Meet Joan Karpeles: Producer. Writer.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joan Karpeles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joan, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Growing up I can’t say I ever thought about starting my own business because what I saw and what I was told was you get a job with a company and stay there. What I did know, though, was that I wanted to make commercials. So when I started my career I began the way most women started their careers in the 1970’s — as a secretary. Years later I had a 2-day temp job at BBDO and turned that into seven years where I ultimately became a producer working on million dollar TV commercials. It was a great job in a great agency, however, I was approaching 40 and getting restless. I realized that if I didn’t make a change soon I would never leave the comfort of working for a company. So I made the leap and started my company, Joan Produces. It was terrifying at first not having the security of that steady paycheck but also extremely liberating. I was able to use my connections to pick up small productions which led to larger ones. And I’ve continued on this path of working for myself writing and producing commercials and educational videos as well as media for corporations and nonprofits. Being self-employed can be tricky especially in down times, however, it has kept me open to opportunities that I never would have had if I was still working for a company. A couple of years ago I even produced a feature film, “Second Samuel” which has taken me in a direction I could never have imagined.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am very proud of two things in my career. The first one took place when I was working for Optical Data, an independent education publisher. I was the Executive Producer and we were creating a Science video series for grades K-6. These videos were correlated to textbooks and were used to kick off the subject matter and supplement the books the students were using. This was a very large project and as EP I had to hire a dozen freelancers to write and produce these video segments. Midway through the project our company was bought by a large, well known company which we thought was a great thing since they had name recognition and a large share of the educational market. Turned out they bought us to stop competing with them! So the project came to a screeching halt. Here’s the thing…all these freelancers were hired knowing they had a job that would keep them employed for 3-4 months. The new company, which was based outside of Atlanta, wanted me to just let them all go. I couldn’t do that in good conscience and went up against the powers that be to insist that we still pay them. Ultimately they agreed and I was able to negotiate payments for everyone. I still occasionally hear from some of those freelancers who really appreciated me having their back. The second thing I’m proud of is how over the years I’ve been able to connect people to projects and mentor new people trying to break into this industry. Having been in this market for many years I have a good sense of the Atlanta production landscape which is constantly evolving.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When friends visit one of the places I like to take them is Decatur Square to walk around and eat and drink. There are so many great places with one of my favorites being Taqueria del Sol. I also like Sushi Avenue, LEON’s Full Service and Café Lily if I want a slower dining experience. Walking around at Kudzu Antiques is a favorite thing as is people watch in Little 5 Points. And at some point on my must do list is to take our dogs to any number of trails for a hike. Ok maybe not really a hike but for a walk in the woods. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Certainly my mother has been a cheerleader for me even though she never really understood what I did for a living! When I would talk to her about my successes or what I was working on she would often say “tell me again what a producer does?” I can’t say I ever had a mentor but along the way there were people who gave me advice.

Website: www.joanproduces.com

Instagram: joankar

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/joan-karpeles-2315697