Behind the Spotlight: Production Arts

By Brian Clark & Jenna Bream

They're covert superstars, background champions, and unsung heroes whose talents and dedication help our church family focus on the moments that matter. They blend into the backdrop so Jesus gets center stage. They are Production Arts. Any questions?

So...What exactly does Production Arts mean?

The name Production Arts might sound a bit fancy, but in reality, it’s just what it sounds like. Our team runs the technical production side of every service and event that takes place at each of Southeast’s campuses. Basically, we deal with anything that has to do with cameras, screens, lighting, and sound.

While that takes a lot of technical knowledge and planning, we also believe that production is just as much an expression of creativity as writing a song, editing a video, or designing a logo, and we treat our work as such. We strive to treat everything we do as an opportunity to partner with God in what He’s already doing in and through Southeast, and do our best to make every experience a reflection of our Creator.

What is it that you guys actually do?

Truthfully, we’d rather tell you about the why before we tell you about the what. At Production Arts, our team’s vision is to “Humbly work together to create environments that connect people to Jesus and one another.” Though a lot of that is accomplished through the technical details, that isn’t the whole picture.

We want to remain focused on the fact that we’re here to make Jesus’ name famous. That means reflecting Him in the best way possible—in how we work as professionals; in how we treat our team, volunteers, and the congregation as the family of Christ; and in having an attitude of discipleship in all things. This is how we work together to create a cohesive, seamless worship experience for each person that walks through the church doors, and by developing volunteers who help us do so.

While we work on some of the most visible elements of a worship service, we are often seen the least during an event. And that’s just the way we want it to be. We’re here to create environments that are distraction- and worry-free so that our church family can focus fully on loving Jesus and loving others.

That attitude starts in our team’s office. We have the unique privilege of collaborating with almost every ministry at each of Southeast’s campuses. Whether that means working with the Children’s Ministry to make Kidway happen, or partnering with the Preaching Team to bring Scripture to life, we constantly get to work together to push one another toward excellence in our ministries and in our relationships with Christ. Our daily goal is to empower and develop one another professionally and spiritually, and this reminds us that the technical and logistical details ultimately come second.

Now obviously, the technical part of our work is important. So, here’s a quick rundown of what a typical day entails for our team. Production Arts is part of almost every event that happens at Southeast in one way or another. Whether it’s a Women’s Ministry conference at the Southwest Campus, a Student Ministry seminar at Crestwood, or a Sports & Fitness event at Blankenbaker, our team is involved in the preparation, setup, running, and teardown of events—and we love it!

Most of our work tends to happen behind the scenes. You might have seen someone (usually in all black) running on stage to fix a mic, sitting behind a camera, or working in that booth with all the screens and buttons in it during a weekend worship service. Yep, those are our people! Each campus has a Technical Director, and they’re the guys in charge of making sure everything goes to plan. Typically, our Directors work with staff and volunteers throughout the week to make sure their respective venues are ready to go, and during those events they all work as a team to make it happen.

Sounds like the most amazing thing ever! How can I get involved?

Great question! Volunteers are a huge part of what makes our team successful. Without a team of people serving together behind the scenes, Southeast wouldn’t be able to hold its weekend services and events where Jesus’ name is lifted up, where people encounter the love of God, and where communities begin to be transformed by His amazing grace!

Sometimes those who serve with us come with tons of past technical experience and sometimes they have none at all. Having a heart for serving where there’s a need is ultimately what’s most important. If hands-on work in a technical environment sounds like something you’d like to do, CLICK HERE to learn more about serving with us! We would love to have you join our Production Arts family!