A Look Behind the Scenes of MAITHINK X
As Executive Producer of MAITHINK X, Hanna Käßbohrer is responsible for the entire TV production – from the initial idea to the final broadcast. Here is a conversation about the challenges of presenting complex scientific topics in an entertaining way, the importance of good team leadership and what experience you need for this job.
Werksgelände: What does an executive producer of MAITHINK X actually do?
Hanna Käßbohrer: As an executive producer, you are responsible for the entire project – from the first pitch to realization and publication. Broadly speaking, I am the contact person for all departments and the broadcaster and ensure that we produce “on time, on budget and with good quality”. My focus during the production process is on managing the creative team and communicating with the broadcaster. Together, we think about the topics we want to work on and how we can explain our content in a way that is as understandable as possible for a broad audience without losing any scientific depth.
What experience or talents should you have for the job?
You should definitely have good communication skills. Traditionally, it’s a lot about project management and team leadership skills, as you work with different departments and pull all the strings. In order to be able to make the necessary decisions, you also need a certain amount of specialist knowledge and, of course, the ability to make decisions.
In my opinion, it is a great advantage to gain experience in as many different areas of production as possible. On the one hand, this gives you a better idea of what is possible within the given framework and on the other – and this is the even more important point – you develop a deeper understanding of the team and the work processes.
What appeals to you about your job?
It’s a lot of fun to present complex scientific topics in a way that makes them understandable and entertaining. The opportunity to talk about and educate people about socially relevant topics is incredibly fulfilling.
What are the biggest challenges in your job?
The biggest challenge is definitely keeping the team motivated throughout the entire process. That may sound as if the team is not motivated – but that is absolutely wrong. Throughout the process, there are of course always challenging phases that are exhausting. New aspects emerge, things don’t work out as expected, people make mistakes or the technology breaks down. This is all normal, but can be difficult for individuals to bear. A good team accepts mistakes as part of the process and works together on the result. This is the only way to stay innovative. At MAITHINK X we have a special culture of error, thanks to the scientific thinking in the editorial team.
The list of challenges could go on and on:
The balance between scientific accuracy and keeping the reader entertained – how entertaining can science be?
The balance between factual accuracy and the goal of not putting viewers to sleep.
Breaking down content so that it fits into 30 minutes.
Meeting tight deadlines.
What has been your biggest flop on the job so far, and what have you learned from it?
I can’t think of one for the life of me (laughs). No, of course small to medium-sized flops happen all the time. Sometimes too little budget is calculated for a great idea, sometimes an artist is requested with the name of another artist because you forgot to adjust the mail; there are even rumors that dead people have been requested as guests – no, not as part of MAITHINK X. Shit happens; the biggest flop would be to claim that this is not the case.
Hanna’s tips for the next generation
Practical experience is worth its weight in gold, so take advantage of every opportunity for hands-on experience – be it through internships or your own projects. Develop your own voice and boldly contribute your ideas, because fresh perspectives are in high demand. And: media work is teamwork, so be respectful. And here’s where it gets deep: still try to keep a certain distance from your projects so that you can objectively assess which idea is the best for the project. Don’t hold on to everything that is your idea, and avoid always seeing criticism of the idea as criticism of yourself.
Hanna Käßbohrer
… works for the production company bildundtonfabrik and is executive producer of the show MAITHINK X.
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