A reader asked me recently what I spend most of my day as a Producer doing.

“Is it analyzing ticket trends?  Making budgets?  Schmoozing agents to get their stars to do your shows?”

I do each of those things just about every day, actually.  But that’s not what I do the most.

What I do the most . . . is write.

I write letters to authors.  I write memos to theater owners.  I write text messages to actors.  I also write copy for my investor marketing packets.  I write policies for my staff.  I write remarks for meetings with unions.  I write emails to agents, insurance brokers, vendors, and so on.  Oh yeah, and I write a blog.

I write a ton of stuff, every single day, most with the goal of persuading the other party to, well join my party!  In other words, the goal of so much of a Producer’s written communication is to persuade the person on the other end of the line to do what you want them to do . . . whether that’s invest in a show, give me a theater, grant me the rights to a show, give me a break on costs, perform in my show, etc.  (Read this book for tips on how to hone these skills.)

People ask me all the time what’s the one skill to focus on as an up-and-coming producer.  I usually answer marketing, as I did in the Producing 101 video.  But if you distill marketing down to an even more basic skill, I’d have to say the one thing that can make or break a Producer is their ability to write.

So, I’m a writer.  And you are too.  And it’s important you become a great one, since your shows will depend on it.

You may not be penning Hollywood blockbusters or the book to a brand new musical, but it’s your written words that can make those blockbusters actually happen.

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