Kahla Johnson Braniff

I really think it's just building those relationships. This industry can be really hard with a lot of long days and a lot of travel. You're kind of running sometimes from show to show to show, and you don't have a lot of time to pre-plan. I work so closely with a crew each and every day, and I want to make sure that they feel supported and respected, and then in turn, they do the same for me. At the end of the day, I call the go, but everyone else is the one who actually has to push the button. We work in mutual respect, and I think that's the biggest thing, because we're all trying to make the best event that we can. I try to keep the positivity up, because the second someone starts to feel down, the whole crew can start to be brought down. So I always try to make sure that when everyone's on my show, they know that it's going to be a positive experience, and I want everyone to leave feeling accomplished. I also try to make my clients happy by really connecting with them and learning what they want to accomplish, making sure we join their team for the duration of the event and that it's exactly what they want to happen.

In my world, it's really all about relationships. I work so closely with a crew each and every day, and I want to make sure that they feel supported and respected, and then in turn, they do the same for me. We always laugh in our world that really the biggest thing we say is 'go,' because that kind of lets everybody know something needs to happen. I'm the one calling the go, but everyone else is the one who actually has to push the button. We work in mutual respect, and I think that's the biggest thing. The advice has always been just make your crew happy, and that's what I try to do - make my crew and my clients happy.

I would say definitely be your own person. I think I've run into a lot of different producers with different styles and personalities, and I think a lot of times, as a woman, people sometimes look at kindness as weakness. So a lot will kind of turn to just be a little bit more stern to get that respect and get what they can out of their crew, but it's just not my style. To try and force it, it's never going to work for me. I think a lot of times when I see younger people jumping in, they feel like they have to say yes to everything, and they just have to adapt to who they're with. But I think just be who you are, because that's where you're going to find the success in this industry.

The challenges include a lot of long days and a lot of travel. You're kind of running sometimes from show to show to show, and you don't have a lot of time to pre-plan. But in terms of opportunities, it takes so many people to put on an event, and I think that's the biggest thing. Starting out as a production assistant or even just shadowing someone gives you so much exposure to all the different areas that you can go. I've seen a lot of people start off in the PA role, and then they decide they really like to do audio, so they jump to that tech route. A lot of people have come from a theater background because we do live productions - we have one shot to do it. There's a little bit of pressure, like we've got this one performance, we've got to get it right. I think it's just using what you like, getting more exposure, and then you can kind of see where it can take you. I started out as a PA, then did stage managing, and then got more confident and started doing show calls. The tech aspect is changing every single day, so being able to continue with that and keep up on it - I want to be able to intelligently talk to all my video people and audio guys. It's always kind of a fun way because I feel like I've never stopped learning.

I really, really value authenticity, and also just relationship building and closeness. I want people to know that I'm a safe spot for people to land. So if they're having a tough day, I want them to know that they can come to me. Whether I'm at home or at work, they're going to get the same experience, because I really care about them. I think that's something that I really value - being able to make those relationships and form bonds with people that I work with. We do work so closely together, so you kind of become a big family. We fight like brothers and sisters sometimes, but at the end of the day, we're all trying to achieve the same goal. Being able to come back from that and have those hard conversations and those meaningful ones, that's always been something that's really important to me. The same goes for my clients. I want them to know that they're getting the version of me that actually cares about their show. It's not just that I got assigned to it, whatever. I really try to connect with them and learn what they want to accomplish, and make sure that we join their team for the duration of the event and that it's exactly what they want to happen.