4 ways your production crew helps you be resilient in uncertain times

The animation and visual effects industries were built on passion. The career you now have was once just a dream that you dared to dream.

And yet, this dream career isn't always a straight line, and the people in the industry are no strangers to uncertainty in project timelines and workflow disruptions.

The past few months, for many, have been incredibly challenging.

But there is always a flip side: we can transform our challenges into opportunities.

Soon, the industry will bounce back, and those focused on strengthening their resiliency during the dip will have a headstart.

Your production crew's resiliency will play a fundamental role in the success of your production when facing the rebound.

Here are 4 superpowers of your production crew that help you future-proof your production. Investing in their development means transforming inconvenient challenges into competitive opportunities:

1. They organize the unexpected

When the industry faces disruptions, being flexible and adaptable is a competitive advantage.

When your coordinators and project managers are more adaptable, they can handle unexpected challenges more easily. They can quickly adjust project schedules and resources to reduce the impact on production timelines. 

And you know what? Flexibility and adaptability are learnable skills.

2. They have the power to optimize the whole team's performance

While project work might be temporarily reduced, you and your team can make the most of this downtime to refine and streamline internal processes to elevate productivity and document best practices to facilitate onboarding and training when things pick up because soon they will!

In our experience, streamlining and documenting processes can easily help your team gain 20% of efficiency.

3. They have more than one tool in their toolbox

Staying up-to-date on industry trends and best practices is not something we have much time for when our production is moving full steam ahead. Learning about the latest tools and methodologies helps coordinators and project managers make sure that they are well-equipped to manage contemporary challenges.

A slowdown is the perfect moment to diversify your skills. Not being confined to one skillset or task description is a major asset in uncertain times, and those who are flexible regarding the responsibilities and tasks they can take on are sure to thrive.

4. They are at the front line

If there is one thing we know for sure after 20 years in the animation industry, it is that no matter the challenges, we always bounce back! The industry adjusts, pivots, gets creative, and thrives, time after time. We've seen and lived through many industry crises, and we are still here.

And once the rebound comes, best believe it will be busy!

Who will be there to manage clients, artists, schedules, meetings and deliveries while also setting the tone and keeping morale and team spirit at a high?

Your production crew.

They will be at the forefront of the industry rebound. The choices they make will have a huge impact on whether your team simply survives or if it thrives.

Once we are on the rise, those who invested in their development will have a head start because they seized the opportunity to upskill, refine their methodologies, and gain a competitive advantage.

These are all learnable skills that we can help you strengthen with our self-pace course The PROD Bootcamp. 

 You don't have to go at it alone; we are to support you.

Cheers to your success!

The Happy Producers