Building the Integrated Producer Model

Nov 18

Practical notes for studios and agencies to get it right.

We’ve noticed a pattern: people love to tell business owners/operators what to do, but cannot begin to coach them on how to do it. Many executives, leaders, and consultants will hand out opinions for days, but will never admit they don’t know how to break down the methods, approaches, and very specific actions that can actually achieve the desired results. And, therefore, too many business operators are running on a combination of luck and wing-and-prayer fumes.

That’s not how we work. We’ve been out here talking for months about the importance and value of the Producer role, even backing up our direct experience with empirical data and role defining materials—but we know that’s not enough to enact change. Not only do we know why the Producer role is important and what it should look like, we also understand exactly how the role should be implemented to be properly situated and impactful.

Here is an overview of the key steps and some specific actions required for an organization to get the Producer role right in order to experience the business-galvanizing influence of the Integrated Producer Model:

1 Integrate the role

In many agencies and studios, the first step is to combine previously separate account and project management functions. One of our insights from the NoCo Producer Landscape Study is that the best business results come from Producers who “own” the client relationship, as well as the project itself. Orgs can eliminate the game of telephone between the client and team with one person who integrates the client and team with the work. Also, it’s critical to incorporate business development (with appropriate tasks at appropriate levels, as is outlined specifically in the NoCo Producer Career Ladder) in order to ensure the most strategic client partnership and successful work. Don’t forget to give Production its own experienced discipline leader at the executive level to ensure industry-leading mentorship as well as org-level impact.

2 Situate the role

The responsibilities of the Producer role matter immensely, as does the entire discipline’s position in the org. First off, it must be its own discipline. Not nested under another (dear lawd help us if we see another company nest this function under Operations) or fractured across multiple. Producers need to be situated as equal peers to all the other key delivery disciplines, whether Design, Engineering, or Strategy. Also, consider the function and purpose of its placement! The production discipline must be put at the center of teams and as the hub for business intelligence.

3 Redefine the role

As part of establishing an integrated function, the Producer role will undoubtedly need a rebrand in your org. Nearly everyone (yes, even many Producers) will have the wrong idea about what a Producer is and what they should do. We’d go so far as to guess that the majority of agency folks think a Producer’s main function and benefit is in scheduling meetings, taking notes, and delivering bad news. That perception is not only dead wrong, but entirely disruptive to the actual impact a Producer can and should have. Leaders must design the agency so Producers have role levels and responsibilities that apply their time toward areas of optimal impact, including scoping projects, leading client relationships, and contributing to the work.

As anyone adept at branding will tell you, your work does not stop at the redefinition and naming; it is essential to communicate and publicize the new “brand.” What this means in the case of establishing an integrated Producer discipline is announcing and thoroughly explaining what the Producer role is and how exactly it will show up in teams and in the work. An agency has to have buy-in from peers and allies in other disciplines in order to effectively lead and contribute to the work. We have recommended agency leaders run a thorough change management process to make the most impact with the right people at the right time. Our Change Management playbook emphasizes the need to get influencers from other disciplines engaged in culture change.

So, set up or evolve the Producer discipline and then announce it, giving it a clear central business purpose and stake everyone in the org can understand and appreciate. Make a big deal out of it. However you do an announcement, don’t skip this step—your company will never understand the Producer role if you don’t explain it.

4 Respect the role

There is no point in telling people about a critical new and/or improved role and then leaving it to flounder in a sea of internal politics and power struggles. The Producer role has to be respected in order to be effective—and everyone needs to learn how to respect it. Some of that respect will come if the role definition and situating is done properly. And more respect comes when leaders proactively ensure that other disciplines integrate with the Producer role properly, with consequences for people who defy the new world order.

Respect starts (in part) when an org models the excellence of the role with a very senior, very capable person that shows and proves the positive impacts. Ideally, an org has identified who that person is already in the org, or put in effort to hire an exceptional, industry-respected person for this role. Real recognize real. It’s not hard to respect a role when you experience its ideal, best manifestation.

Orgs can continue to amplify respect for the discipline by showing successes, highlighting and celebrating case studies explaining functional cross-disciplinary collaboration and client outcomes rooted in the impact of the Producer role and integration of its function at the heart of delivery.

5 Trust the role

Trust goes hand-in-hand with respect, both of which are as functional as they are philosophical. Trust for Producers comes in the form of autonomy—autonomy to not only own and hold a lot of control, but also freedom to do many aspects of the job in different ways. Orgs should focus on and measure results, not singularly specific ways of doing tasks.

Trust also comes when orgs ditch timesheets—there are many reasons to do so. Entrusting project/team/group oversight, orchestration, and business intelligence to Producers unlocks the ability to get the data you need from the core of those delivering the work. Other ways of trusting Producers includes heeding their input in resourcing, stepping aside so they can manage to the client goals, empowering them to contribute to creative and innovative work, and enabling them to orchestrate on-time and on-brief work delivery.

6 Scale the role

We’ve heard from some practitioners and org leaders that the Integrated Producer role we’re describing here is a “unicorn” and is too much to ask of any one person—or too specialized to scale. But those are not actually the issues. It’s true that some practitioners are burning out in orgs where they practice the Integrated Producer Model because they are asked to do the full breadth of the role across too many projects/accounts. But this is usually a symptom of underinvestment in the discipline. In order for the role to be sustainable, orgs need to understand and assign the appropriate amount of work for each level.

Many org owners/leaders tell us they don’t have an Integrated Producer Model because it’s impossible to scale—that maybe you can hire a couple of “unicorns” but it’s impossible to grow a company with this specific discipline set-up. This is a classic case of leaders identifying the right problem, but quickly leaping to the wrong solution. Orgs do need these so-called Producer “unicorns” to run the most creative, innovative work, but—often because most people establishing and leading the discipline aren’t from within or don’t understand it fully—they don’t understand how to assign responsibilities across levels to make the role scalable. A common mistake is to divide the role across Account and Project function in order to quickly plug holes—rather than differentiate responsibilities across levels (from junior to executive). The other solutions needed are more industry-wide: there needs to be shared standards, junior pipelines, and education pathways.

There are many other factors to consider in establishing the Producer Model in an agency or studio. Nuance and details matter in order to integrate all of the necessary elements together when establishing the Producer role in different org types, especially when considering the unique culture and situation of each organization. We can help make sure Producers are set up for the success of all, no matter the specific challenges. Call us (metaphorically—we won’t actually answer a phone call from an unknown number).