Working From Home as a Production Manager: Erin Gunther
We love posting about the awesome work that our staffed camera crews and DP’s are creating across the country. But what about the people behind the scenes? At Go To Team, we’re lucky to have a team of wonderful production managers and coordinators that are constantly putting in the work to make these shoots happen.
Our production manager, Erin Gunther, does all of this, all the while working at home with a nine-month-old! Recently, thousands of people packed up their desks and turned their homes into a work-from-home-zone. For those of you that have never experienced this before, check out Erin’s thoughts on working remotely and how she makes it all happen.
When did you start working from home?
I first started working from home when Emma was four weeks old. It was exciting to have a newborn, but to be honest – slept most of the time at first and I was eager to get back to some sort of structure. So although it was hard to get back in, I knew the longer I waited the harder it would be.
Was this an easy transition for you?
To be 100% honest with you, not a darn thing about having a newborn is easy. One day, I would think I had the hang of something or we had a schedule figured out, and the next day would be something completely different. Transitioning back to work is probably one of the hardest things for a new mom (or at least it was for me). I have so many friends who don’t work, or their kids were in daycare full time, but I didn’t know anyone who worked at home WITH their child. So I was sort of in uncharted territory and had to figure it out on my own, which honestly felt pretty alone because I didn’t want to have to pick between my career and my child.
How do you manage your work while also having a newborn?
Once Emma was old enough to get on a schedule it was a lot easier on me… until she became mobile (around eight months). I would schedule my calls around her nap times. I also do a lot of work after hours on the things that aren’t as time-sensitive and I had a team under me who was able to pick up some of the things I was no longer doing. Now that she is more mobile I have her in a “Mom’s Morning Out Program” that she goes to from 9-1 and then I pick her up at 1, we hangout and she eats lunch with me during my lunch hour and she usually naps from 2-4, so that has made my life a little more structured and easier to deal with now, but there are still most definitely days where I feel way in over my head.
How do you maintain communication with the office?
I am always in communication with the office – that might be via a Facebook portal, Google Hangouts video, and chat. Those ladies are awesome when it comes to going through those hurdles with me, but we have figured out systems and we are in constant contact.
How do you maintain communication with clients?
I am always in constant communication with clients as well. With the way that the production world is these days, email is the main source of communication. So I am exchanging hundreds of emails per day to keep those lines of communication open. There are also a ton of clients with my personal cell phone, so I am essentially always reachable!
Do you have any tips/tricks you would give to other moms in this situation?
Give yourself some slack, you’re figuring out so many new things in life and work is just one aspect. You’re learning that you are no longer the most important, you’re learning how to keep another human alive, you’re learning how to balance all these new things on your plate in addition to all the other joys that come after giving birth. So take a deep breath.
Even though our teams are working remotely until we get through this pandemic, we’re still available and ready to take your calls for whatever shoot may arise! Give us a call today and our video camera crews will be ready to film anything you need. Be sure to stay safe and wash your hands!