Fall 2019
AT WORK WITH
By Matt Gamarra
As an AD, a big part of what you're doing is just paying attention to the different information that's available to you," says associate director Laura Lyons, who recently wrapped her 17th season on NBC's The Voice. "Asking questions when you hear something new. Finding out what that means. And always thinking who else cares about this? Who is this going to affect? Do I have to call the graphics guy now? Do I have to talk to the audio people? One of the most important things is making sure the information doesn't stop with you."
Working on The Voice may not be routine, but "there's a lot of ease of experience that comes with being on the same show with the same people for so many seasons," says Lyons. "For example, when you're doing a live show, my information is always what's next. If I say, 'Two seconds until credits,' I know that the graphics table is getting ready to roll credits, as opposed to the director who is working in the right now. We have this flow that's constantly going on between us. And with Alan Carter on The Voice, who's been directing it since day one, there's almost no conversation anymore."