Why producers should say 'yes', but without selling themselves short

Sometimes I think being a producer is similar to being Sammy Glick from What Makes Sammy Run?, only in reverse. 

Instead of clawing our way upward at any cost, we’re often trying to hold the line on the way down, rearranging budgets and timelines so the work does not disappear. 

Compromise is key, but what are we sacrificing in the name of saying yes?

We always want to say 'yes'. It’s part of every producer’s DNA. Making it work makes our clients happy, but most of all, it makes us happy. Especially now, with shrinking budgets, accelerated schedules, expanded deliverables and rising expectations, the pressure to 'make it work' has never been greater. 

Above: Being a producer can be similar to being Sammy Glick from the novel What Makes Sammy Run?.

Often, we can make it work. But the more important question is; at what cost? As producers, we have to measure this cost like any other line item in our budgets and production schedules. Compromise is key, but what are we sacrificing in the name of saying yes?

Risk versus flexibility

In competitive bidding environments, the temptation is to stretch just a little further than feels comfortable — shave here, absorb there, a promise that we’ll figure it all out. But repeated concessions eventually become expectations. What began as flexibility slowly resets the standard and wears down systems put in place to ensure the integrity of every project. 

There’s a difference between being adaptable and being self-erasing. 

That’s how real value erodes — not in dramatic decisions, but in incremental compromise. 

There’s a difference between being adaptable and being self-erasing. Sometimes when we say yes, it means cutting prep time the creative genuinely requires, stretching teams beyond their bandwidth, reducing contingency, and normalising unpaid development time. In those situations, producers aren’t solving a problem — they're compromising the structure that allows strong work to exist. 

Above: In competitive bidding environments, the temptation is to stretch just a little further than feels comfortable.

Producers sit in a uniquely balanced role. We protect the creative ambition while also protecting the business that makes that ambition possible. If either side weakens, the system doesn’t hold. When a job wraps, if it leaves a team burned out, a director under-supported, or a company financially strained, that isn’t a real win. Flexibility is a strength. Absorbing too much risk is not.

Protect producorial authorship 

Production companies are not interchangeable vendors executing instructions. We bring leadership, infrastructure, taste, relationships and teams who know how to elevate an idea beyond what’s on the page. When we discount that contribution to win a job, we unintentionally signal that producers are replaceable — hired hands or glorified Task Rabbits. 

Craft isn’t interchangeable. Leadership isn’t interchangeable. Experience navigating complexity without chaos isn’t interchangeable. We have to hold the line and see our work as valuable. Doing so drives the message home that we are collaborators and partners, not just administrators. 

Flexibility is a strength. Absorbing too much risk is not.

For producers to say yes, we need clarity from the very beginning. Clarity gives us the information we need to ensure all bases are covered. 

What does this idea truly need to succeed? What scale does it demand? Where can we be efficient without undermining the work, and where can’t we? Those conversations can feel uncomfortable, especially when timelines are short. But honesty early is far more constructive than repair later. 

And then there’s the particular heartbreak of a job that consumes weeks of thinking, shaping and recalibrating only to quietly disappear at the eleventh hour. If you’re looking for the fastest way to manufacture industry cynicism, that’s a reliable formula.

Above: Sustainable and trusting partnerships are integral to successful productions. 

An informed 'no' yields a stronger 'yes'

Producers are at their best when they’re invited into conversations early. That way, it’s easier for us to say yes. Yes to restructuring the scope to align with the budget. Yes to refining the idea so it’s achievable within the timeline. Yes to prioritising what matters most, rather than compromising on everything. 

Agencies and clients who see producers as strategic partners who shape the process, not simply manage it, build stronger collaborative relationships. That trust is the bedrock of powerful partnerships. It protects prep time, crew experience, safety, and morale — all of which directly affect the final product. 

Ironically, these early yeses empower producers to say no later on. The ability to say no within a relationship built on trust increases the value of every yes. Too much 'yes' can dilute trust and as producers, we can’t afford that.

The long-term cost of short-term wins

If every project becomes a race to the bottom — compressing fees, expanding deliverables, thinning teams — the ecosystem weakens; talent leaves, companies close, the middle disappears and what remains is instability. 

The ability to say no within a relationship built on trust increases the value of every yes.

Sustainable partnerships look different. They’re built on mutual recognition of value. When producers hold their ground thoughtfully and transparently it isn’t resistance, it’s stewardship. It signals care for the health of the collaboration, not just the immediate win. 

As producers, we need to keep that long-term vision at the forefront of our minds. Short-term gains feel good, but if they chip away at relationships, the project itself or artistic integrity, are they really worth it? Is a race to the bottom a race you want to win?