Today’s profile subject did a mid-career switch from outside entertainment into a field that had nothing to do with his previous career or his educational background. But developing the ability to handle a classroom full of small children probably prepared him well for the challenges of film production, where weather, equipment failures, and sometimes even the whims of a temperamental movie star can impact a project’s budget. See below for details on Jaren’s current position, how he got there, and how he keeps his perspective when things get crazy on the job. 

Current position: Production Controller, Alcon Entertainment. Projects include The Book of Eli, The Blind Side, Lottery Ticket, and Something Borrowed, which is in post production and will be released in June 2011. (We are also beginning production on Dolphin Tale in Florida with Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick, Jr. and Ashley Judd.)

College & degree: BA in Child Psychology, CSUN

Pre-entertainment career: I was a kindergarten and 1^st grade teacher, and before that, a camp counselor, a therapist for children, an assistant in rehab facility, and the head of after school programs for kids.

How did you get into finance? I knew a production accountant who hired me to work for her on a TV show. That was my first job in entertainment.

First job in the entertainment industry: Accounting Clerk on “Courthouse” on the Sony Lot. I got to meet Robin Givens and Mike Tyson and spent lots of time on set. That made me hooked on this industry.

Big break: Leaving freelance production accounting and being hired as a production and production finance consultant at Saban/Fox Family. This is where I got the full taste of both areas of production and was able to really delve into many facets of what I currently do. It was a very difficult job, but it opened up many doors and allowed me to get to where I am today.

Eureka moment (when you realized you did or did not want to do something or that you should do something differently, etc.): Leaving teaching in 1995 was very hard for me. I loved it dearly and it was very rewarding. But, I knew that I needed to do something else with my life. I just did not know what at the time. And I still feel like I have one more big transition in my life, professionally speaking. Of course, once I find that “moment,” I will know what my future holds for me.

What is your role as Production Controller?  I supervise, manage, and facilitate all of the financial aspects of shooting. I oversee prep, shooting and post, as well as tax incentives, budgeting and estimating, cash flow forecasting, and day-to-day physical production. I also do on-site visits and performing audits of production accounting files.

Describe a typical work day in your current position: Imagine standing in front of a target and dodging balls being thrown at you. I love it. Every day is different, which I enjoy. Crunching numbers, reviewing costs, analyzing situations, projecting, putting out fires…

Worst job (or day) in entertainment industry: Oh, there are many, I prefer to keep them to myself. Don’t want to be negative.

Best job (or day) in entertainment industry: Coming to Alcon. Hardest and best decision I ever made, personally and professionally.

Best thing about your current job: The people at my company are just the coolest. At any time, you can break out in throwing a football around or have loud conversations about the most minute things. I just enjoy seeing happy people at work every day.

Worst thing about your current job: Sometimes communication breaks down. It makes it difficult to complete tasks and wasted time occurs.

Brush with greatness (can be a celebrity encounter or just being exposed to someone being brilliant at what they do): Watching my daughter dance in her recitals. She will be my “brush with greatness” every day.

Secret of your success/advice to the newbie: A few things come to mind… Always listen. Be a sponge. No information is worthless. Meet as many people as possible and ask questions. Get to know the person you are speaking with. Be multifaceted; don’t settle for just doing one thing. Be respectful and polite. Treat everyone the same way, because you just might see them on your way down. Have pride in yourself and your job. Work hard. It will pay off… eventually. Love what you do. Never forget where you came from. Remember your roots and your upbringing.

Next move: I try to take one day at a time. Always keep options open, but never be completely content with my current situation. Ultimately, looking to be a head of production or producing children’s programming. I want to feel like I made a mark on this Earth so I will be remembered.

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Having grown up in Winnepeg, Canada and launched her entertainment career in Mexico, Rachel Shane now works at arguably the epicenter of the industry, a studio-based production company which makes movies with some of the top talent working today. Her story is one of opportunities wisely taken, a keen sense of when she was on the right path (and when she wasn’t), and a very brief stint as a Mexican television star. (Very brief.) Read on to get the whole story…

Current position/projects: I oversee development and production for Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher’s Sony-based Red Wagon Entertainment. Current projects include THE WETTEST COUNTY, a gangster movie set against prohibition, starring Shia LeBeouf with John Hillcoat directing a script by Nick Cave. Another very fun project is a remake of BYE BYE BIRDIE written by Lorene Scafaria at Sony with Adam Shankman.
 
Hometown, college & degree: I grew up in Winnipeg, Canada. I received an honors degree in political science from the University of Manitoba with a minor in theater and dropped out of law school after one year at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Internship: My very first internship was painting sets on Guy Maddin’s (the experimental, Winnipeg based filmmaker) TWILIGHT OF THE ICE NYMPHS.

First job in the entertainment industry: My first job was in Mexico City through a NAFTA exchange program between the Canadian and Mexican governments. It was at Televisa, which I believe is the largest TV production company in Mexico. I was a jack of all trades.  I worked for a producer, Juan Williams, doing research for a news show he produced. I was a PA on a soap opera starring George Hamilton (no joke). I did set dressing. I even acted in a comedy show at one point—I was the “gringa.”

What made you want to work in development/production? After Televisa, I was hired as the production secretary on THE MASK OF ZORRO, which shot in Mexico. I loved it. It was challenging and really fun. After the shoot, one of the producers asked me to come to LA and work for him while his assistant was on her honeymoon, which I did.  I had taken a year off of law school, but around this time, I officially dropped out.  I then decided to see if I’d be interested in entertainment law and luckily began working as the assistant to the head of legal and business affairs at Morgan Creek.  A very eye opening experience, but six months in I knew for sure I wasn’t interested in the legal end of the business. But I had discovered the development world.

I started to investigate that area of the business and my first development job was as an assistant at Imagine on the film side. I left Imagine with my boss when she went to work with Betty Thomas and Jenno Topping at their company Tall Trees. Ten years ago, I started as a CE at Red Wagon and I’ve been at the company ever since.

What made you think you’d be good at development/production? Well, the production side of it is just really common sense and that came easily for me. As far as the development side, I’ve always loved to read, loved film, loved theater, loved reading plays, always had crushes on writers, so it just seemed like a very natural area to be working in.
 
Big break: I think my big break was working on THE MASK OF ZORRO. I offered to work for free. I did well and, at some point, they hired me officially. Being on that film opened up a whole new world and led me to what I’m doing now.
 
Eureka moment: Probably the first time I discovered the development side of the business.

Describe a typical work day in your current position: My job is to shepherd and oversee movies and TV shows from infancy to their release in theaters or on TV.  Every day is very different. It can involve having a four-hour story meeting with a writer on a project or going to a make-up house and investigating proposals for effects or driving around to different studios to pitch movie ideas to their executives.  Or even flying off to another city to oversee a production.

Worst job (or day) in entertainment industry: I’d say the worst day was when, on a movie that I was very emotionally invested in, the financier pulled the plug and decided not to shoot the most important scene in the (still unfinished) movie.
 
Best job (or day) in entertainment industry: The best experience was being on location for my first big budget movie, STUART LITTLE.  My so-called office was in the middle of Central Park!
 
Best thing about your current job: The people with whom I’m able to meet and work.
 
Worst thing about your current job: Adjusting to the new reality of the studio system. With the economic downturn and piracy, fewer types of movies are getting made at the studios, which leaves producers to find other sources of independent financing, which is also currently scarce.
 
Brush with greatness: Will Smith giving me a kiss on the cheek. That was nice.
 
Secret of your success/advice to the newbie: Diligence and hard work make all the difference. There’s no easy ride. I think also being able to understand human nature, and connecting and relating to people is really important.
 
Next move: My hope is that I keep producing. I want to be making meaningful movies that people will actually go see and will hopefully impact their lives.

Know anyone who could use an entertainment industry insider? If so, please encourage them to subscribe to YourIndustryInsider.com and sign up to receive YII’s Mogul Mindset eBlasts today! Also, please visit Your Industry Insider Store to check out recommended books and DVDs. Content will be added regularly as suggestions come in from industry insiders!

Roger Nygard has become a successful feature documentary filmmaker, and director and editor on episodic television series including ”The Bernie Mac Show,” ”The Office,” and ”Curb Your Enthusiasm,” but his entertainment career path was not a smooth one. In his profile, he talks candidly about his early struggles, and about how he turned a loan from his mother into much-needed career-stability.

Current project:  My latest documentary, THE NATURE OF EXISTENCE, will be released theatrically beginning June 18 (New York), and July 2 (Los Angeles), followed by a rollout to the rest of the country.  

College & degree:  BA, Speech Communications, University of Minnesota.

Internships: None. But I have facilitated many internships.

First job in the entertainment industry: Production Assistant for a production-management company, Rollins, Joffe, Morra & Brezner. They had a production deal at Paramount and represented clients like Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Robin Williams, David Letterman, and Woody Allen. My goal was to be the best damn PA they ever had. They promoted me to assistant. Then to talent scout.  

Big break:  Selling my first documentary TREKKIES to Paramount for seven figures qualifies as the biggest break so far…

Eureka moment: When I realized I could do what I wanted to do–not what other people expected me to do–and still make a living. I have turned down many projects, such as reality shows or mundane scripts, that would have paid a lot of money and probably advanced my career faster. But I can’t just punch a clock. I have to be challenged. That’s why I do so many varied and unusual projects.  This business is too hard to take lightly. It’s not for the indifferent and you’ll burn out if you are not inspired.

Career path: I started making short films when I was seven and continued through high school and college. When I got to Los Angeles, I realized I needed a kick-ass demo that would get me hired, because nobody will hire you to direct until you’ve already directed (unless you own the script or the production checkbook). So I took my grad school money (I had been accepted to USC) and made another short, “Warped” (which was later released in two home video compilations). I sent that short to everybody who would look at it and that led to my first offer to direct an episode of “Monsters.”

Meanwhile I had read a hilarious script by a comedian I met at the Comedy Store named Steve Oedekerk. My composer on “Warped” knew an investor so we convinced him to finance my first feature, HIGH STRUNG. Each project introduced me to more people, and invariably one of those connections was integral to the next opportunity in my career path. That path has continued through movies, television, and documentaries. If you want a job, start working, even if you have to work for free. You’ll meet people, and if you’re good, they will take you along to the next job.

Worst job (or day) in entertainment industry:  In the gap between my first film, HIGH STRUNG, and my second film, BACK TO BACK (AMERICAN YAKUZA 2), I went $30,000 into debt trying to launch my next projects. (They make those credit card cash advances sooooooo easy!). The worst day was the day I faced the fact that none of my projects were happening and I had no job and big debts. But that’s when a mini-eureka moment happened. I decided to change course and take an Avid editing class. I borrowed $500 from my mother, and with the Avid editing skill newly in my repertoire, I got a job writing, producing, and editing promos for TNT. (One of my connections I met when we were both peons at Paramount was in charge of TNT Latin America and he needed some fresh blood.) I spent the next two years making promos while learning all my editing tricks that became part of my style as a filmmaker, and I brought this style forward to all my projects.

Best day in entertainment industry: Every screening of a new movie or television episode is the new best day. It just gets better each time. It’s a powerful feeling to create something and then witness how people react. When I make an audience laugh, think, gasp, cry, get angry—that’s the best day!

Best thing about your current job: To be able to create! That’s why we exist.

Worst thing about your current job: The long hours. Nobody will work as hard as you do for your projects. Some day I’ll get to sleep.

Brush with greatness: Greatness is the opportunity to work with Larry David. Even greater is being able to dissect from the inside how Larry’s comedy process works. And greatest: becoming a creative part of that process. No matter how ridiculous or crazy a storyline gets, our focus in the editing room is on what do we have to do to more clearly and more succinctly tell that story.

Secret of your success/advice to the newbie: Read a LOT. Study literature, not just filmmaking. Learn the art of telling a story. Tell stories that fascinate YOU. Chances are good that if you are entertained, others will be also. Nobody can guess with any accuracy what the “audience” wants. And why would you want to?  How boring is that errand? Be a leader. Create what you like and others will follow.

Next move: I’ve begun the next documentary project, I’m writing the next narrative feature, I’m pitching ideas for the next television series… I can’t be sure which door will open next, but whichever it is, I’ll go through it. Create opportunities, and then say yes.

You can find more information on Roger’s documentary, THE NATURE OF EXISTENCE, which is being released in Los Angeles on June 18th and New York on July 2nd and other cities following that, at: www.TheNatureOfExistence.com.

Today’s profile subject is one of the many “A-list” behind-the-scenes professionals working in entertainment today. You may not know his name, but when Adam Sandler wants to make sure the music for one of Happy Madison’s projects is edited in just the right way, he contacts J.J. Longtime readers of YII will recognize the humility and collaborative spirit of most of the Inside Scoop subjects who are at the top of their game. Everyone will enjoy his “brush with greatness”…

Current position/project: Owner and Supervising Music Editor, Mad 4 Music, LLC. Currently working on THE ZOOKEEPER.

College & degree: U.C.L.A., Bachelor of Arts, 1988

Professional Organizations: A.M.P.A.S., M.P.S.E., A.F.M.

First job in the entertainment industry: At Segue Music, Inc., I was a Production Assistant, Music Librarian, and Driver.

What was it that got you into music editing and what made you think you would be good at it? I took a part time job at Segue Music just to see what the job was like. I guess I was born with an obsessive tendency that most editors have at least a little bit of, because no completely sane person would sit and watch the same scene over and over for days at a time. I’ve also always been an observer. I’m sensitive to subtlety and detail in a way that serves me when I look at film. It was a great and talented group at Segue that taught me the craft. During that process I found that while I had a lot to learn about the mechanics of the job, there was an instinctual part of me that understood how powerful music was in the storytelling process. And that pushing too hard,almost never worked. The trick is most often to have your work felt but not noticed.

Big break: I don’t think I can point to one specific “Big Break,” unless you count meeting my wife. My career has been a 23-year series of opportunities that I have done my best with. And, as I said, I think part of the job comes instinctively to me.

Eureka moment: I had always sort of wondered if people would take my resume seriously because of all the comedies I work on. I jokingly mentioned this to a composer that I really admire and he responded: “J.J., anybody who works with film music knows there is nothing more difficult.” Wow, that was nice. I embrace those credits now.

Career path: As an assistant I worked with Michael Kamen’s music team. He was such a  huge talent and personality. The work schedules on LETHAL WEAPON and ROBIN HOOD were so insane, you learn to stay focused on the task at hand, regardless of the avalanche of work falling around you. When you emerge with a finished film score it gives you great confidence in the process and all of the artists involved.

In the early 90’s, I had the good fortune of working on “Batman: The Animated Series” for Warner Bros. Shirley Walker supervised or scored every episode of every season which is very rare in animation. The scoring stage experience was invaluable and the music, in my mind, was and still is exemplary.

I worked for Frank Oz on a movie called BOWFINGER and we did all the post work in Manhattan.  It was pretty humbling to know that he and the studio valued my work enough to fly me out from Los Angeles. Frank was quite the gentleman, and confident in his decisions. In my experience, such traits are rare in the “comedy world.”

More recently, I have had a good run with Happy Madison Productions, Adam Sandler’s company. He is the most loyal person I have met in this business and has assembled an enthusiastic group that understands his style and humor. His work ethic is great. It’s  amazing to see someone in a position like his pushing so hard, not just for his own success, but for the whole crew. The Happy Madison movies are challenging because they are very music driven, yet usually call for subtle comments on Adam’s characters. And if you get the balance “wrong,” the boss is never shy.

Describe a typical work day in your current position: One of the nice things about music editing is that every day is a little different. Typically, I have my mobile Pro-Tools set up on a dubbing stage or in a cutting room on a studio lot. I use it to track temp music, prepare reels for the composer, or hold meetings where the filmmakers give their input and opinions about musical tone and placement in the film. I keep detailed notes and paperwork that is continually updated in order to keep the music team operating as an efficient unit. During the dubbing process, my Pro-Tools system is tied into the mixing console and runs in sync with the film, allowing the re-recording engineer to mix the music into the sound track with all the other sound elements. If, for creative reasons, a music change needs to be made, it can and usually is done on the spot.

Best thing about your current  job: I love working on movies that my kids can watch. They are quite young so it is rare…but this is a good one.

Worst thing about your current job: With the economic slow down, the business has gotten extremely competitive. It’s no fun to see friends and co-workers struggling.

Brush with greatness: I work with so many people that are brilliant in their fields. Regardless of their status as celebrities, they all become “stars” to me. I will say I was pretty surprised when I was working on FREE WILLY 2 and the Director said, “J.J., Michael’s on the phone for you.” I’m walking to the phone thinking, “Michael who…don’t they see how busy I am?” I answered and it was Michael Jackson. He had a few suggestion about how to cut his song for the end titles. I think I stopped listening to the sound of his voice and started listening to what he was saying about halfway through the conversation.

Secret of your success/advice to the newbie: Be positive about what you are working on now.  It’s really hard to predict what is coming your way in this industry. And drink good coffee.

Next move: I am constantly trying to keep up with music trends and film styles. I watch a lot of movies and listen to all kinds of music mostly because I like to, but partly to stay in the competitive loop. Also, as I said above, I believe a positive attitude breeds new opportunities. I do know a number of former music editors that now work as composers, re-recordists, studio executives, and college professors so I guess anything is possible.  But for me, I’m enjoying the THE ZOOKEEPER and my work at Mad 4 Music.

For more information on J.J., his credits, and the editors he works with, visit the Mad 4 Music website.

Know anyone who could use an entertainment industry insider? If so, please encourage them to subscribe to YourIndustryInsider.com and sign up to receive YII’s Mogul Mindset eBlasts today! Also, please visit Your Industry Insider Store to check out recommended books and DVDs. Content will be added regularly as suggestions come in from industry insiders!