Producing : What's next and how to keep going... by Terri Morgan

Not really a question as much as a goal. We finished the first Episode. I'll be releasing Part 2 next week. I've started sales. Maybe not the traditional way of doing things. But one thing I learned a long time ago is convincing people you can do something, that you can produce this software, this magazine, this show isn't about telling them what you can do. You have to show them something.

That's a bit more complicated for me since what I'm trying to start is a bit different than producing one show or one film. Sure, all the same things have to be done: get the scripts ready, coach the actors, get the recordings made, edit them, add the sounds and music, and then finish. It's a lot of work. I need to do it all again for Episode 2. That's one of the things that has to happen if we are going to keep going - regular releases. I want the show to keep going. So,...

The thing is, I don't want to do it the same way. I don't. There are so many things that I want to do differently so that getting to the goal, getting the show produced and published, is easier. It won't ever be problem-free, but it can be easier. Scheduling is one of those things that I have to change. Tools and methods are mostly okay. I could use a couple of checklists and some standards. Simple things that don't seem important until you don't have them.

I still need several people, too. That's been one of the harder things. I don't have a budget, not really. I don't have investors. I have me. That's not trivial. It's not. Getting from "I have this idea for a story" to "Here's a fully produced audio drama with human actors" wasn't easy. I had to do some things that were harder than I ever imagined. I worked long hours every day. I was so tired. My hands hurt. There wasn't any other way. Either I was going to do it or not. At 69, I can't do what I could in my 20s. But I got close. That determination is what I bring. I want to make this show happen.

And that's what the people who agreed to work with me brought, too. They wanted the show to happen. They made time, even when I didn't have that much to offer. I paid bonuses on the spot to two people for exceptional work and added a bonus for another person who stepped up when I needed help. And then, one of my actors told me why he was willing to do the show - me. He said he saw something in what I am doing, in my efforts and who I am, in the story and the telling of it, that he wanted to support.

For what I'm doing with the show, for what I want it to become, wanting it to succeed is what has to happen. The people who come to work on it have to want it to succeed. It can't be the next mc-gig or a filler while waiting for that big break. That big break happens when someone opens a door and invites you to come in. You have to decide to do the work or not. I've decided I want to do this show. I've been lucky to find a few folks who also want do do this show. I'm still looking for more.