Meet Your Makers: Nicole Rajakovic on Bringing Order to the Chaos
Nicole Rajakovic has been in the Canadian ad industry for over 20 years, beginning as a copywriter and making her way to VP at Dentsu’s Healthcare division. She moved into strategic planning and consulting before entering the world of audio production.
Nicole is one of the founders of Rajakovic Electric, a boutique full service audio company that launched in late 2020 and has successfully produced national and global award winning projects over the past three and a half years. Outside of work, she has a passion for social advocacy and currently enjoys busy city living with her partner in life and business. She is also the proud mother of two school aged kids and two wily black cats.
LBB> What first attracted you to production - and has it been an industry you’ve always worked in or did you come to it from another area?
Nicole> I have always loved bringing order to chaos and I have a solutions oriented nature so production was always interesting to me. I had brief exposure to it at the beginning of my career but didn’t commit fully to it until about four years ago.
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?
Nicole> My first role in the production world was in print production at a small niche marketing agency. I began as a copywriter but as is the case with many small companies, I ended up wearing various hats and production happened to be one of them. I liked the problem solving aspect of production but I especially gravitated to the creative and learning elements of it and it served me well as I moved through the ad industry in different roles, ultimately moving into executive management.
LBB> How did you learn to be a producer?
Nicole> By listening. There were no courses to take or workshops so it was quite literally a trial and error experience. Each time I found myself in the role I asked plenty of questions to all the different team members to get a deeper understanding of what everyone did. It also helped that I had worked on the creative side of things, project management, client services and strategy. Understanding the intricacies of all these crucial departments assisted in my abilities to plan and problem solve on the fly.
LBB> Looking back to the beginning of your career, can you tell us about a production you were involved in where you really had to dig deep and that really helped you to grow as a producer?
Nicole> About a year into being a full time audio producer, we were working on a project for the SickKids Foundation. It was a massive campaign and had so many moving parts including the development of a cover of a very popular track from the 80s. We were having a real challenge getting approval of the cover because the main writer was not really understanding the concept and wasn’t onboard. In the meantime as a producer, I had to have a plan B and a plan C.
Our mix dates changed several times as did the media buy so there were so many elements to keep track of beyond just the regular organisation of a mix date. We ended up finally convincing the writer that this was a worthy cause and creatively putting the song in a fantastic light. I really relied on my extensive experience in so many different areas of the industry to successfully pull this one off and it certainly gave me confidence that I could indeed have a successful career in production.
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?
Nicole> I agree. Talented producers are individuals who possess a natural interest in how things work and have great attention to detail and team building skills. If you have those skills they are easily transferable because the basic framework of successful producing is the same no matter what the medium. A big part about being a good producer is trusting and learning from the experts you are employing to make a production come together.
LBB> What’s your favourite thing about production and why?
Nicole> Problem solving. It is really the heart of producing and it is something I find incredibly exciting and satisfying. I love being given a challenge and even though at times it can be stressful to have a wrench constantly thrown into the works, I love coming up with creative ways to accomplish exactly what the client wants and even finding them some cost savings too!
LBB> How has production changed since you started your career?
Nicole> Since my official production career began in the middle of COVID lockdowns I’d say that my career was steeped in change. I wasn’t meeting anyone in person and was organising recording and mix sessions around a long list of health protocols.
LBB> And what has stayed the same?
Nicole> I don’t really have much to gauge this on but I’d say one thing that remains constant in this industry as a whole is that transparency, respect and adaptability are key to the success of any project.
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?
Nicole> Being able to anticipate and plan for hiccups is really essential to effective producing. Some people just naturally approach tasks in this way and I am not really sure it can be taught. I think people can certainly get better at doing this over time and learn from each project but there are definitely naturally organised people who are strong problem solvers.
LBB> Which production project from across your career are you most proud of and why?
Nicole> ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) 'Immortal' was an incredible project to be a part of. From the creative to the visual production it was honestly epic and the partnership between director and music composer early on in the process really took the soundtrack to the next level. It was a long format production along with many cutdowns along with a long narration so it required quite a bit of planning in terms of audio production.
I was proud that we pulled it all together and also brought forward best voice for the project. All in all it was a proud moment to see the completed short film and then find out that ROM wanted to keep it running in the museum for the year.
Above: ROM - Immortal
LBB> And in terms of recent work, which projects have you found to be particularly exciting or have presented particularly interesting production challenges?
Nicole> Longo’s radio has honestly been a fantastic ongoing project for us. Working with always hilarious writing from the team at Conflict and with talent that is the head of Longo’s, Anthony Longo, it’s always exciting to see what the next project brings.
Although it is a simple medium, the challenge with your talent being the head of the company is aligning with his schedule. Recently we had to record him but he was quite sick. We must have moved the session date half a dozen times and I had to come up with so many different scenarios to try and make it work. We even were prepared with a remote recording rig in case we needed to just go to his home to make it happen in time. In the end it worked out and we were able to get him in studio and record another great Longo’s spot.
Above: Longo's - Peach Tree
LBB> What are your personal ambitions or aspirations as a producer?
Nicole> I’d love to work on more global or international work. I had a great experience working with the global team on Stella Artois and brokering a licensing deal with a US music artist. I would also love to work on some more long format projects and continue that direct partnership with directors.
LBB> As a producer your brain must have a neverending "to do" list. How do you switch off? What do you do to relax?
Nicole> Ha ha truer words have never been written! I am not sure I ever quite switch it off because I am also a mom so the “to do” list seems neverending. I do love to listen to music (imagine that) so to unwind I actually love a long walk listening to music or doing some hot yoga at the gym to really switch off.
LBB> Producers are problem solvers. What personally fuels your curiosity and drive?
Nicole> I want to know everything. Since I was a kid I have been interested in learning and knowing about so many different things. As great as it sounds it translated into me being less than focused when it came to honing in on an area of study or a career. That’s why production has been a pretty natural move for me because it allows me perfect my knowledge base on the service I am providing in audio but also continue to learn so much more about the larger picture because I am exposed to so many different elements of creative production.
LBB> What advice would you give to people who are interested in becoming a producer?
Nicole> Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Producers have to bring together experts from across the creative and production industry and the more you know about how each area functions and what their needs are the more successful you will be at managing a successful production.
LBB> From your experience, what are the ingredients for a successful production?
Nicole> Challenges will always come up in a production but the most successful ones happen when a great deal of effort is put into the pre-planning. Allowing each team a reasonable amount of time to complete their tasks and allowing wiggle room for surprises helps too. It is also really key to create a strong partnership between the creative vendors. When directors, music composers and editors are connected early on in the process, the outcome is always more successful than when they are thrown together at the last minute.
LBB> What’s the key to a successful production-client relationship?
Nicole> Open communication and respect. Everyone has their role in production and with that comes experience and expertise. When teams come to the table with that intrinsic level of respect, it always makes the relationship a successful one.
LBB> Producers are naturally hands on - they have to be. How do you balance that in the more managerial role of an EP?
Nicole> Since we are a team of two I haven’t really had this experience as a producer but as a former VP of an agency I certainly have a great deal of experience in a managerial role. My style was to always empower my team to succeed but at the same time keep my door open to any questions and guidance required to make the project a success. Open communication is really the key to success.
