Meet Your Makers: How Liz Stallmeyer Sets up for Success
Born and raised in New Jersey, Liz Stallmeyer is a seasoned senior producer and post-production supervisor with more than 10 years of experience in television and commercials. With a background rooted in photography, Liz brings a unique perspective to her projects. Whether she's overseeing the editing process or managing post-production workflows, Liz approaches each project with relentless enthusiasm and a keen eye.
In the TV realm, Liz's credits include 'Ramy', '2 Dope Queens', 'John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch', 'Joe Pera Talks with You', and 'How To with John Wilson', while her latest commercial campaigns include collaborations with Pepsi, Nissan, Chevron, and Anheuser-Busch, among many others. Liz was a 2024 judge for the AICP Awards.
LBB> What was your first role in the production world and how did this experience influence how you think about production and how you grew your career?
Liz> Matt Levine at Departure Films took a chance on me, an eager college grad, and I learned so much about production, post, and the entire process under his wing. While there I instantly gravitated towards the post side.
Having a background in photography, film editing, and a love for process and workflows, I felt I understood creative needs and had the skills for post producing. I starting post producing in reality TV, scripted TV and advertising. I eventually found my way to Cutters New York, where I continue to grow my career in post-production.
LBB> How did you learn to be a producer?
Liz> I had some amazing mentors along the way who showed me the ropes. They taught me the ins and outs of producing from spreadsheets and tracking, to handling personalities and relationships.
LBB> A good producer should be able to produce for any medium, from film to events to digital experience. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why/why not?
Liz> I don’t necessarily agree or disagree. Having a broad understand of all facets of production is certainly helpful but not the key to being a successful producer.
LBB> What do you think is the key to being an effective producer - and is it something that’s innate or something that can be learned?
Liz> You can gather the tools to be a successful producer and become proficient in the process; however, producing is as much process as it is relationships. You can learn effective decision-making in those scenarios, but over time, you have to start to trust your gut on your experience and how to handle those scenarios and relationships.
LBB> And in terms of recent work, which projects have you found to be particularly exciting or have presented particularly interesting production challenges?
Liz> Every project is exciting and presents unique challenges along the way. Most recently I loved collaborating with my team on Pepsi’s 'All the Best Moments are Better With Pepsi' brand design launch. It was a massive group effort from production through post.
We were presented with exciting finishing challenges along the way that were unique to the creative for the spot. The team collaborated in all parts of the production to find solutions. Communication and trust were key. The end product was a huge success for Cutters and the client, and that certainly reflects in the work.
LBB> What advice would you give to people who are interested in becoming a producer?
Liz> Be eager. Be okay with diving into the deep end. Everyone makes mistakes starting out … it’s how you handle those, learn, and pivot to make better decisions in the future.
LBB> From your experience what are the ingredients for a successful production?
Liz> I feel like I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but communication and in-depth collaboration from day one are the keys. I am constantly talking with my team and clients from the start of the production until we wrap. I am always sending rough cuts to our mix, colour, conform partners to get eyes and ears on work early on. I want everyone to be set up for success.
LBB> What’s the key to a successful production-client relationship?
Liz> Trust, communication, and respect. We are all trying to make the best work possible, and that’s how we get there.
