"Production is hard," says David Yost. Not that he's complaining. Rather, he presents this as evidence of the importance of the agency producer's job. "We take chaos and make sense of it."

As executive broadcast producer at San Francisco's Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Yost oversees the shop's Saturn account. Recently, he had his hand on the wheel of the Stages of Life campaign for the Ion, which is the follow-up work to last year's stunning "Sheet Metal", and is directed by Noam Murro of LA's Biscuit Filmworks.

A four-spot package that was shot over 10 days in Texas and Southern California, the campaign contains "Childhood", "Prom", "Wedding" and "College". The replication of a common theme - representing phases passed in Ion owners' lives - runs through each, from a suburban neighborhood overrun with gleeful children on swings and bikes to a town full of prommed-out teens, from a city of brides and grooms to a hell of a lot of partying college kids.

The spots are both stylish and well told, which Yost says is a testament to the talents of Murro, creative director Jamie Barrett, copywriter Al Kelly and art director Dave Layton. Special attention given to musical selection brings the spots to life: for "Childhood", a charming track from The Walkmen; "Prom" has "Forever Young" by Alphaville; and original music was used in "Wedding" and a small band in "College".

Considering Yost sees producing as an exercise in problem solving, it's not surprising he feels the most valuable experience a producer can get is by working on low-budget projects.

"You learn a lot when you have to shoot and edit for $40,000 [US]," says 37-year-old Yost, who started producing music videos for artists like Ice Cube and Easy E while in his 20s. "When you have money to throw at problems you don't have to be creative in solving them."

About the the Saturn work Yost says with a warm chuckle, "No production goes smoothly. But this one wasn't disastrous, it was solvable." In truth, he only cites a foggy day, re-shooting a couple of scenes, two extra shoot days, and a surreal feeling being on set with all the kiddy paraphernalia as standout issues with the shoot.

"With every project I come home and tell my wife 'This project is the worst'," says Yost. "But she always tells me, 'You say that with every one and you love it'. She's right."

What do you like most about being a producer?
I love working with great creatives and the whole process of building something with them.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
The hardest thing is finding the right director. Just because you have a great director doesn't mean he's right for the project.

What fingerprint do you feel an agency producer leaves on a job?
The job of an agency producer is to steer the boat and make sure it doesn't go off course. Sometimes I'm the helmsman, and sometimes I'm just the rubber bumper between the boat and the dock.

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