Peer Review: Michael Sagol

Who are three contemporaries that you admire?

There are a few spots that have stuck with me over the years, shaping my taste and my understanding of our craft. I always reference The Big Leap, directed by Seb Edwards, as one of the greatest achievements in advertising – every time I watch this spot I have a visceral reaction. 

Get up, don’t worry about what anyone else is doing, put your head down, do the work, tell the story and see how it shapes up.  

I really appreciate great storytelling, and I admire how there are so many different ways to tell a story, like how Vania & Muggia floored us with their aesthetic in Tailor Swif.

And lastly, I think I've watched Cash in Cash Out by Francois Rousselet about 1000 times – just in awe of the approach and the execution. All of these films really reflect for me what we all should be striving for – craft at a level so heightened that it becomes a work of art.

Please share 3-4 pieces of work that exemplify great production.

The Bear -  It’s created these characters that have shaped pop culture, all the while immersing us in this slice-of-life we only thought we knew about. At its core it’s just beautiful writing, cinematography and acting.

In the end if you don’t have that gut feeling and the love for the story – then it’s just not worth it. This is what I love about what I do. 

Triangle of Sadness - How it gets to the core of what we think, subtly then very brutally, and in the end we're left still thinking about the movie and thinking about the state of the world. It’s one of those films that just stays with me no matter what I’m doing as a milestone of production and, again, storytelling. 

Adolescence - As a father I obviously am very struck by the resonance, but as a producer I am in awe of how just a few subtle things – camera and performance – are truly the core of how poignant this show is.

What do you like most about the work that you do?

I love that it all began with believing in stories. That it’s been the thin red line that’s held all the way through – whether it’s getting a director that elusive first job or believing so much in a story that it wins with 2 Oscars (Sound of Metal, 2019.)  My process has always been: get up, don’t worry about what anyone else is doing, put your head down, do the work, tell the story and see how it shapes up.  

I'm not sure there's a job in this industry I haven’t done, from being a rat wrangler to a casting assistant to being an assistant to a 90s action star.

These days, the stories do get bigger and have a lot more reach, but in the end if you don’t have that gut feeling and the love for the story – then it’s just not worth it. This is what I love about what I do. I get to be a part of making things, all the time for all kinds of people.  It does not fall on deaf ears how lucky we all are. 

What has your career journey been like so far?

I don't think there's a job in this industry that I haven’t done, from being a rat wrangler to a casting assistant to being an assistant to a 90s action star. Producing is the sum of all its parts, and the incredible thing about it is that you're always learning, there is always something new that you're discovering. I have been lucky, in that once I found that producing was what I wanted to do, the universe opened up and the journey began. 

What is one thing every EP needs?

A phone, a sense of humour and a meditation practice.

I feel so fortunate to have been able to build something with the person that has shepherded me through the art of producing and remaining sane both at once.

Who is the greatest producer of all time? Why?

Wow, Frank Marshall? Francis Ford Coppola? Steven Spielberg? Frank Capra? Or any award-winning music video producer. 

It’s really about the ability to react, create and orchestrate all the while keeping your eye on the vision. Being a producer is such an amorphous job that requires you to juggle many parts that it’s really hard to name just one, because in a way it’s a miracle when anything gets produced at all. It takes so many things to line up to make these things happen that it also requires a bit of alchemy- which I guess by default all those producers have.