Simian + Optimus Reteam for a Heads of Production Summit

Simian and Optimus joined forces again to host another Heads of Production roundtable for leaders from both the agency and brand sides of the business. The event took place on November 20 at the Optimus studio in Chicago, and a dozen senior agency producers took part. Represented at the roundtable were such shops as FCB, BVK, Edelman, Highdive, Shafer Condon Carter, Laughlin Constable, SPM Marketing, TMA (The Marketing Arm), Makers and Digitas, as well as several veteran independent EPs who’ve previously run production departments.

With host Tom Duff, president of Optimus, and Kellie Atton, Head of Sales for Simian, in attendance, the conclave took place just in time for Coca-Cola’s hotly debated AI-produced holiday commercial to be our lead topic, as the HoPs discussed a range of issues in this candid and freewheeling forum. Helping lead the discussion was Chandler Atton, Editor of The Howler and Simian’s Content Director & Strategist.

So what of AI and The Real Thing? Referring to the spot in question (check it out here), the general consensus was that the AI visuals had the look of illustrated storyboards, and that the creative evolution and refinement process stopped there. The bigger issue, of course, was their impact on client expectations and how agencies are dealing with the investment that needs to go into AI techniques at a time when its usage – and who’s going to pay for it – is still so uncertain.

“Clients are asking for it,” said one HoP at the meeting, “and since it runs through the production department, we have to own it. I think we’re all trying to find the parts that make sense for us.”

While several participants noted that they’re using it for things like versioning spots, others noted that one issue is that neither clients nor creatives have a firm understanding of the tools. “And one other big issue is rights management,” added another. Commenting on the criticism of the Coke holiday spot and how it may have taken work out of the hands of human artists, one HoP noted, “It seems in some ways everyone is more focused on the legal aspect of using AI technology rather than the ethics.”

In general, the group seems to hold a generally agnostic view towards AI, with such comments coming forth as “it’s a shiny new tool we're using right now.” And “it’s not going away, so we need to use it and embrace it.” “AI clearly has applications for animation or visual storytelling,” added another participant, “but we’ve not yet figured out what the visual language of this is all about."

They’re also uncertain about how to handle it from a budgetary standpoint. “Raise your hand if you have a Business Affairs team focusing on AI,” one person asked, to laughter and nodding heads.

Staffing shifts at agencies was a big issue as well. HoPs are under pressure to produce work across a wider range of deliverables and content platforms than ever, and all are doing it with fewer staffers and freelancers than in the past. Indeed, several HoPs who’ve previously run large departments noted that back in the day, they had over 100 people working for them; that number is now in the low double digits. And the reliance on experienced freelancers comes with its own issues, most notably the difficulty in having them pass on their experience and wisdom to younger producers, who are finding mentorship opportunities fewer and farther in between than in the past.

Another topic of discussion was the continued centralization of production management into holding company-level hubs, much of which was seen as moves to re-allocate producer costs away from an agency’s fee structure. “Clients seem to have an easier time paying for project management, creative and strategy than they do for producers,” said one HoP. “All of these decoupled models represent a demoralizing trend,” added another.

The overall unwillingness on the part of clients to pay for producers and their invaluable oversight was pinned to the creative department: “It feels like the attitude is ‘we’ll sell them on the idea first, then we’ll hit them up with the price tag for making it.’” The death of the AOR model factors into this as well, another added. “You’re pitching on every project, and there’s no cadence or flow to the process.”

Remote work, now widely accepted as being here to stay, is another concern. “It’s hard to have camaraderie or build a sense of community when everyone is behind a screen,” said one HoP. “It’s also difficult to create a culture of leadership, learning and mentorship,” added another. Many noted the wide gap in experience and knowledge between more seasoned producers and those just starting out. “We should be focused on teaching them about craft and creativity,” said one participant. “A lot of younger producers feel their job is to fill out a spreadsheet.”

The talk turned next to social media and the impact that it’s having on the next generation of agency production talent. There’s a sense that younger producers are less interested in the traditional TV commercial format and more interested in work that will run on platforms like TikTok, which has the feel of a maker’s toolkit, integrating the essentials of Adobe’s Creative Suite and things like greenscreen. “There’s a real immediacy to this, which is appealing,” one participant noted. Added another, “for people who are interested in building their own individual brands, and see themselves as being autonomous filmmakers or content creators, this has a lot of appeal.”

In closing, there was a feeling that HoPs should work towards helping their younger producers become more well-versed students of the industry. “They need to know what’s out there, and what other people are doing” when it comes to trends in ad content, one HoP observed. Another noted that all of them can play a key role in helping grow and nurture their talent and setting them up to succeed” “We all had varied backgrounds which led us to what we’re doing today, and we all had some influential person in our careers who gave us a break and helped propel us to the next level.”