As I look back on this year in film production, I’m reminded how lucky I am to do this for a living. And yet, if you’re reading this and work in production, you might be thinking, “Lucky? Really?” Things haven’t been the same since the pandemic. We’ve lived through the rise of AI, shrinking budgets, fewer projects, a writers’ strike, an actors’ strike, IATSE contract negotiations, a fire in LA, and now—because 2025 wasn’t dramatic enough—Netflix is reportedly moving to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery, slowly consolidating the studio system down to four major players.

At the end of every year, I go back and look through all my photos to remind myself what I did that year. Generally, I feel like I’m not doing enough in my career. My old solution to feeling inadequate was to scroll through Instagram for a couple of hours comparing myself to colleagues. I don’t recommend this approach for better mental health. However, looking through photos from the year help me to have a perspective adjustment. I’m surrounded by incredibly talented filmmakers. We each have our own path to follow and it’s what gives us each a unique perspective in storytelling. Even as I write this it’s a reminder to myself more than it’s advice to others.