The Foundations of Production with Dana Leonard
Dana Leonard is a California-born, New York City-bred, and now London-based award winning EP and producer.
Dana is founder and executive producer at Only Child, a female-founded production and creative studio with a global reach, fusing strategy and collaboration to transform ambitious ideas into work that leads culture. She oversees a team in both the US and UK.
Dana has produced all realms of media: from award-winning feature documentaries, to animation television to network television series before working in music videos, branded entertainment, and advertising. Clients include Netflix, eBay, Mandarin Oriental, Budweiser, JOAN Creative, The&Partnership, and AMV BBDO.
Dana is never far from her phone with an unhealthy obsession to consume and understand ‘what’s next’, also known as ‘research’, to constantly evolve her approach to projects.
She spoke to LBB to give her advice to the next generation of producers, the love for Excel spreadsheets needed to succeed in the industry, and why experience will always be the best teacher.
LBB> What advice would you give to any aspiring producers or content creators hoping to make the jump into production?
Dana> Get in any room you can and absorb everything.
Target different sizes of agencies, different types of production companies, and even in-house at brands. It's important to have experience on all three sides so you can understand each relationship’s perspective.
When you do get into the room, let it be known that you're there to absorb, learn, shadow, and do. It's so important to learn the foundations of production before producing, because producing is truly an art.
Learn the basics of production management, progress into managing budgets, then creating budgets. Find a superior who has the smallest space of time to mentor, and take them out to coffee, and then ask to be cc'd on anything where you can get your hands dirty.
Producing is about learning from all of your past experiences and applying those learnings to the next project. So don't shy away from a type of job if it's not your norm – you will always learn something.
LBB> What skills or emerging areas would you advise aspiring producers to learn about and educate themselves about?
Dana> A few areas, always! Always engage in the creative. Having a point of view while understanding and respecting the hierarchy of decision making is so important to bring to the table. Learn a little about a lot – absorb fundamentals of each department on your crew (you should know every line item on your equipment lists. Google exists for this reason).
This will help you understand their thinking and how to anticipate what they need, allowing you to solve problems earlier, and faster. The post production world is booming with underground artists as companies shy away from the big houses that no longer exist.
Educate yourself about the process and different types of artists – VFX, CGI, compositors, AI (all the different programs and lead times artists need), and also what these artists can bring to the table. So when you read a director's treatment, you can suggest different ways to go about post to best fit your budget.
LBB> What was the biggest lesson you learned when you were starting out in production – and why has that stayed with you?
Dana> I think once I realised that there is no playbook for producers and that the best skills are lessons learned by doing, it clicked.
You can attend every seminar, every post-graduate course you want, but those courses will not teach you anything nearly as valuable as doing the job. As the producer, you are the person everyone will come to with problems, and equally, successes. It's a job built on a love of excel spreadsheets, but also relationships that revolve around friendship and trust.
You will need to nurture every single type of talent you work with – from gaffers to directors to clients. It all falls on you, and keeping those relationships in tact, while being a trustworthy, reasonable, and approachable person, will make you the producer everyone wants to work with.
LBB> When it comes to broadening access to production and improving diversity and inclusion what are your team doing to address this?
Dana> As producers, the buck starts and stops with us (something a former boss used to say). So with that – I always let directors and HOD's know that we are a team that prioritises diversity and inclusion, and we'll challenge their decisions for team members if their choices do not reflect that.
It's an awkward thing to do, but as said above – once you build trust – they will listen to you and realise that it is for the better of the production.
At Only Child, our commitment to diversity goes beyond client briefs. Each year we dedicate our own resources to commission projects, creating a platform to amplify underrepresented voices and fuel our team’s creative passions simultaneously.
LBB> And why is it an important issue for the production community to address?
Dana> Well it's quite simple – if you hire the same brain on each project, you'll get the same result. When you hire different brains from different backgrounds, you create magic.
Diverse perspectives, shaped by a wide range of lived experiences and cultural backgrounds, are the fuel for innovative and original ideas. Our work is only as powerful and dynamic as the voices we bring to the table.
LBB> There are young people getting into production who maybe don’t see the line between professional production and the creator economy, and that may well also be the shape of things to come. What are your thoughts about that? Is there a tension between more formalised production and the ‘creator economy’ or do the two feed into each other?
Dana> How much time do we have? The stress between the creator economy and the production economy is a fundamental challenge the industry is facing. It is tiring! The tension is so high, as producers submit formalised production budgets that are received often as inflated for a social-first well.
On the other hand, creators work within tighter budgets, but often struggle to deliver high creative output. Too often they plug and play brand names, which loses authenticity and turns an ad into another generic content.
At Only Child, we launched Middle Sibling to combat this exact friction. We work with creators and brands to build sustainable intellectual property and creative systems that connect the two worlds. This approach allows us to blend the social-first creator perspective with professional industry value, leverage fan bases while helping creators elevate their storytelling, and nourish these relationships to build creative marathons – not just campaign sprints.
LBB> If you compare your role to the role of executive producers when you first joined the industry, what do you think are the most striking or interesting changes
Dana> Teams are leaner – this means that I am usually across every project at all times. The timelines are faster than they have ever been – so it's all hands on deck and myself included. I can't just step back, so I'm constantly involved, making sure that our clients are happy, overseeing HOD choices so we have the best team available, ensuring that budgets are being kept with creative solutions along the way, and keeping tabs on evolving creative – do our directors agree? Is their vision still intact?
I think back in the day, execs would work to get their project commissioned and then step back. That's not the case anymore with the lean overheads – and honestly, I wouldn't want it any other way! I love being in the thick of it. What fun is it if I don't get to be somewhat in the mix? I'm here to keep things steady (sometimes simply a therapy call), ensure deadlines are made, and bring vibes while doing so.
LBB> When it comes to educating producers how does your agency like to approach this?
Dana> We do operate a bit differently because we're so global. I.e. the way we approach a UK-based project is entirely different to how we approach a US-based project.
Producers are inclined to learn and work from us as they're usually keen to expand their global knowledge as well. We make sure that producers get time with all execs as our leadership team comes from different backgrounds and can educate in their own way.
Our execs are super hands on – I think in a good way, because we want to ensure that all producers are set up for success.
LBB> It seems that there’s an emphasis on speed and volume when it comes to content – but where is the space for up and coming producers to learn about (and learn to appreciate) craft?
Dana> I wish I had a better answer for this, but the need for speed is like no other lately. We have been getting an average of three days to turn around treatments and budgets the past few months, and then an average of about two and a half weeks in pre-production. Speed is key.
Being resourceful, using your time productively, chasing calls when emails aren't responded to, tapping into your network to get it done, pairing HOD’s together based on skill and vibe – that hustle, restlessness to make every call you need to make to get it done – that is the craft.
If producers want something on a more generous timeline to hone and appreciate craft, I would say: Ask your execs what is missing from the company's portfolio, or what sort of business do they want? Then, find a collaborative director and get them to write a script.
Next, convince your exec to commission a passion and portfolio job. And finally, own it from start to finish with the exec's guidance, and give yourself enough time in your timeline to hone your craft.
LBB> On the other side of the equation, what’s the key to retaining expertise and helping people who have been working in production for decades to develop new skills?
Dana> The key is to never stray too far away from the weeds – the weeds are what hones your skills. Also, taking on jobs in new locations is a very easy way to expand your knowledge. There is no better brief than getting one for a city we've never shot in
before. Expanding your global network both ignites and excites – you're learning different cultures while producing. There is nothing more humbling, yet stimulating than that!
LBB> Clearly there is so much change, but what are the personality traits and skills that will always be in demand from producers?
Dana> A solid sense of calm. Have a plan B, plan C, and even plan D. You can never panic. If a producer panics, everyone panics. We absolutely don't want that.
