Monthly Archives: August 2011

No Regrets

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You made the choice and took action. There’s no turning back. You are where you are now because of it. What’s the point of dreaming back to that decision and wondering how your life could have panned out differently? You cannot wish your life back, so do not waste your time. You can only take a new action and move forward. It if means recreating that choice again and choosing the other road, great. But that opportunity rarely arises again, so you may very well be stuck on this path.

Dare not reflect on your past, unless it helps you discover a positive life lesson or take pride in the path you chose. Embrace every choice you made in life; those choices define you today. Regrets are a waste of time and a damper on your soul. You cannot undo what has already been done. But don’t forget: you can always make a new choice.

You Cannot Be Proud or Stubborn to Run a Business

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Risk Aversion and Ego are major obstacles to moving small companies forward. If you are afraid to take chances, your company will idle in a nasty spot, and your resources may slip out from under you. If you are too confident in your own vision, your company may miss out on necessary opportunities for collaborative iteration. Simply put, you must be open-minded and accepting of change as a small business leader. Being small affords you the intimacy to avoid the scope and communication issues large companies have. Embrace your size. Keep your ears open. Be flexible. Move forward.

Dry Spells [Film Friday]

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People working in Hollywood are looking for work regularly: when a show wraps, it’s time to find a new job. Like all freelancing, entertainment industry folks run the risk of suffering weeks or months between projects. Even people who make as much as $10,000 per week file for unemployment between jobs. It’s crazy. Having had a steady paycheck for the last 14 months, I cannot imagine the day-to-day challenge of finding work. It’s a whole different world. For the people who work regularly, it can be great. For those who don’t, it can be hell. All you can do is get out, enjoy the California sunshine, chase personal projects, and keep busy. Learn to appreciate the dry spells. After all – the second you learn to love them, they’ll end, and you’ll be buried with work again.

Find Your Meditation Space

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Where can you go to clear your mind? Where can you go to let your thoughts flow freely? A forest? On a jog? In the game room? Where can you go to free your mind?

With all the noise day to day, it’s difficult to pause and reflect on your own life. It’s difficult to set your emotions and stress aside. Without a moment to rest, you can lose sight of your values, stumble away from your path, or threaten your health. I understand that rest is difficult to find, but I encourage you to make something work.

The best way to do this, I’ve found, is to assign a space (or time of day, if you can commit) exclusively for resting your mind. The shower is my meditation space – it is disconnected from the rest of the world, physically relaxing, and built into my day. Find a place that works for you. Treat this space as holy. Do NOT defile it with stress or let any other part of your life in. Keep it sacred. Visit it any time you feel unhealthy, lost, or overrun.

The Back-Up Man

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If your project or company depends on you alone (or one single person) to keep the system running, we have a problem. What if you get sick or quit? How does the company survive if you go on vacation or maternity leave? Who will pick up the pieces and keep your projects alive?

It is unwise to have only one person on staff with a set of specific skills, qualified approvals, or niche knowledge. It is equally unwise to let multiple individuals of similar talent fall out of touch with each other’s responsibilities. Network your team so that each individual has at least one other person’s shoulder to lean on. And make sure all the important pieces are covered should anything fall apart.

Have a back-up man (or woman) as a part of your back-up plan. The United States of America has a Vice President for a reason. You should, too.

Say It in Person

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If you have something important to say, say it in person. Do not cower behind the ink of a letter. You may think you have more control with the written word, but you don’t.

In writing, you can only wield spaces and punctuation between words. In person, you have your body and environment to help articulate your point. And there can be no pensive or awkward silences on the page.

In writing, the reader sets the tone. In person, you can set the tone. A smile or frown makes a big deal.

In writing, errors and tangents hurt your argument. In person, you have the freedom to revise your statements and make mistakes. We’re human after all.

In writing, the dialogue is asymmetrical (a one-way street). In person, your conversation can be mutual. You can alter the flow of your monologue based on the listener’s questions or reactions.

It will take you longer to think your way through a letter than to speak from the heart in person. Your listener will appreciate you more in person, no matter how good or bad the news. And there’s far less room for misunderstanding and error in person. Trust me.

I wish I could tell you this in person.

Decide When to Grow Up

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Growing up is not about age or education; it’s about reaching your next milestone. After college, milestones get fuzzy and unique to each person. For some, marriage is the next logical step. For others, a job promotion. What’s your next logical step? It’s okay if you do not know right now. You’ll know when the time is right.

One thing is certain: you’re the only one who can decide when it’s time to grow up. No one else can decide for you. It’s really rare to be promoted without you asking for it first. You’re the only one who can decide when you’re done paying your dues. Likewise, successful marriages build out of mutual consent – each partner agrees it’s time to take the next step together.

Other people can make suggestions, but only you can put one foot in front of the other.

Full Schedule, Healthy Mind

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When you have nothing to do, your mind wanders. Sometimes that’s a great thing, especially if you’re in a good place in life. Other times, a wandering mind is a bad thing. When you are in a rut, you can spin yourself deeper by thinking too hard about your situation. Most individuals diagnosed with depression tend to be less active people. Simply put, inactive people have time to think about how unhappy they are.

The mind never stops, no matter who you are. So rather than sitting around spinning it aimlessly, put your mind to something. Anything. A hobby, a game, a project, a better job search, a sport. It all counts. Fill your schedule until you have no time to think. You should never be bored unless you choose to be (after all, no one can keep going without a break).

With a full schedule, you will find yourself considerably more stimulated and inspired (especially if you are able to choose your own activities). If work hours have you beat, you must take the reins of your free time and keep the party going. Don’t just come home at night and go to bed. The mind is healthier when it is free to make its own choices, so use what time you can to do things you want to do.

Happiness and health directly correlate with the amount of time you spend doing things you want to do.

Be Your Dream

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Don’t wait until you’ve grown up to be who you want to be. I understand the value of working and learning under someone. But be careful doing that too well and for too long. Other people will have difficulty seeing your potential because they see you as an expert servant. Try to avoid being the best at anything out of line with your goals. Focus on your dream, and pursue it with a vengeance. Live it, breathe it, and ignore anyone who stands in your way. Break the hierarchy. Skip steps. Knock the ladder down. Do not compromise. Do not wait. Be who you want to be NOW.

Running a Studio vs. Production Company [Film Friday]

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Most businessmen and women in Hollywood think they have what it takes to build the next big label. Most producers think they know better than the studios and can do one better. But there are fundamental differences between building a studio and building a production company.

Production companies see life picture to picture and rarely lock their future in place. Some production company heads have long-term goals, but most are contingent on the success of the company’s material slate. That’s true for all content creators, but production companies fall short by investing all eggs in the movie basket.

Studios take a bigger piece of the pie. The difference between production companies and studios? Studios have assets and scope. Successful studios operate more like landlords and parents than artists or producers. They own backlots, prop houses, sound stages, post production facilities, restaurants, libraries, other companies, equipment, hardware, software, websites, networks, satellites, and more. A sizable portion of the sustainable revenue comes from operating and renting out these assets. Furthermore, most studio executives speak in slates and four year periods. They work hard to see into the future and see past the big fat movie release in front of them. Strong studios invest in things other artists use to tell stories, and they also invest in long-term strategy.

Are you in it for the movie game alone? Or are you in it for the big picture? The long haul? Decide what you want to build. Do not lie to yourself about what you care about.