I'm the Managing Director and Producer for Dwyer Productions LLC. As the majority stakeholder, I'm also pursuing WBE (Women's Business Enterprise) certification. The 10,000 foot view of what I do includes developing new business, managing client relationships, keeping our financial records in order and producing television commercials.

EDUCATION | Bachelor's degree in Economics and Communications

HOW TO GET STARTED | If you want to be a Producer, go on as many shoots as you can - even as a Production Assistant for a couple hundred bucks a day. Sometimes during production it's "all hands on deck" because going into overtime would blow the budget. Take that as an opportunity to show that you're willing to jump in and do whatever to get experience. If you're at an advertising agency, get to know the production department and ask to get exposure. If you show commitment, desire, ambition and some talent - you can go wherever you want to go.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | Persistence, curiosity, hard-working, creative, disciplined, committed - meaning you stay until the job is done regardless of how late it is. And a passion for the romance of film and entertainment.

how I got started | I was an Account Director at an advertising agency in San Francisco. In the back of my mind I knew I wanted to move into a more creative role - actually doing the creative concepting, writing and producing. I met and hit it off with an Executive Producer from the agency - now my husband - and we teamed up in 2006 to create Dwyer Productions LLC.

why this job?| Even when I was in elementary school, I'd always go an extra step to add some "wow" to any project I worked on. In 8th grade I told people I wanted to be a copywriter, and my teacher predicted that someday I'd own my own advertising agency. What really sealed it was an internship I had at J. Walter Thompson in London when I was a junior in college. I loved the cool agency atmosphere, the creative and social nature of the work and the whole process of making a commercial.

why I love this job!| I get the most joy out of being my own boss and coming up with creative concepts to pitch to clients. I actually get a writer's high when I put together a great script or concept - like I invented something. Producing is intense because you have to break all the pieces of the commercial down, hire the cast and manage the budget and timeline. But it's awesome when you find the exact stunt double or angry Doberman the Director wanted.

my typical day| I'm either in pitch mode or in go mode. If I'm pitching, I'm calling or writing contacts to introduce myself and the company or putting together a full blown proposal. Go mode means I'm producing on a current job - so I'm going to casting sessions, hiring the crew, finding the location scout and managing the budget, permits, catering, etc. Then there's post-production...getting the film processed and color corrected, working with the Editor, picking out music and presenting the final spots to the client.

what they are | Time and money are challenges when it comes to producing. Some shoots I don't sit down for 16 hours, and we still feel like the spot could be better if we just had another day and a higher budget. When I'm pitching new business, rejection is definitely a challenge. You can pour yourself into a proposal, but presenting a great idea doesn't always mean it's going to sell or get executed. All the stars have to be in alignment to make a sale and you can't possibly control all the variables. So the trick is to stay confident and upbeat despite any setbacks.

all about growth | You can start off as a Production Assistant, become a Producer and then, after about 20 years experience, an Executive Producer. On the new business side, there are opportunities to grow through earning accreditations, winning awards, getting written up in trade journals and just working on a lot of different projects.

my website| http://www.dwyerproductions.net