Filmmaker in Focus

Communicating information and instruction in varied facets of the film industry was the inspiration, and remains a guiding principle, of The International Film Institute of New York. A vital component of our mission is The Newsletter whose determining factor for inclusion is the requirement that an item or article contain useful and applicable factual data for our students.

As film educators, with years of experience, we share, and are gratified, at our student’s excitement both in learning the skills required in the film industry and in acquiring the informed background necessary to making a wise decision on further educational opportunities. In line with these missions, we have put together an interview series that will spotlight working filmmakers in various areas of the industry. These professionals will provide hands-on experience, occupational details, and perspectives for those individuals seeking to follow in their footsteps.

We begin our series with George Kimmel, a Producer at Maker Studios, who has spared time from his jam-packed schedule, to answer a series of questions on the nature, operation, membership, and his position with the company as well as valuable advice and insight into the nature, now and in the future, on the continually evolving field of online media. Words of wisdom. Truly.

George Kimmel, as the idiom goes, “knows whereof he speaks.” A graduate of the University of Michigan (BA in Film and Video Studies), he received an MFA in Film Producing from Columbia University where he worked on more than 30 short films, received the prestigious Producing Fellowship, and won Faculty Honors at its film festival for his short “Escape” (2010), which additionally received a $20,000 ASCAP Grant and a Director’s Guild of America award. Other credits include Associate Director on the Bollywood film “Musafir” (2004), Production Supervisor on Pauly Shore’s “Vegas Is My Oyster” (2011), and Associate Producer/Unit Production Manager on the independent “Pervertigo” (2011). He was a Producer on the prize-winning Comedy Central webisode “Family Bum,” has been a Program Coordinator and Screenwriting Instructor at IFI, and a Production Supervisor at Landing Patch Productions.

International Film Institute of New York (IFI): Please give us some background on Maker Studios.

George Kimmel (GK): In 2009, a group of content creators who had established themselves on YouTube joined forces to collectively drive audiences to a single destination–The Station. While pooling resources, they decided to form a company, Maker Studios. In 2014 Disney Studios bought Maker for nearly $1 billion. Maker is the global leader in short-form video and the largest content network on YouTube. Maker attracts more than 11 billion views every month with over 650 million subscribers.

IFI: How and when did you become involved with Maker?

GK: I heard about Maker in late 2011 when a friend toured the studio and told me it seemed like the perfect place for me. A month later I was at a Columbia University networking holiday party and ran into a friend whose boyfriend was a producer there. Two weeks later I was his coordinator, and three weeks later he made Shit Fashion Girls Say, and became a YouTube celebrity.

IFI: What are your position and duties at Maker?

GK: As a Producer, I oversee the channels for some of the biggest YouTube stars. My goal is always to make a viral hit, but the first step is consistency. It’s much easier to go viral if you have a loyal fan base watching all your videos. I average a video a week for all the talent I work with. Every project is different. For some, we just get a camera and microphone together and let the talent riff (Tough Talk). For other projects there are weeks of pre-production and months of finding the project in post (California on Sasquatch). For others still, it’s a matter of recreating a hit music video at a fraction of the budget (Call Me Maybe Parody).

IFI: What makes someone a worthy candidate to become a member of Maker?

GK: I’m great at getting along with a wide range of personalities as well as keeping a lot of balls in the air at once. Any week, I could have multiple shoots, uploads, and development meetings to be overseen. While I am a very imaginative creative producer, I am not an egotist and know that the talent who built these channels usually has the best idea of what their audience will like. I’m good at riding the line between making the best video we can without losing the elements that attracted viewers to a channel in the first place.

IFI: What is the process for becoming an active member of Maker?

GK: Honestly, it was competitive before Disney acquired Maker, but it’s even more so currently. Working in production, I think a smart way to become an active member is to start as a freelancer. Our workload changes every week, so we continually have to hire freelancers, and those that do well keep being called. When a full-time position opens, we look first to people we’ve previously seen excel under the specific pressures of our work environment.

IFI: What are the elements that constitute a noteworthy viral video?

GK: Is it sharable? That’s the main thing I look for. I ask myself if I would share it with my friends and, if so, it’s a go. If you can summarize the video in a few sentences, then it’s a good concept. Also, it doesn’t hurt to have a porn star or two in the video.

IFI: What will be the effect of Disney’s purchase of Maker?

GK: Disney acquired Maker because of our expertise in new media so, luckily, they’re largely leaving us alone. The purchase has mostly affected the kids channels, giving access to a lot of cool toys before they are even released to the general public. Also, we have a division devoted to Star Wars, which is pretty cool.

IFI: Your advice for creating online content?

GK: First, to have started five years ago, when there wasn’t as much competition. Second, start with something you love doing so that you will keep at it. The joy of working in YouTube is free rein (there is nobody telling you what not to do). Third, if your initial goal is fame or ad revenue, you’ll probably stop making videos before you achieve either one. Lastly, be ready to pivot. Many stars I work with began doing one thing and then switched to something else that worked even better. It’s usually the 2nd or 3rd idea that actually hits, but they wouldn’t have known the audience well enough to come up with that new concept if they hadn’t been creating weekly videos for a long time.

IFI: Pitfalls to avoid in creating online content?

GK: Do it because you “must,” first, and secondly for the audience. Don’t try to follow trends, unless it’s organic to your way of telling a story. Have a different take on your material to avoid just following the crowd into a full swimming pool.

IFI: Your forecast for the future of internet content?

GK: Continual change, but there is always a place for great content. When I started at Maker, YouTube was the big new thing. Now Vine and Snapchat are crushing it. Tomorrow if might be Meerkat and Periscope. Clever stories told in original, interesting ways with fun personalities are all that matter, no matter the platform.