work interconnectedly, making sure our storylines mesh together because we're a cohesive unit. So, organization is really important.
Also, just having a gut instinct is really important, though it's hard to quantify. You have to know what's interesting, what people want to watch, and what you can realistically use. For example, if someone keeps pitching the idea of their captain singing "Old Town Road," but it's "Old Fish Road," we're never going to be able to get the rights to that song.
The network is never going to pay what it costs to air that song, so stop pitching it. You have to be aware of the industry, and that just comes from always listening. I have my headphones on now; I listen to everything. I am an observer.
So, probably being organized, you have to be an observer. You have to constantly be listening, picking up information, and you have to have that creative gut instinct. It doesn't have to be perfect. Everything is subjective; there's always somebody that likes something. But you have to be true to that gut instinct.
So, if you know that you can make something funny with three little moments, just work them around, and it's something funny, go with it. People like to laugh, and it might make its way into the episode. It's being true to that gut instinct, organization, listening, and observing.
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