After serving in the military for 10 years, Jacob Zetino has become a widely respected producer in Hollywood. Jacob is constantly facing difficult challenges which he utilizes a lot of his background to overcome in the quickly changing film/ tv industry. I interviewed Jacob on his most useful tips to powering through his day and these were his answers.
Self Care
Take care of your mind, body, and soul. Sounds like one of the thousands of self help YouTube videos you watch, but you have to stop and self check yourself. I like to get up at 5am and meditate, go for a run and then just enjoy the calm before the storm.
Be Productive
Don’t procrastinate and give yourself a schedule and routine. Things change constantly with scripts and projects coming and going but if you stick to the schedule and routine it’s easier to get back on track as it will happen then if you just set out with no plan and hope for the best. So make sure you prioritize and don’t do more than can handle, you do not help your team out in any way by not being focused.
Make Sure to Rest
Take Breaks! You can get caught up in meetings, location scouting, budgeting or in an editing bay with the team for hours. Make sure to take breaks and they are as well. Sometimes I have to make sure the Director is even eating, they get caught up in their vision they neglect themselves as well. Need to rest the brain even if it’s 15 – 20 minute breaks take them and after projects take the Big Break, getaway for the weekend, I like to go camping, if season snowboarding or taking my little dog to the park or beach. This just compounds the first tip even more.
Utilize Different Environments
Find a great creative and conducive work environment! This can be hard depending on where you are. For me I have the luxury of being able to create the space, whether working from home, meeting with teams at an outdoor location or an open space in a coffee house. Wherever helps you get the creative flow going do it!