Facilitated studio production workflows for Hanx 101, the trivia game created by and featuring Tom Hanks.
Hanx 101 Trivia is a trivia game created by and featuring Tom Hanks, released exclusively on Apple Arcade. As Production Manager, I facilitated studio production workflows by organizing logistics, schedules, and communication across departments to support the project.
Behind the Scenes
Where were you?
Los Angeles, California
What’s the moment things went sideways?
We went to the stage for our final walk through, and we realized that not only had the crew grown since our last one, but so had our gear and set. We were supposed to start filming in two days, so we had to really think outside the box to create space and make it work for our new set, crew, talent. It was a flurry of phone calls, last-minute vendors, and signed contracts to get it all ready before 8am, 48 hours later. The fact that we pulled it off felt amazing.
A crew or cast story that still gets told
Hanx 101 was a labor of love for the whole crew. We spent our days finalizing every detail and negotiating with vendors to work within a small budget, then worked into the evening running the game through different levels to make sure the questions read well and everything worked the way it should. Right before we ran through the game each time, we would have dinner brought into the office and sit down together to get to know each other. Those meals created friendships and connections that are still strong today.
What would a viewer never guess?
The amount of different scenarios we practiced, and how many different kinds of questions we ran, would surprise people. We had to think through what the outcome of each question could be and whether it could cause any confusion, and that takes practice, run after run, until the timing stays consistent. A game show has its own kind of momentum, and it’s not an easy one to master, which is why there are so many trial runs and test questions along the way. Each scenario is run just like the real thing so we can work out any technical errors or catch any chance a question could have multiple right answers. It’s important to know everything that could happen and have a plan for working it out.
What were you actually running day to day?
I reported directly to the EIC (Executive in Charge) and the showrunner, bringing up any scenarios that still needed to be worked out and keeping them updated on what was going smoothly and how the stage build and load in was progressing. Once the show wrapped, it was important to let them know which deliverables and accounts had been closed out and confirm that everything was packed away.
What are you proudest of on this one?
The team worked so well together. In the weeks leading up to our shoot we gave it our all, working hard all day and running game samples in the evenings so we knew exactly how the week of filming would go. I was incredibly proud to be part of this team. Working with a team isn’t new to me, but clicking with one right off the bat is rare, and that’s something worth celebrating.