Fresh Produce: Andrea Asuaje
Andrea Asuaje was Rococo Punch employee #1 and she has been THROUGH IT with us. From crazy show launches to mergers to audio experimentation, she is truly the most willing chameleon of chameleons. I think some of this is due to her curiosity (I mean, same) but a lot of this is also due to her willingness to be professionally vulnerable. Vulnerable is a positive here, of course. Really good producers will throw themselves into topics and worlds they know nothing about and really take it all in. It's anthropological. It's deep. It's really hard work. I'll let her say the rest.
1. When did you realize you wanted to become a producer?
I didn’t really know I wanted to be a producer until I started working with audio, because I didn’t really know what a producer did. It turns out (almost) everything I like to do makes up the role of a producer: researching, gathering audio, interviewing people, editing sound, writing scripts, putting segments and episodes together, working with a team, and then sending our little audio projects out into the world. It’s a lot of work, and yes, there are days when I ask myself why I didn’t pursue a slightly less demanding career. But I love this work, and I love being a producer.
2. In your mind, what did the job entail?
Before I knew the ins and outs of the job, I thought being a producer was more like overseeing projects. I didn’t know it was so hands-on. I think a lot of people don’t realize just how much producers do, because it’s such a vague, confusing term for those who aren’t in the industry. So that’s why I never really imagined myself as a producer until I realized all the roles and responsibilities a producer fulfilled.
3. Now that you know what the job entails, tell us what you do.
On a day-to-day basis, I spend a lot of time thinking about segments or ideas for whatever show I’m working on, and falling down many rabbit holes in research. If I’m pursuing a particular segment or idea, I may do a lot of outreach – emails, social media, phone calls – to potential guests to see if they’d be interested in participating on a show. If I’m working on a segment, I may be working on prep for a host, which is basically a document with information about a guest and lists of questions that a host may use to shape the conversation around a particular topic we want to discuss. I may also sit in on interviews that I will later either turn into a completed segment for a show or use in the future for an episode of a series. If I’ve already got all the sound I need for a segment, I may be “cutting tape” – editing the sound together to make it sound like what we hear through our headphones. I may also be writing scripts for a host. And through all of that, I’m probably answering a lot of emails, scheduling interviews and tech checks and phone calls, and keeping things organized.
4. Your favorite part of the job?
I am a self-proclaimed chismosa aka a nosy – nay, CURIOUS – girlie. So my favorite part of the job is talking to people and getting to hear their stories. I genuinely love to listen to people tell me what they’re most passionate about, what makes them tick, what pisses them off, what they love and what they hate. My mom likes to say that she and I have faces that make people want to spill their guts to us, and I think she’s right. And this may sound very cheesy, but in a previous job, I often talked to people about some of the most sensitive moments in their lives, and it truly feels like a privilege to hear those small, intimate details as a complete outsider. It’s a joy.
5. Your most memorable moment
Wow, there’s been a ton! Working with drag legend Jujubee was such a blast, and making “Queen of Hearts” was such a challenging and fulfilling experience, so I think that has to take the cake. Never in my life did I think I would ever make a show like QoH, and to be a part of such a funny, raunchy, sincere and radical show is something I will never forget. I think talking to children’s music icon Raffi multiple times is definitely up there, too, but making “Finding Raffi” in general was also a very special experience. The whole team was super close and we had such an incredible host in comedian Chris Garcia, who became such a wonderful contributor to the project. To be able to see him develop as a host and also to experience and capture his first year of fatherhood? Amazing.
6. Best advice for people who want to become producers or who are acting as their own producers?
This job is a GRIND, so don’t forget about you. It’s easy to get lost in the work, but if you’re not taking care of yourself, you won’t be able to do this in a sustainable, healthy way. For me, that means making sure to sleep enough, to eat three meals a day, to take my meds and to spend some time away from my computer – you know, basic life stuff. But this is the stuff that easily goes by the wayside when you’re neck-deep in production. So do the work, grind when you need to, get that show out, but make sure you remember that you’re a person first, then a producer.
To listen to some of Andrea's awesome work, check out QUEEN OF HEARTS (nsfw) and Finding Raffi.
