“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe” is an Abraham Lincoln quote that I heard from my father on a nearly daily basis growing up. And it is a quote that I reflect on often working in production. Being on set and seeing ideas come to life in the camera can be at the same time energizing and grueling, inspiring and poignant, fulfilling and stubborn. Filming is the fun part. Filming is chopping down the tree. But, as a producer and storyteller, the way that I sharpen my axe is by asking questions.

No matter what the project is, asking the right questions is invaluable. Asking the right questions can provide so much more than just answers. Asking questions can save time and money. Asking questions can prevent heartache. Asking questions can create connections. Asking questions can build a foundation. Asking questions can boil a project down to a singular objective, identifying what is truly important to tell a person’s, an organization’s, a product’s story. Your story. I have spent my life as a student, a teacher, a teammate, a coach, and as a professional learning how to ask the right questions. So, let me ask you one: what tree do you need chopped down?