Advertising Production Checklist

Account lead uploads the signed brief, MSA reference, and current SOW. Capture business challenge, single-minded proposition, audience, mandatories, and deliverables matrix in the brief — vague briefs drive scope creep through revisions.

Strategy lead documents the north-star metric, brand-lift targets, and media KPIs (CPM, VTR, CPCV) so post-launch reporting can be built backward from these numbers. Confirm whether a brand-lift study or MMM read is in scope.

Pharma triggers FDA fair-balance and ISI requirements; alcohol and gambling require age-gated targeting; financial services may need FINRA pre-approval; tobacco/cannabis face platform-by-platform restrictions. Flag now so legal review and disclosure language are baked into concepts, not bolted on at QC.

Creative teams develop 3-5 territories against the SMP. Re-anchor each concept to the brief — concepts that drift from the brief get killed at the CD walk-through, not at the client meeting.

ECD/CD culls weak territories, sharpens the survivors, and signs off on the deck before client exposure. Strategy and account validate that each concept still answers the brief and the named KPIs.

Account lead runs the meeting; CD walks the work. Capture the client decision in writing the same day — verbal approvals at the table evaporate by Monday.

If revisions push beyond brief scope, issue a change order before the next round — absorbed scope creep is the most common reason productions go red. Document each round against the original brief.

Producer sends boards, script, and creative deck to 2-3 directors via their reps. Bids should break out director fee, production company fee, line items, and pass-throughs separately so apples-to-apples comparison is possible.

Casting director runs auditions and callbacks; client selects on Casting Networks or Cast It Talent. Confirm minor-talent compliance (Coogan account in CA/NY) and right-of-publicity clearances before issuing offers.

Lock session fees, holding fees, and use cycles in the contract. Collect W-9s and I-9s before call time — production companies that show up without paperwork can't pay talent and lose the day. Pension & Health contributions are non-negotiable per the contract.

Producer collects signed location releases before camera rolls — owners who see footage in a finished spot will demand a fee or a takedown. File releases in the production binder alongside permits and certificates of insurance.

Walk the PPM book with agency, client, and production company: shotlist, storyboard, wardrobe, props, schedule, weather contingencies, and the deliverables matrix. Anything not surfaced at PPM becomes a shoot-day surprise.

Send the callsheet 12-18 hours before call time with talent, crew, location, weather, hospital info, and call/wrap times. Confirm receipt from talent agents and key crew.

Meal must break by the sixth hour from call; second meal six hours after the first. Meal penalties accrue per quarter-hour per principal — easily four figures of overage on a small cast if the AD lets the schedule slip.

Producer documents actuals vs. bid, overtime, meal penalties, talent overages, and any reshoot risk. Wrap report drives final invoicing and the post-mortem.

Editor delivers a rough cut for agency review before client exposure. Use Frame.io timecoded comments — versionless email markups guarantee notes get lost.

Picture lock is the gate to color, online, and mix — once locked, any change is a change order and a schedule hit. Capture the client signature on the locked cut.

Pull brand color values from the brand book into the DI suite. Spots that drift from brand color get caught by client QC or, worse, ship off-brand and require a retraffic.

Three rights to clear: composition (sync) with the publisher, recording (master) with the label, and performance (PRO). Match license scope — channels, geo, term, cycles — to the actual media plan, or a YouTube cutdown of a TV-only license becomes a takedown.

QC each version against network spec — ProRes 422 HQ, frame rate, audio loudness LKFS, slate, supers, lower-thirds, legal disclosures. Day-of-air rejection from a network because you delivered DV at 29.97 instead of 23.98 is the canonical avoidable failure.

Important Safety Information must be on screen long enough to read at the legible font size, and fair balance must match the prominence of efficacy claims. Med/legal/regulatory (MLR) sign-off is mandatory before traffic — FDA warning letters cite ISI speed and font size most often.

Send all cuts (15s, 30s, 60s, English/Spanish, 16:9 broadcast, 9:16 social, 6s bumpers) to Extreme Reach or Adstream with traffic instructions per network. Confirm each network's clearance category before send.

Match affidavits against the media plan; chase any missing airings with the network. Affidavits are the audit trail for billing and for any make-good claim.

SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract use cycles run 21 months from first air. Set a reminder 60 days before expiry so renewal or pull-down decisions happen before unauthorized-use exposure begins.

Bynder or Brandfolder gets the locked masters with rights metadata: talent contract reference, music license scope, expiry dates, and channel restrictions. The next team that pulls these assets needs to see the rights envelope without re-reading the contract.