Kelly Souders and Noémi Saglio Criticize Producer-Creative Disconnect at Seriencamp Panel

At Seriencamp Germany, acclaimed showrunner Kelly Souders (Smallville, The Hot Zone) and French writer-director Noémi Saglio (The Hook Up Plan) delivered a candid critique of the frequent disconnect between producers and creatives during a Deadline-hosted panel.

Souders, whose career spans over two decades, emphasized how producers often fail to build collaborative relationships with writers and directors. “As a producer, are you giving notes just to be right, or are you trying to create something great together?” she posed.

She described how poorly delivered feedback during editing stages often leads to frustration. “It would have been a great note when we were shooting,” Souders explained, “but now everybody’s gone home.” She added that vague or overly critical notes such as “There’s a lot of work to be done here” trigger defensive reactions in writers, halting productive dialogue.

The Reading Problem

Saglio, known for her Netflix romantic comedy, shocked the audience with her blunt assessment: “They don’t like to read.” She elaborated that many producers skip deep engagement with the script, undermining the creative process. “The material is the foundation. If producers don’t understand every sentence, how can they lead?”

Both creators argued that financial decision-making should not override storytelling. Saglio noted how many producers reduce complex creative choices into “Excel spreadsheet” logic, when real value lies in emotionally resonant storytelling.

Souders shared that her most positive producing experience came with Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions, which supported her vision during the production of The Hot Zone, a Nat Geo drama about an Ebola outbreak. “They elevated the work without dominating it,” she recalled.

Consistency in Creative Teams

Despite the challenges, both speakers highlighted the importance of long-term creative collaborators. Souders and Saglio prefer working with recurring writers and crew members, but rarely repeat producers. “Everybody on set is my family—but I change producers,” Saglio stated. “I haven’t found one that brings enough to the table to make me want to do a second project with them.”

Actor-producer Ólafur Darri Ólafsson echoed these sentiments, pointing to legendary filmmaker Mel Brooks as a model of producer humility. Brooks discreetly backed The Elephant Man by David Lynch but chose to keep his name off the credits to avoid misaligned expectations. “That’s the mark of a great producer,” said Ólafsson, “someone who empowers others and lets the story shine.”

This conversation touches on key dynamics behind the scenes of many successful foreign series, where balancing creative freedom with production oversight can make or break a project.