Producer

POSITION SPECIFICATION Client Company The Teaching Company (“TTC” or the “Company”), based in Chantilly, Virginia, is a highly profitable and growth-oriented direct marketing education business that supplies university-level lectures taught by premier professors from leading universities via DVDs, CDs and other formats through catalogs and its website.  Experiencing explosive 20%+ annual growth rates, The Teaching Company is the nation's leading publisher of university-level courses on DVD.   The Teaching Company is best known for its market-leading product line known as "The Great Courses," which is targeted toward lifelong learners.  TTC offers more than 250 courses in nine subject categories, comprising more than 3,000 hours of content.  The Company enjoys strong brand loyalty driven by uncompromising product quality and a commitment to complete customer satisfaction. The courses range from a relatively brief course of twelve 30 minute lectures to 96 lectures with over 48 hours of content.  Available topics cover a spectrum of interests, from music appreciation and literature to such titles as "No Excuses:  Existentialism and the Meaning of Life," and "The Joy of Thinking: The Beauty and Power of Classical Mathematical Ideas." The Teaching Company is the largest provider of video and audio content targeting lifelong learners, featuring engaging lectures from leading professors from around the nation.  With a target market that primarily focuses on above-average income baby boomers with an interest in continuing education, TTC’s addressable market is large and growing. Position Summary The Company has well-established and highly-effective production capabilities and is building a new state-of-the art studio opening in early 2009.  The Company has a wide range of prospective courses available and a full functioning technical production team.  An experienced producer would have a steady supply of new courses and access to the resources of the production team to compile powerful new courses for TTC. TTC is currently seeking to recruit a seasoned and capable producer to join its dynamic production team.  Under the direction of the Senior Producer, the Producer will be responsible for working with their assigned production team and managing all aspects of pre- and post-production.  The Producer has the overall responsibility for the creation and completion of all the video and audio aspects of the assigned course material.    Major Responsibilities • Direct the development of, and provides leadership for, all assigned TTC courses and from pre-production through the delivery of replication masters. • Establish and lead a collaborative/authoring relationship with TTC course talent which consists of premier professors from leading universities.  • Work with the professors to visually develop highly complex ideas to be communicated in a visual and auditory medium. • Create pre-production plans in collaboration with TTC content specialists and intellectual property rights representatives, by interpreting professor outlines and scripts, with an emphasis on research, design, and selection of visual elements for course. • Oversee all assigned recording sessions in a live studio environment, ensuring the quality of each lecture as is delivered, the presentation of the content is cohesive, coherent, well-organized, and in compliance with overall direction of the course. • Post-produce all lecture material, including the creation of detailed edit decision lists, research and provision of reference materials for assigned graphic artists, and work collaboratively with intellectual property reps to ensure that all rights are cleared.  • Visualize, design, edit, and proof graphic materials and on-screen text with the aid of assigned editors and graphic artists.  •  Make editorial decisions in post-production which enhance the learning of video and audio course material for customers. • Provide direction and directives to assigned production team for the success of assigned courses and projects ensuring their on time delivery and adherence to budget. • Maintains a high level of quality in the performance of their duties, establishing work priorities, and in achieving company initiatives. • Works closely with other TTC producers as a member of a dynamic team in the planning and execution of best practices and tested product improvements.   • Develops and maintains industry best practices to maximize TTC opportunities. • Ensures the customer experience is effective and best-in-class.     CANDIDATE SPECIFICATION:  KEY SELECTION CRITERIA  Ideal Experience The ideal candidate for the Producer position at TTC will be a proven video producer with significant live studio, graphic visualization, long form video and hands on video editing experiences including: • A minimum of 5-8 years of producing for educational video, television, established post house or other video outlets; • Experience leading production teams to success on multiple projects in dynamic environments;  • Experience in successfully completing projects using Final Cut Pro and the Adobe Creative Suite; • Demonstrated ability to work within a set schedule to meet production timelines, manage budgets, and complete projects; • Bachelor’s degree required, masters preferred.  A concentration in Production, Communications or Multi-Media is strongly recommended.   Critical Competencies for Success • Strong project management skills:  In an environment where precision and detail are key, the producer must have a strong focus on execution -- priorities, timelines, process and strong connection to the end goal of assigned courses and projects.  He/She will do this by working cross-functionally and with management to prioritize initiatives; by showing the ability to balance new ideas with a disciplined management process and flawless execution. • Team leadership skills:  This producer must be a strong leader, who derives significant satisfaction from both the development and success of his/her projects and teammates.  He/She must also excel at the ability to see a project through each phase to completion, being creative in problem solving and leading a quality-oriented team to meet deadlines and budgetary parameters. His/Her leadership style will be characterized by the communication of clearly defined expectations and timelines for deliverables, and ability to communicate visual ideas and concepts to team members for completion. • Collaborative leadership styles:  The producer must have a confirmed capability to work effectively in a team-based environment, collaborate cross-functionally, exercise influence at multiple levels and build enthusiastic alignment around their production plan.  He/She must be a good listener, must show sincere respect, if not passion, for the TTC brand, mission and processes, have an appreciation for the tremendous work that has been the basis for the success of TTC’s courses, and must use that respect to build support, achieve agreement and set priorities for key assigned projects. Other Personal Characteristics • Highly intelligent: Due to the nature of our content, an individual who is able to process complex issues quickly, and discuss and develop high level academic ideas with leading professors from across the nation, and translate them into a visual and auditory medium.   • Integrity:  An individual with unquestioned personal and business integrity whose attention to detail and accuracy will reflect favorably on The Teaching Company and whose professional stature will command respect and credibility inside and outside the Company. • Communication:  Strong communication skills; able to convey a message that is clear and concise, leading projects to a successful conclusion.