The Producer’s Craft: From IP to On-Set Leadership
VFS IN-PRODUCTION BOOTCAMP
LEARN THE BUSINESS OF PRODUCING – FROM IDEA TO SET – WITH VETERAN FILMMAKER TODD HOFFMAN.
A 3-day In-Production Bootcamp for emerging and established producers to learn the creative, business, and practical skills needed to take a project from intellectual property and development through production.
TODD HOFFMAN
Producer
Todd Hoffman is a 25-year veteran of studio and independent filmmaking, film and television agenting, and producing. He founded Storied Media Group, where he has managed the packaging and sale of intellectual property from major media organizations including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NPR, as well as talent such as Vince Gilligan and Bob Nelson. His producing credits include Insatiable (Netflix), The Oath (Crackle), and APB (Fox). Todd also spent 13 years as a literary agent, including as Head of ICM’s Media Rights Group. He holds an MFA from USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program and has taught there as an Adjunct Professor for 18 years.
How It Works
Producing is about more than getting a project onto a set. It starts with finding and evaluating stories, securing the rights, developing the project, and bringing the right creative and financial elements together. The Producer’s Craft is a three-day, hands-on bootcamp led by filmmaker Todd Hoffman, that takes you through the producing process from intellectual property and story development to on-set leadership.
The event kicks off with an Ask Me Anything (AMA) Industry Talk, followed by two intensive days where participants will explore the IP landscape, rights and deal basics, packaging, negotiation, adaptation, pitching, budgeting, scheduling, production documents, and the realities of managing a production when things don’t go to plan – all through a combination of lectures, hands-on exercises, production simulations, team exercises, and a final Greenlight Pitch.
This bootcamp is designed for both emerging and experienced producers, with practical frameworks, hands-on exercises, and collaborative challenges designed to help you put your producing skills into practice. You’ll leave with new skills, practical resources, and a stronger foundation for developing and producing your own projects.
VFS AMA (Ask Me Anything) Industry Talk
Attend a Talk with Todd Hoffman
Friday, October 16 | 5:30 – 7 p.m. PDT | VFS Film Campus, 151 West Cordova Street
Cost (AMA Industry Talk only): $20
In-Production Bootcamp:
IP, Rights, & Story Development | Lecture & Workshop
Saturday, October 17 | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. PDT | VFS Film Campus, 151 West Cordova Street
Producing in Motion | Lecture & Workshop
Sunday, October 18 | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. PDT | VFS Film Campus, 151 West Cordova Street
Cost for Participant (AMA + In-Production Bootcamp): $275
Ensure that you scroll through the entire registration form below for all options.
AMA Industry Talk: The Producer’s Craft
Get an inside look at what it really takes to produce a film or television project – from finding the right story and securing its rights to assembling the creative team and navigating the realities of production.
Todd Hoffman will share practical insight from across the producing process, including developing and evaluating IP, packaging talent, pitching projects, negotiating deals, and managing the creative, financial, and logistical demands of a production. The discussion will also explore the challenges producers face once a project reaches the set, from competing priorities and production problems to working with directors, talent, financiers, and crew.
Come with your questions and get practical insight into the craft, business, and realities of producing.
What to Expect at the Bootcamp
Saturday: IP, Rights & Story Development
Explore the many places producers find material, including books, journalism, true crime, comics, podcasts, video games, life rights, and other existing IP. Learn the fundamentals of options, purchase agreements, turnaround, reversion, and chain of title, and examine how producers evaluate whether an idea is worth pursuing.
You’ll then put those skills into practice by evaluating potential IP, building a hypothetical deal, pitching your choice to the room, and exploring how writers, directors, cast, and financiers can be brought together to package a project.
Sunday: Producing in Motion
Take the project from development to production with an introduction to budgeting, scheduling, above-the-line and below-the-line production, call sheets, day-out-of-days, and chain of command.
Then step into the producer’s seat. Through a series of realistic production simulations, you’ll respond to challenges such as actor availability, weather, safety concerns, budget pressures, scheduling conflicts, and competing stakeholder priorities. You’ll also work as part of a production team to solve a problem in a mock production meeting.
The bootcamp culminates in the Greenlight Pitch, where teams take a piece of IP and develop a short pitch covering the story, attached elements, production plan, budget tier, schedule, and key risks. You’ll present your project to a mock greenlight committee and defend your decisions.
FAQ
1. What is The Producer’s Craft?
The Producer’s Craft is a two-day, hands-on bootcamp led by filmmaker Todd Hoffman. It explores the producer’s role from finding and securing intellectual property through development, packaging, pitching, production, and on-set leadership.
2. Who is the bootcamp for?
The bootcamp is designed for aspiring, emerging, and experienced producers, as well as students and creatives interested in learning more about the producing process.
The format accommodates different experience levels: newer participants can build a foundation through the frameworks and exercises, while more experienced participants are challenged to take the lead, make decisions, and defend their choices.
3. What will I learn?
You’ll explore the creative, business, and practical sides of producing, including:
- Finding and evaluating intellectual property
- Rights, options, life rights, and chain of title
- Packaging talent and creative elements
- Pitching and developing projects
- Deal structures and negotiation
- Budgeting and scheduling fundamentals
- Production documents and chain of command
- Managing creative, financial, and production priorities
- Post-production, festivals, sales, and distribution
4. Is the bootcamp hands-on?
Yes. Every session combines practical frameworks with opportunities to apply what you’ve learned. Exercises include rights evaluation and deal-building, rapid-fire pitching, production crisis simulations, a mock production meeting, and the final Greenlight Pitch.
5. When and where is the bootcamp?
The Producer’s Craft takes place October 16-18 at VFS’s Film Campus – 151 West Cordova Street in Vancouver.
The event kicks off with the AMA Industry Talk on Friday, October 16 from 5:30–7 p.m. PDT. The two-day In-Production Bootcamp follows on Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, with sessions running from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. PDT each day.
The AMA Industry Talk is also available to attend separately for $20.
6. Do I need previous producing experience?
No previous producing experience is required. The bootcamp is designed to accommodate different experience levels, with practical frameworks for newer participants and opportunities for more experienced producers to take the lead during exercises and simulations.