Being a Producer

I was having an interesting meeting yesterday with the agency that is building the website for my project In the Spread. As I was walking out, Max Forstater, the Technical Director for Merge Atlanta, says, "it is great that you actually have a media company that produces media". We laughed. From there, we started taking about how tough it is to actually produce content that gets delivered to market.

What does it mean to be a producer in the visual media industry? According to creativeskillset.org, "Producers are highly self-motivated individuals, who have the final responsibility for all aspects of a film's production. There are so many ways of being a Producer. Very often the Producer is the first person to become involved in a project, even before the writer, or they may be the agent-style Producer who focuses on the deal. Generally though, the Producer shepherds the film from inception to completion and beyond, starting long before the film-making process and continuing to talk about and sell the picture long after everyone else has gone on to other projects."


That definition only scratches the surface of what the job entails. There is so much that goes into creating a project, arranging financing, bringing in all the principles, filming and editing the material, obtaining distribution, marketing and promoting the project. And that is keeping it simple. Talk about a grind...


I have had several people ask me about becoming a producer of films or videos. This always causes me to pause. I think of all the folks I know that went to film school and still aren't producing anything. The world of media production is a hard business to break into, especially if you want to produce your own projects. You do not want to go at it the way I did. That is a tough road to hoe. But, if your dream is to produce films or videos, go for it.

I began producing content with Full Throttle Media just over a decade ago without any formal training. But, I did come with a solid business background, which is hugely important. The one glowing benefit I had was the luxury of taking several years to learn cameras, audio equipment and lighting. I am still learning. And then of course, there is a strong creative/artistic streak that runs in my family, which helps. I also had the benefit, over this period, of being taught the business and legal side of production by a super talented film producer, while living in Santa Monica.


In brief, to all who seek to pursue a career in production, never stop feeding your edge. Find a mentor and suck their brain dry. Study, read, experiment and be prepared to make a lot of mistakes. Nothing teaches you more than screwing up. Just try not to do it on someone else's dime.

At the end of the day, I love what I do and am always willing to help anyway I am able.

Thanks for following,
Seth Horne

Copyright © 2013, Full Throttle Media, Inc.

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Full Throttle Media to Redesign Production Process for "In the Spread"

Full Throttle Media's innovative project In the Spread prepares to launch a new production framework and a very interesting new set for in studio segments. Following the dredge fishing video featuring Captain Glenn Cameron, RJ Boyle and Full Throttle Media made the decision to revamp the production process to streamline the process for all future videos.

The goal behind this new approach is to shorten the production schedule, so we can get more videos to market sooner. This will provide a very engaging environment for the viewer and serve to creatively integrate our sponsors. Photos of the new sets buildout will be released as the construction process begins. Stay tuned!

Copyright © 2013, Full Throttle Media, Inc.

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New Project

The new year has brought with it new opportunities. We are just starting pre-production on what could prove to be a very interesting and rewarding project related to the fitness world. There will be no official release of names or exactly what is entailed until we have concluded the first round of filming. We have to do this in order to prevent some fitness competitors from jumping in. We hope to have an press release ready by the end of February. Full ahead as we go.

Share the experience, sell the dream...Full Throttle Media! FTM Seth Horne

Year End

Well, another year is coming to a close and while this one started off slowly, it is ending on a high note and building well into next year. As hard as I have worked to advance FTM's projects, nothing would have happened without the support of my production team. I especially want to say thanks to George for all his dedication. He has been with me since the beginning and never lets me down. As this year nears it's end, we are busy penciling in dates for multiple location shoots next year. Thanks to everyone! See you after the holidays.


Share the experience, sell the dream...Full Throttle Media! FTM Seth Horne

Viewer Centric

Are you looking at your audience through the eyes of your production company or through the eyes of your audience? How can you better manage receptiveness by end users to your product and what content do they really need or want? Be viewer centric! Think about what the relationship between current productions and the audience is and what improvements are necessary to maintain and build said audience. This is not hard, but can be time consuming.

The key is to know your target audience. Understand them intimately. This is more about what end viewers want rather than what your company may want or assume the audience wants. Broaden your knowledge base, talk to subject matter experts. For good measure, it would pay to submerse yourself in the subject by either being a follower or becoming a follower. Walk in the footsteps of your audience for a little while.

Where do current productions fall short? What are you competing against? What are the trends, past, present and what will they be going forward? Having measurable audience and comparable product metrics will pay huge dividends in the end. You have to differentiate yourself.


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Seth Horne

Market Reach with Full Throttle Media Films

In order to reach, I mean really reach, your audience you have to entertain them rather than approach them with a hard sell.

Film is one of the most elaborate examples yet of the intersection of the entertainment and advertising industries, with the internet shaping up as the main distribution crossroad.

We are seeing more sophisticated techniques, such as short films, where the aim is to sell a product, but to cleverly do the advertising in a subtle way. These short films can be very entertaining and exciting, but also promote a product behind the main theme.

There is evidence of shortened attention spans and a greater effort to break through the clutter of multitudinous brands and media vehicles. The best way to deliver the message is to catch the customer off-guard when the rational defenses are down. The best way to do so is to use the emotional gate rather than the rational gate. The rational gate examines the advantages, benefits, features and seeks value for money; the emotional gate is all about trust, love, identification and belief. It has been noticed that films operate at the emotional level. These aspects can be leveraged by super brands.

Thus, the prime value of Full Throttle Media projects is reflected in the tremendous opportunity available for advertising exposure through our sophisticated approach to contextual brand placement or themed media campaigns associated with our film projects.

Sponsors find our programs extremely valuable marketing vehicles through which they can target the various demographic rich sports enthusiast communities where Full Throttle Media has developed relationships. All our film sponsorship packages can be customized, specific to the corporate strategies and/or the institutional guidelines of your company’s interests.

Advantages of brand placements in Full Throttle Media films:

• Diminishing cost due to the longevity of video online and in DVD form
• Brand exposure is revived and revisited several times as film's are watched
• Lower cost relative to broadcast or print media and the ability to reach target audience
• With the average 30-second spot costing $50,000-$400,000 or more, product placement is a minor expense
• Ability to integrate your product and/or theme into the production
• Achieve significant increase in brand awareness amongst audience
• Film is a clutter-free environment
• Not subject to surfing, zipping or muting (unlike in TV and other media)
• Since your product is integrated into the show, you have a 'captive audience'
• Ads catch people in a receptive mood
• Tremendous opportunity for cross-promotions

Our films are an extremely valuable marketing vehicle for power brands to target the demographic various rich sport enthusiast community and related recreational enthusiasts.

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FTM
Seth Horne

The bete noire of production

Nothing in the production world, or for that matter any economic endeavor, happens without financing. In the media production world, financing is always very difficult due to the risk involved. There are so many variables at play that effect the outcome of a project. But, when you are relying on others to pony up the dough, you are at the mercy of either a bete noire or an angel. All of us, who have dealt with film financing, know how chaotic the process can be up until the cash is in the bank. At Full Throttle Media we have had to deal with some less than honest characters.

Why is it that so many people are ready to back a production without even knowing what the process entails. Grand dreams of getting rich over night seem to pervade. It is usually greed or the bete noire of financing that grips these souls. I am usually left shaking my head in amazement at how fool hearty these depraved jackholes are.

Just the early part of this fall, after a year of discussion with the ministry of tourism in a certain country who were real eager to fund a big project the entire process came to an abrupt halt. It was their greed that screwed up the whole deal. As it turns out, certain officials had grand designs on absconding the money once it was released by the Government and leaving Full Throttle Media holding the bag. I hope these corrupt officials have their day in the sun.

The thing that irks me the most is not having the project fall apart, that is a regular occurrence in this biz, but having my time wasted. Greed and corruption are a motherf***er that will drag you down. I am glad to have not gotten caught up in this BS. My philosophy is to follow the way of my father and be the bigger man. Do what is right for those involved in the deal, think less about yourself and everything will work out well. As for the bete noire of financing, beat that fool down.

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FTM
Seth Horne