The Problem Tough Skin was an AFI thesis film produced with a two-person production team. Two locations, two shoot days, and a budget that didn't stretch to a full crew. In student filmmaking, under-resourcing is the default — but that doesn't make it easier to manage. With only two people handling the full production layer, every decision had higher stakes: there was no redundancy, no backup, and no room for the kind of problems that a larger team absorbs without noticing. The challenge was delivering a film that could stand on the festival circuit without the infrastructure that festival-caliber productions usually rely on.

The Approach I produced the film alongside a single production partner, which meant owning every department that didn't have a dedicated person — logistics, scheduling, vendor coordination, location management, and day-of problem-solving, all running simultaneously. I prioritized ruthlessly: identified the non-negotiables for each location and shoot day, built contingency into the schedule wherever possible, and stayed focused on protecting the director's vision within the constraints we were working inside. Lean production only works when the producer is willing to do whatever the film needs, and this shoot required exactly that.

The Result Tough Skin earned official selections at Tallgrass Film Festival, Micheaux Film Festival, Tacoma Film Festival, and Eastern Oregon Film Festival. Four selections on a two-person, two-day production is a result of making every resource decision count. This film represents the craft side of what I do — where the production work is invisible because it's done right, and the story gets to speak for itself.