Redesigning Production Workflow
Myself, Lead Digital Imaging Techican
Production Team of 15+ people
Camera Team of 5+ people
Post Production Team of 10+ people
April 2020 - August 2020
When I joined Catfish: The TV Show in 2018, production was a well-oiled machine— production and camera teams traveled across the country, capturing real-time stories that post-production shaped into compelling episodes. Every shoot required precise coordination between field crews and editors to maintain the show’s signature style.
But in 2020, everything changed. The pandemic halted travel overnight, disrupting a workflow that had relied on in-person collaboration for nearly a decade.
With production at a standstill, the question wasn’t just how to keep the show running—it was how to reinvent the way we worked.
As a Digital Imaging Technician (DIT), I sat at the intersection of production and post production teams, ensuring that all footage captured on set made it into the hands of editors with precision and consistency. When the pandemic forced us to rethink everything, I played a critical role in leading and reshaping remote workflow. My focus was twofold: empowering the camera team with the right tools to shoot high-quality footage from home and creating a bridge between production and post so that editors could work as if they were still receiving footage from a live set.
The biggest hurdle was transforming an in-person, fast-paced shooting process into something that could function remotely—without losing the raw, emotional storytelling that made Catfish resonate with audiences. We needed a solution that allowed real-time feedback, ensured high-quality footage, and kept the production pipeline moving smoothly.
Rather than attempting to replicate the in-person experience, I helped design a new workflow tailored for remote production.
• Built a remote media pipeline – I implemented a system for contributors to capture high-quality footage using accessible gear, paired with detailed technical guides to ensure consistency.
• Developed a real-time review process – We introduced live monitoring solutions that allowed producers and editors to provide direction remotely, ensuring the right shots were captured without reshoots.
• Bridged the gap between teams – By optimizing file structures and metadata tagging, I ensured that editors could easily navigate footage and maintain the show’s signature pacing and visual style.
By approaching the problem with a blend of technical problem-solving and creative adaptability, we didn’t just find a workaround—we built a system that made remote production viable. The experience solidified my ability to design for constraints, create clarity in complex workflows, and craft solutions that keep both the user experience (in this case, production teams) and end result (the final episode) at the center.
