Los Angeles - Production Manager

Barnstorm is an Emmy and VES-nominated visual effects studio. The Production Manager will lead production and resource allocation, manage project schedules, and ensure seamless team communication across multi-site locations. This role involves extensive client relationship management, bidding work, establishing methodologies, and planning resources with department managers and producers. The manager will also track workflow, maintain Shotgrid projects, and provide various production reports to clients and the executive team.

Must Have

• Lead production and resource allocation meetings
• Forecast and allocate Artist resources in Barnstorm scheduling software
• Design efficient and streamlined schedules
• Adapt and update schedules as needed by project changes, client notes, or supervisor requirements
• Modify Artist schedules as VFX Production needs shift
• Track workflow progress through interactions with Coordinators, Producers, Creative Leads, and Shotgrid
• Keep a clean and organized Shotgrid project
• Confirm time log accuracy, adjusting and training as required
• Communicate schedule changes to Artists
• Anticipate overtime resource needs and communicate daily list of approved overtime artists/hours
• Maintain and communicate clear delivery priorities to artists and supervisors
• Contribute to weekly Production Resource meetings
• Ensure Project documentation (including start and wrap) is up-to-date
• Review and maintain Project progress estimates, Project status in Shotgrid and on the Production calendar(s)
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date Project Summary schedules for all active Projects
• Create a series of "Production Reports" from Shotgrid data for weekly Project status updates
• Provide weekly status reports to clients as required
• Compile Project performance summary for review during Project wrap/postmortem session
• Propose ideas to streamline and/or refine processes
• Design Shotgrid pages and solutions based on project needs
• Maintain the Production Confluence pages
• Work closely with cross-departmental teams to update and maintain clarity of process documentation
• Design and implement production training programs for Barnstorm systems and processes
• Mentor and provide training to Coordinators and Production Assistants
• Perform monthly predictions, monitor progress and work with Producers, Heads of Departments and all stakeholders to check for resources
• Monitor client/internal notes that add costs and flag with the Producer, communicate to the team about additional work
• 5+ years of experience in the VFX or film production industry as a Project Manager/Production Manager
• Expert with Shotgrid/Flow; setting up, updating and maintaining projects
• Experience with scheduling complex full CG projects
• Intermediate to Advanced knowledge of Google and Microsoft Suites
• Demonstrated project management experience with the ability to problem-solve effectively in a fast-changing environment
• Ability to effectively liaise and collaborate with clients, artists, and producers
• Demonstrated aptitude for technical workflow challenges
• A creative ability to interpret supervisor and client notes
• Ability to train and coach production staff
• Proven ability to confidently lead a show with the support of the Producer and VFX Supervisor
• A thorough understanding of television/episodic VFX production pipelines
• Knowledge VFX Software 2D/3D packages

Good to Have

• Feature film VFX production pipeline understanding

About Barnstorm

Barnstorm is an Emmy and VES-nominated visual effects studio based in Los Angeles and operations in Vancouver, Montreal, NYC, Atlanta, London, and Hyderabad. We provide photo-realistic visual effects for a variety of episodic and select sequences in feature films. We pride ourselves in our artists’ talent and dedication to producing world-class visual effects.

Who You Are

You have strong leadership and project management skills. You have a central role in the execution of the overall Project’s schedule, managing the delivery of their unit’s work and ensuring the production team(s) communicate and operate seamlessly. You provide weekly internal crewing reports as well as client progress reports, reporting to the Head of Production and liaising with Department Managers and Producers.

As well as extensive client relationship management, you work closely with the Head of Department and VFX Supervisors to bid work and establish methodologies to effectively approach the needs of the work and project milestones and contingency plans. You will also work with the Facility Resource Manager and Department Production Managers to plan and schedule resources. Projects may be with multiple teams in multi-site locations such as India, London, Vancouver, LA, Montreal and Georgia.

What You’ll Do

• Lead production and resource allocation meetings with project teams to understand and anticipate upcoming project demands.
• Forecast and allocate Artist resources in Barnstorm scheduling software in order to balance workflow, VFX Production schedule and competing demands from multiple projects.
• Design efficient and streamlined schedules to achieve client deadlines. Adapt and update schedules as needed by the project changes, client notes, or supervisor requirements.
• Modify Artist schedules as VFX Production needs to shift, track workflow progress through interactions with Coordinators, Producers, Creative Leads, as well as Shotgrid. Keep a clean and organized shotgrid project, promoting good structures with the team.
• Confirm time log accuracy, adjusting and training as required to maintain compliance.
• Communicate schedule changes to Artists; anticipate overtime resource needs and communicate daily list of approved overtime artists/hours for Projects. Maintain and communicate clear delivery priorities to artists and supervisors.
• Contribute to weekly Production Resource meetings; based on forecast project demand, recommend team modifications that can be added to the hiring roster when necessary.
• Ensure Project documentation (including start and wrap) is up-to-date and facilitate completion when appropriate to support the Production team. Review and maintain Project progress estimates, Project status in Shotgrid and on the Production calendar(s).
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date Project Summary schedules for all active Projects from start to wrap; create a series of "Production Reports", from Shotgrid data, to provide weekly Project status updates to Producers and Executive team, including the following metrics:
• Labor ratios by project
• Overtime report by week
• Billable versus Non-billable hours
• Bid vs. Actual hours
• Provide weekly status reports to clients as required by the project.
• Compile Project performance summary for review during Project wrap/postmortem session.
• Propose ideas to streamline and/or refine processes; boost team efficiency and eliminate redundancy. Design Shotgrid pages and solutions based on project needs.
• Maintain the Production Confluence pages. Work closely with cross-departmental teams to update and maintain clarity of process documentation.
• Design and implement production training programs for Barnstorm systems and processes pertaining to production.
• Mentor and provide training to Coordinators and Production Assistants.
• Monthly predictions, monitor progress and work with Producers, Heads of Departments and all stakeholders to check for resources.
• Keep an eye out for client/internal notes that add costs and flag with the Producer, communicate to the team about whether we will do the additional work.

What You Bring

• 5+ years of experience in the VFX or film production industry as a Project Manager/ Production Manager.
• Expert with Shotgrid/Flow; setting up, updating and maintaining projects.
• Experience with scheduling complex full CG projects.
• Intermediate to Advanced knowledge of Google and Microsoft Suites.
• Demonstrated project management experience with the ability to problem-solve effectively in a fast-changing environment.
• Ability to effectively liaise and collaborate with clients, artists, and producers.
• Demonstrated aptitude for technical workflow challenges: directory structure, file formats, naming conventions, scripts, automation tools, etc.
• A creative ability to interpret supervisor and client notes.
• Ability to train and coach production staff.
• Proven ability to confidently lead a show with the support of the Producer and VFX Supervisor.
• A thorough understanding of television/ episodic VFX production pipelines (and feature film a plus).
• Knowledge VFX Software 2D/3D packages.

About This Role

This is a project based contract LA role starting in early 2026. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States and either local to the Los Angeles area or willing to work on-site/hybrid as required by production. As this is a contract position, benefits may vary by employment status. The posted pay range reflects what we believe is fair and competitive compensation at the time of posting. Final pay positioning within the range will be determined by relevant experience, skills, qualifications, and location. Pay ranges may be adjusted as market conditions evolve. Barnstorm VFX is committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment. We aim to recruit, support, and retain talented individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, people of color, people of all genders or non-genders, and people with disabilities. We thank all applicants for their interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.