Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adam Mansfield. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Adam, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My love of being on set started when I was a child. My uncle is a commercial photographer, and I spent a lot of time with him on shoots, both in the studio and in the field. It was there that I learned basic set etiquette. Later, when I went to film school, I learned a lot of theory and history. Very little of my film school education taught me anything about what I do as an unscripted story producer. Nobody taught me how to talk on a walkie, fill out start paperwork or what “fire-watching gear” was.

If I had the chance to do it all over again, I probably would have skipped film school altogether. I would have entered the workforce as a PA and gained the real-world experience I needed.

My advice to someone trying to start a career in film and television is to research and contact professionals in the line of work they are interested in. Reach out, email and call. Eventually, you will find someone who will give you a shot and open the door for you. Once that door is open, work hard, be kind, and you will continue to get called for gigs.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always inherently been a creative and people person. I think those two qualities led me down the path to the career I have today.

After film school, I landed a production assistant gig on the hit ABC tv show, “The Bachelor.” I worked hard for them and that led to more and more days of work for the show. I spent that time learning as much as I could about every aspect of production. Eventually, the time came for me to decide the path I wanted to continue down. Either pursue a career on the technical side in the camera department or join the cast-producing team. As much as I loved the camera tech, the people-person side of me drew me towards the producing side.

Over the course of the next several years, I rose through the ranks as a producer and worked on a variety of shows from Pooch Perfect to FBoy Island.

While I still produce shows for many networks and streamers, I am in the process of forming my own Production/Consulting company aimed to help elevate the production value of individual content creators and brands. I bring over a decade of experience producing large-scale tv shows to individuals and small companies. Stay tuned and follow me on Instagram @TheMansfield for future announcements on this!

Any advice for managing a team?

My response to this is inspired by one of the best pieces of advice that I’ve heard from chefs:

“Cook with love. Food tastes better when the kitchen is having fun.”

A while back, during a particularly challenging day on set, a colleague of mine said something that really stuck in my mind. “We don’t have to make tv, we get to make tv.”

As a team leader, I think it is so important to foster a happy working environment. When times get tough and hours get long, people will go out of their way to get the job done right if they like and respect you. I believe that the viewing audience will be watching much better content when it was made by a happy, well-rested crew.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love making content that gives people joy and an escape from their daily grind. Life is hard and television offers a break from a long day. It makes me happy when people tell me that they watch a show I workd on. I try to remind myself of those moments when times are tough on set.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themansfield/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-mansfield-7aa18110/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdamJMansfield
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuQheq-sv88Z_EfbiA6iZgw