Screen Magazine - Index

Screen Magazine - Screen Magazine: Vol. 29, Issue 14 - Index

Still Producing Strong After 20 Years By C.J. Arellano
“What a great guy!” Mary Ann Sochacki
says of working with Michael Jordan.
How about working with Chicago
baseball managers Ozzie Guillen and
Lou Pinella? “Absolute fun,” she says.
Working with high-profile celebrities
is one small facet of what continues
to excite Mary Ann Sochacki, a
Chicago-based producer for over
20 years, about her job. Though she
acknowledges that producing can be
stressful, the reward lies in working with
enthusiastic professionals on projects
such as her recently completed spots
for Chevy that feature rivals Guillen
and Pinella participating like pals
in pastimes like double-dutch, dogwalking
and “Guitar Hero.”
Sochacki explains how she got the gig:
“I used to work on the Chevy account
back at [Eisaman, Johns & Law] for
seven years, and the old team was
getting back together to pitch the
account. We won the Chevy account
and I’m happily producing for Chevy.”
Guillen and Pinella were nothing short
of “professional,” she says. “Great
team players.” (You can view the
Chevy Crosstown Rival spots at www.
chevydriveschicago.com.)
Sochacki defines the essence of
producing as “keeping everyone on
track and focused for the finish line.”
She got her start working at Music
House, where she fell in love with
advertising. “I liked the way that it
wasn’t just about music, or editing… It
encompassed all aspects together,”
she says. “So I decided that I wanted
to be a producer. Back then there
weren’t many women who worked as
producers, but I had a lot of mentors in
advertising agencies. I looked up to my
mentors and strived to be like them.”
Over her 20 years of experience
during which she’s produced over
500 projects, Sochacki has produced
work for Motorola, Sears, Cadillac, GM,
Verizon, Sunbeam and Domino’s Pizza.
She has worked with celebrities and
professionals such as John Cusack,
Michael J. Fox, Dennis Miller, MC
Hammer and Luther Vandross. “[When
I] introduced [MC Hammer and
�����������������
Vandross] for the first time,
I told them they were in the
same spot and got them on stage
for five minutes together,” she recalls.
“But that’s all I needed for the spot.
Vandross’ agent said I would never
work again in L.A. Oh, by the way, I
was in L.A. working a few months ago.
Imagine that!”
Sochacki thrives on the unpredictability
of being a producer. “One aspect that
I enjoy is that every job is different
from the next. This means I get to
learn something new each time I have
another job. It keeps things interesting,”
she says. “Another aspect is that I get
to meet new people and work with
new people. And it is always exciting
when I get to travel.”
So what are the most stressful aspects
about producing? Sochacki lists them
off: “No money, no time, no direction,
no communications.” However, she has
her own simple method for de-stressing
in order to take on the next job with the
same fervor she displayed 20 years and
500 projects ago: “I take a deep breath
and move on to finishing.”
//www.maryann.tv
������������������� Contact us at classifieds@screenmag.com or 312.324.0900 x227.
������
���������������������������������
�������������������������������������
�����������������������������
���������������������������������
������������������������������������
���������������������������������������
���������������������������������������
���������������
�����������������������������
��������������
������������������������������������
�������������������������������������
��������������������������������������
�������������������������������������
�����������������������������������������
�������������������������������������
����������������������������������
������������������������������������������
�����������������������������������
�����������������������������������������
�����������������������������
�������������������
���������������������������������������
��������������������������
��������������������������������
���������������������
����������������� Visit www.screenmag.tv for more daily news than ever before!
���������������
���������������������������������������
���������������������������������
������������������������������������
������������������������������������
���������������������������������
�������������������������������������
������������������������������������
��������������������������������
����������������������������������
����������������������������������������
����������������������������
�������������������