Jamie Hammond is an Emmy-award winning producer who has been in the entertainment business for 35 years. Upon graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), she earned a degree in finance and accounting. Through networking in the production accounting realm, she shifted her focus when client Danny Thomas introduced and taught her about being a producer. Through this experience she began working in national broadcast and worked on mini-series; she even met David Letterman when he was attempting a morning talk show. The LA atmosphere wasn’t fitting for Hammond so she decided to move to Seattle.
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In Seattle, her career in the television production industry kicked off when she was approached to work on the educational show Bill Nye the Science Guy. This was the first television series created for commercial syndication and public TV. Bill Nye the Science Guy has been successful on air and is shown in many science classrooms. Through this experience, Hammond learned that she must always be on top of technology and ideas. The establishment of this series was during a time when TV shows didn’t have websites yet so Hammond and her team creatively made the website, blog, electronic newsletter, curriculum, and teacher sources since it was a show for children.
A key element that Hammond and other guest speakers have emphasized is to use entertainment to hold the audience and that a story telling component is the foundation of everything. In 2003, the concept for another hit educational series Biz Kid$ was in the works. Hammond and her peers wanted to have an entrepreneur show about real stories and real kids doing cool things and they definitely wanted comedy in the show because that was important in education. At one meeting, the concept suddenly came together and they began working on format.
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Her team worked on making a media kit. Hammond’s number one advice that she shared was “do not invest your life savings. Just invest a little start up money, try to take other’s money so that you’re not completely vulnerable, just in case.” With that, she approached financial services, banks, investment companies, and office supply companies to find funding for Biz Kid$. These types of companies helped to support the show’s mission of “inspiring kids to find their passion and incorporate in life” which can create a stronger bond and insurance for keeping the show. When you have support, you can speak from the heart when trying to get money.
A business plan is vital. When dealing with money, Hammond says you have to go along with their timeline and have a realistic budget. Research and documentation is also important to have for support. It took a year to get $2.6 million for the first thirteen episodes. The hard work and time it took to make the show was recognized in its first season when it won an Emmy award.
During the production stages of this Emmy award winning show, there were several factors and steps that were taken in order to complete the puzzle. Hammond and her team had to develop a look and feel for the show, identify the characters for the series, and decided that they didn’t want a host. These are important tactics that guest speakers have reiterated when creating a show concept.
With these elements in mind, they did castings in Seattle in search of a core group of kids for the show. Hammond reflects on the challenges of finding children in Seattle because most haven’t had on-camera experience and there wasn’t a good agency for children. Thinking outside the box, Hammond checked out high schools and local theaters to watch plays and took note of who stuck out. She claims that what you invest in will have its awards and that’s exactly how she felt as she watched the chosen cast grow as artists.
Hammond’s success working on two Emmy award-winning shows reveals her passion for her work which was definitely a treat and very valuable to our class. There are a number of things that we can take away from her presentation. She emphasizes that “you have to do what it takes by earning your chops, paying your dues and experiencing all the jobs and observing because you get a feel for what’s good and what needs to be changed.”
She also gave us important advice about accessing the audience and finding ways to market to them. She advises us to identify the project and how you’re going to take it to the market and what market it is by doing research on downloads, cable distribution, products, etc. To find out if an idea is interesting she said to see what resonates within your own friends, do focus groups, fill out questionnaires, and have people write, and to listen and be honest with yourself because if no one or you care, then the world won’t.
One trait that that shines through Hammond is her determination, she said it herself, “I was born determined and I’ve stayed that way.”
