Jason Prisk: Freelancer to Producer

By Connor Cable

When it comes to the industry of journalism, there are many different positions. You can write for a newspaper or television station, you can direct shows or edit any number of things. But there is one position that can be seen as a jack-of-all trades: the producer. A producer manages entire projects and needs to be able to give valuable input on all aspects of an assignment, if not do it themselves. Being a producer is exactly what describes Jason Prisk, who is a freelance producer/director.

“I am responsible for taking a client’s project (or one I have developed on my own) and arranging everything necessary to get it to a completed video,” he said. “This means either hiring the proper people (writers, directors, crews, editors, etc.) or doing it myself.”

Prisk graduated from Pensacola Christian School with a degree in communications. He started work on a master’s degree at the University of West Florida, but he moved to Atlanta midway through and never finished it.

Freelance work has been a part of Prisk’s life for quite some time.

“I have been doing video production since I was a teenager. Started out doing things just for fun and then began working for next to nothing on promotional videos for non-profits and ministries,” he said. “I also produced local commercials. But for years, video was just one of the many things I did. Out of college, I worked doing radio shows on small stations and was producer/engineer for a syndicated national radio show called Jay Sekulow Live.”

Once Prisk got to Atlanta, he started to work with some much larger clients, including Delta Airlines. He has also worked with Leatherman Tools, Cox Media Group and Moneytrax Inc.

For Prisk, being a producer means he needs to be at the top of his game every single day. “As a “producer,” it is on you to produce. Often, this is coming up with ideas to pitch in order to generate work. You have to be a good listener and be able to figure out what it is the client wants. Many of them do not know how to communicate what they need, so it can be a bit difficult to hit the mark in a lot of cases, Prisk said.

He also said that being a producer is definitely a challenging position.

“This is not a job that you show up for and punch the clock. You have to deliver a good product consistently or the client will move on,” he said.

Because producing requires so many different skills and a good vision for the output of a product, producers need to deliver every single time they are on the job.

It is not all work and no play for Prisk. He always knows how to make his day job be his hobby as well.

“I like the challenge of creating something new and delivering something the client will love. Working on-set with a great crew can be a lot of fun and very rewarding when accomplishing something difficult,” Prisk said.

While Prisk did not say that he is “inspired” by his peers, he did say that he often watches the work that other people are putting out in order to keep up. He pointed out that it is important to stay at the top of the creative curve; older producers will sometimes ignore the advances in the field and fall behind. For Prisk, it is important to remain competitive.

Prisk also reflected on what he has done to get to where he is today.

“I spent a lot of time trying to do too many things. My list of services included video (producing/shooting/editing, etc), radio, music (producing, engineering, mixing), design, web design/development, live sound and more,” he said. “I did most things on my own. While this was great for learning all of the different roles I now oversee and kept life interesting, it was actually not great for earning a living. Once I decided to specialize in video producing/directing, my life became simpler and I began earning a lot more money.”

Prisk said he is most proud of bringing value to his clients.

“I feel pride in the fact that I am bringing value to my clients. In many cases, I am delivering work that would generally cost them much more simply because I know enough about all stages of the production process that I can do high-end production with relatively small crews,” he said. “As far as specific projects, I get a lot of satisfaction from having completed three feature-length films. Many people talk about doing it, but it is rewarding to have taken on the challenge and completed it.”

Prisk said his final thoughts are that “the biggest advice is to stay humble and never feel like you have arrived. Styles, techniques, approaches, and mediums change quickly in this industry and you have to be willing to adapt quickly and effectively as much as possible. Be honest. Be willing to work hard, including extra hours in order to keep clients happy.”

Laughing, he added that “one of the biggest things is to meet your deadline. A producer who does great work but cannot deliver on-time (and on-budget) will not do well”.

Prisk continues working on many projects in his studio in Atlanta.