Jacki Angeletti comes on the show today to share her experience being a production consultant as well as having worked decades on the agency side. Tune in for an interesting glimpse into the mystery of production consulting.   Key Takeaways [:30] Heather introduces Jacki and they jump right into talking about the lack of communication that occurs which may be the cause of the “cost consultant mystery.” [5:36] Why do clients hire third parties, cannot the agency provide the information? Jacki shares why she thinks production consultants are a thing. [6:41] Jacki speaks about how she likes to be involved at different stages, depending on the project and the producer. [8:35] Heather talks about her use of the hairy arm theory and asks Jacki to speak to how EVP handles their cost savings in a fair manner. [12:00] Get to know your cost consultant — and if not the individual, then the agency — so you can learn the best ways to work with them. [14:23] Heather talks about what she will be working on in her own practice in light of the conversation! [14:50] Procurement asks a lot of questions and wants detailed answers! Jacki explains how that can affect the kinds of questions she asks. [16:55] Jacki explains what procurement is. [18:36] Heather breaks down some of the complexities of the process — procurement, clients, internal clients, production consultants, etc. — and all of these people have a say in who gets awarded a job, so you may never know the full reason. [21:46] Jacki turns the table and asks Heather a question on being the preferred, second, or third bid and shares the procedural side of her job when it comes to those situations. [25:42] Jacki misses seeing the treatments! [26:32] Photographers: answer cost consultant questions as honestly as you can, they’re not trying to cut you down, they are trying to reconcile other numbers they’ve seen. [31:06] Jacki is of the mind that it’s better to be really upfront about lower budgets but bigger budgets can be more safely concealed for estimates, Heather shares her own perspective. [34:33] Jacki doesn’t use pre-made forms because oftentimes you just can’t compare apples to apples! [35:18] Important skills include collaboration and fairness, Jacki also takes a moment to bust a myth: we’re not the bad guy! [39:16] Jacki asks what changes Heather has seen as a rep in the industry. [42:19] Heather shares what she told students at her old school in terms of changing the industry. [45:09] Heather thanks Jacki for coming on the podcast!   Thanks for listening.   In an industry where the rules are always changing, it’s helpful to hear from those on the front line. Heather Elder is the visionary behind NotesFromARep’sJournal.com; visit her website for industry updates, stunning photography and video, and the artists behind the work.   Mentioned in this episode EVP Consulting   More about our guest Jacki Angeletti at EVP Jacki Angeletti on LinkedIn   More about your host Heather Elder’s Bio Heather Elder’s Blog Heather Elder on Instagram Heather Elder on Twitter Heather Elder on LinkedIn Heather Elder on Facebook