Scott Mackenzie brings a wide-ranging base of media experience to his role at Radke Films – a role that includes executive producer, head of production and now partner.

Mackenzie, an Alberta native who settled in Toronto 20 years ago, has been in film and television production since 1978. His various jobs have included director, cameraman, editor, producer, assistant director, production manager and soundman. From 1989 to 1996 he worked as a freelance producer for television specials, documentaries, independent films, commercials, multimedia presentations and corporate and industrial productions.

Mackenzie says he was brought into commercials by his wife, Anne Koyama, who was firmly established in the biz.

‘I was doing independent film and television, which is a real life sucker,’ he says candidly. ‘There are no breaks in that. Essentially, I was brought into commercials by word of mouth. The process is the same [as film and television], but with commercials, the production period is a lot quicker. You can always see the light at the end of the tunnel.’

He pauses and sums it up this way: ‘It has all the good elements of filmmaking plus more money – on the other hand, of course, there are more people to keep happy.’

Mackenzie doesn’t want to talk about specific projects he’s been involved in as an executive producer or in any of his other roles. He particularly doesn’t want to bring special attention to any of the directors at Radke, where he has worked since 1996 (and is now a partner along with Edie Weiss).

‘We have a roster of directors who do quite a bit of the best work in the country,’ he says. ‘But I don’t want to single anyone out because each one has his own talents and naturally take their work personally.’

As for his own role in the day-to-day business of the commercial-making process, Mackenzie feels it is solidly linked to the work of those unnamed directors. ‘As an executive producer you’re only as good as your directors and as busy as your directors,’ he says. ‘And generally, you’re only as good as the last project you’ve done, so it’s important that everything you do reflect your best efforts.’

When putting together a project, Mackenzie feels his broad-based experience helps him to really understand the process and the possibilities – and his directors.

‘It’s a very subjective process, and you really have to understand and then sell a subjective vision that the director has,’ he says. ‘I think knowing how a director works is the biggest thing I have to be on top of. Also, since I have knowledge of production and post, it helps me know the right people to bring on for a particular project.’

In the midst of ‘the process,’ Mackenzie says that once discussions with an agency become serious, he gets ‘a sense of what it would take to do things right. I flesh out the costs involved. At first I put in everything that everybody wants – the helicopter, the horse, the cast of thousands.

‘Then, when we get closer to the decision about how much we’re really going to spend and how many days we’re going to shoot, then I try to determine where the money should best be spent.’

In sum, Mackenzie sees his role in the process as ‘presenting positive options.’ He explains: ‘I don’t say, `We can’t do this,’ I offer alternatives. It’s a competitive business and we have to exhaust every possibility so that if we can’t do it, I don’t feel I’ve disappointed myself or the agency. Because if we don’t do a project, there’s always going to be someone else who will.’