Spring 2019
AT WORK WITH
By Becca Nadler
I never know what I'm going to run into during the day," says UPM Suzanne Geiger. "I could think today's going to be really quiet and then I'm coming home, and I go, 'Oh, my God, I didn't sit down all day.'"
For Geiger, a veteran of shows like Alias, Brothers & Sisters, Red Band Society, Black Lightning, The Originals and Marvel's Inhumans, prepping for workdays that could involve anything and everything is all about "asking the right questions. You're trying to make sure you plan for everything, so you always plan optimistically. We only plan for failure if we're really concerned about something."
Geiger also allows extra time to make sure everyone on set is familiar with safety protocols. "I'm very, very specific about safety," she says. "If [my ADs] need to make a decision that is the safe decision, I will support them."
Geiger credits the experience she gained while coming up in the DGA-Producer Training Plan. "The biggest thing I'm glad I did as a trainee was I learned the rules," she says. "You don't want to depend on someone else, you want to know all the union rules so you can't get tripped up."