The Life of an Interactive Producer: Petra’s story
As an interactive producer at Delta Reality, Petra is focused on creating the best XR experiences for both the clients and the team. She is not only good at her job, but she also has countless interests inside and out of the XR industry. Biology, psychology, technology, art history, photography and design are only a few of her interests, and she makes use of all these to meet each client’s needs.
Joining Delta Reality
Being a part of Delta Reality has been a positive experience for Petra. She joined the team two years ago. With a smile, she remembers that her first impression of the company was of Roza, one of the dogs in the office. “Previously, I worked as a project manager for a few companies, so I had the experience that Delta Reality was looking for. It wasn’t experienced in the XR field. Rather it was in the gaming industry and on web and mobile development, but the team still thought I had what it takes to understand the technology they were using. As I’m still here, I guess they weren’t wrong.” She graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, which proves she’s got a strong tech background, but she claims that it is her experience that made her fit for the challenges of her current job.
Interactive Producer
Being an interactive producer is the perfect position for Petra, as it involves a lot of creativity and conceptualization, and quite often her job requires something a little bit special. “My position is quite similar to that of a project manager, but the projects I work on are somewhat different. I mostly work on projects that require a decent amount of general knowledge, which I like. Everything depends on the client. Some have a clear vision of what they want, whereas others are more open, and that is where I get to really express myself.”
With her skill level, it is not surprising that sometimes she works on six different projects simultaneously, so how does she manage to keep track of them? “A notebook and a pen are my best friends. I carry them around wherever I go, because for me, no app can take the place of good old paper. The best part is that I can go back through my notes to check the details. If it’s not written down, it doesn’t exist.”
Being devoted to her job, Petra says her favorite part of being an interactive producer is that she is involved in all the phases of a project. “Whatever we do piques my interest, so my position allows me to widen my horizons even more.”
Every job sometimes requires us to do things we’ve never done before. Petra told us an interesting anecdote. “For a historically themed project, I had to organize a film set, including finding actors, costumes and props. I had no experience of any of that, but in the end, it was one of the greatest experiences. We hired a casting director to help us select the actors, who ended up being amazing! Although at first it didn’t seem like it was going to be anywhere near good, the whole experience was just so relaxed, filled with joy and positivity, and it turned out great! I am so glad I was a part of it.”
The skillset and the values needed
“To be a successful interactive producer, you need to be curious and willing to learn new skills and have an awesome level of organizational ability. These three are a must. They either come naturally or after a ton of experience. Technical skills and an understanding of the hardware can help, but you learn these things with time,” Petra explained. “If I ever had to switch positions, I believe that I would go in the direction that allows me to be even more creative. I would be beyond happy finding creative solutions for our clients and being a part of the sales process.”
For some time now, Petra has been working remotely. While some struggle to find a balance, she claims she has no issues. In fact, she loves working from home. As she used to be a part of the office team, we asked her to compare the two.
“I value my free time, so finding a balance between my work and my personal life was never an issue. There are times when we have to work in a specific location, and it can take a few days to get the job done, but I don’t see that as an issue. Moreover, I find such opportunities extremely enjoyable. It can be exhausting, but some of the best memories I have are from fieldwork. Apart from those rare occasions, I do have enough time for myself, even with remote work. I love working from home, as I can focus better with fewer people around me. On the other hand, I have to liaise with the team a lot, and working remotely makes the interactions slightly more challenging, but we manage.”
About benefits and the team
Everyone is motivated by different things, so we asked Petra to tell us a bit about what makes her happy. “The most important thing about my job is my team. I don’t get too upset when we stumble upon a problem during the process. Knowing I have a team who are hard-working, resourceful and capable of doing just about anything helps me out a lot. The Delta Reality team just exemplifies those traits, and that is precisely what keeps me going. We value a good sense of humor, curiosity and general independence regarding projects. We function as a small company and a lot of people work on a whole spectrum of projects, so diversity is important. I would encourage people to apply. I did, and here I am two years later, doing what I love with an amazing team who listen to each other.”
