Producing TV = Project Management

In my attempt to figure out what else I might do should my writing career go the way of the dodo, I decided I better figure out what other discernible skills I have. I dove head first into personal growth courses on LinkedIn, utilized the free courses provided by the Entertainment Community Fund, watched countless YouTube videos, read books about skillsets and career growth, listened to copious amounts of podcasts… the works. Each one offered bits of advice and help that guided me… back to writing. 

It wasn’t until I visited my American friend living in Cambridge, U.K. that I finally had that a-ha moment. She used to work in the entertainment industry but found the path even more riddled with obstacles for screenwriting than I did and eventually peaced-out back to Virginia. A real loss for Hollywood, if you ask me. But writers have to write, so she obtained a masters degree at the University of Cambridge… in writing. Yet another victim to Hollywood’s increasingly unmanageable path to entry for talented folks.

Anyway, while bemoaning my current writing situation over pints at the pub, she gracefully pointed out that many of my skills as a Producer were transferable to Project Management. Now, my sister, Shawna Benson, used to be a Project Manager in her IT (Information Technology) days. Even my dad managed Caterpillar tractor projects for the majority of his parts and supplies IT career. So, when my friend suggested this path, my brain couldn’t compute. In my head, Project Management was siloed into the IT world. How could a job in Producing where I was accustomed to wrangling scripts with tight deadlines, communicating with various department heads, dealing with difficult personalities, managing risks, staying within a budget, ensuring value for the stakeholders... Oh. My friend smiled at me knowingly, ordered us another pint, and explained all she’d learned from her time working at the UVA school of business that these skills are closely aligned with the Project Management job description.

SAME SKILLS, DIFFERENT NAME

Project Managers have to be flexible, organized, able to communicate, and make decisions. Bingo! Things I’m not only accustomed to doing but actually enjoy. Project Management deals with Initiating → Planning → Execution → Closing. Production uses a similar framework in Development → Pre-production → Production → Post Production. Like, when an actor fell ill on set and we had to scramble to adjust the script and production schedule to accommodate them, I just called that “figuring it out/putting out a fire” but PM calls it, “risk management and resource allocation”. However, Showrunners (usually) have creative freedom whereas Project Managers usually do not. Fundamentally, Producing is delivering art through a hybrid process vs. delivering outcomes via a structured system.

Finally, some of my skills were transferable! I was shocked none of those previous outlets had even uttered the term Project Management. Never once do I remember a newsletter or course from the WGA or IATSE suggesting these skills could be helpful not only in showrunning but producing. I never even heard a Line Producer utter the phrase Project Management in all my years of working in the industry. In fact, when I studied Producing at Columbia College, never once did anyone link the terminology even if the concepts were parallel. But now that the link had been embedded in my synapses, I was a dog with a bone. 

Suddenly, I saw Project Management everywhere. Every building under construction in my neighborhood? Project Management. Every Disneyland attraction? Project Management. Every Olympics advertising campaign? Project Management. The list goes on and on. It was right in front of my face the whole time, but now I was armed with the terminology to go with the concept. 

CAPM CERTIFICATION

So, I jumped into action. How does one become a PM? Do you need to take a course? Be tested and certified? Are there membership groups? The answer to all the above is yes. There’s even a membership group called PMI (Project Management Institute) that does meet ups, further education, and volunteer projects. The entry level certification is called the CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management). The only requirements are a secondary degree (High School diploma, GED), the test fee, and acquiring 23 hours of PM education. Lucky for me, Coursera provides a Google PM course that goes toward earning those necessary hours. 

A critical path was laid out before me and I put on my running shoes. I finished the Coursera online class in a matter of a couple months from the comfort of my own home. I  took copious notes, bought this helpful book, downloaded a great practice test app called Pocket Prep, watched YouTube videos about CAPM testing tricks, obtained a PMI membership, paid the test fee ($300), and scheduled it through Pearson.

You can take the CAPM test at a local Pearson testing facility or take it online with a proctor observing via your webcam. Knowing I might let my test anxiety get the better of me, I decided to take the test at home. I gave myself a couple months of studying then took the exam on Monday, December 15th. After showing the proctor my cleared desktop and driver’s license, I was launched into the test. You’re given a 10 min break halfway through and I’m happy to say I passed the 150 questions in 180 minutes. It was daunting but doable. It was helpful to get my test results immediately after completing the exam. I received the certificate via email and now that I’m officially official, I can add this skillset to my resume and LinkedIn.

WHEREVER I MAY ROAM 

Now what? Well, I’m not leaving writing. (At least not willingly.) But I’m not sitting and twiddling my thumbs waiting for Hollywood to call me back. Getting certified wasn’t a backup plan, it was about finally owning my skills on my terms. Everyone in tinsel town wants to pigeonhole you into a tidy little box, but I’m starting to realize maybe I’ve been a Swiss Army Knife this whole time.

If you’re like me, you’re interested in lots of different things. Curiosity has never been a problem for me, but confidence has. Obtaining this certification and learning about Project Management was a huge accomplishment for someone who thought she hit the dead end of discernable skills. I tell this story on the off-chance you’re interested in Project Management, but also in case you were worried there aren’t options for you outside of your current career. Continuing education isn’t cheap or easy, but it beats indecisiveness, unemployment, or unhappiness. Studying for the CAPM wasn’t hard, I’d already been doing parts of this job for over 20 years. What was difficult was giving myself permission to see my skills as valuable outside of a writer’s room. If you’re considering a career pivot or wondering what else you can do, look at what you’re already doing. The skills are there, but you just might need to learn what else they’re called in another field.