Category Archives: Life

Farewell, Alloy Entertainment!

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Ladies and gentlemen, my term with Alloy Entertainment has come to an end. Over the past 15 months, I helped teacher and friend Tripp Reed build a new media division, produce six original hour-long series, and premiere them across the web. My experiences on these series served as an unmatchable education in production, content, leadership, marketing, and technology. Lessons gleaned here will inform me for a lifetime. I could not be more grateful to Tripp and the Alloy family for this amazing opportunity. Thank you for trusting and empowering me to help you build this company.

To the 511 individual department heads, cast, crew, executives, assistants, accountants, lawyers, vendors, and clients I have worked with over the last year and a half: it has been an absolute pleasure. I love you all. Never hesitate to reach out if you need anything. Please stay in touch.

A few special shouts: to Korey Budd, for taking care of everyone and reminding me why I love this business; to my editors and post-production staff, for putting up with me daily and keeping the culture fruitful; to Courtney, for taking everything so seriously; to SonicPool Post-Production, for going above and beyond to meet our needs; and to our office staff, for putting the work first and keeping me alive.

Today, I pass the baton on and begin the next era of my life. I wish Tripp, Alloy, and our team all my love and best wishes as you venture into the shows beyond. We shall meet again down the road.

Here’s to the future!

Celebration

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Accomplishments are not imprinted to your memory as well without celebration. Hard work must be acknowledged and rewarded. Make a party out of it. Consummate the success. Make a big deal. You deserve it.

Want to remember the glory forever? Treat yourself to a night you’ll never forget.

Blame Miscommunication

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Do not be so hasty to blame the other person. Nine out of ten times, the fault lies in mutual misunderstanding. Always blame miscommunication first. Point fingers only after both sides agree on the facts. By then, the guilty party (if any) will know enough to point the finger at him or herself. Dispute solved.

Learn to Lose Well

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You’ve done everything you can do. The cons outweigh the pros. The risk is too high and the reward too low. You lose. I’m sorry.

Take it with pride. Every loss is a win in disguise. In every failure lies a lesson, a lesson you could never learn through victory. That which does not kill you makes you stronger. Do not waste time in sorrow. Embrace the lesson, apply it next time, and win.

Champions learn from their losses.

Angry? Don’t Send That Email

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I’ve done it. You’ve done it. We’ve all done it. You’re really upset with somebody and write them a note. Maybe you think you have more control over the written word than you would a conversation. Or perhaps you think a note would sound less harsh.

The truth? You have far less control over the recipient’s interpretation of and reaction to your message. A letter leaves room between the lines for misunderstanding. Worse, it leaves a permanent record of your anger – a record that can be saved, shared, or distributed for the world to see.

If you are really that angry, go talk to the person. If you can’t do so face to face, at least pick up the phone. You will reach an understanding much quicker if you hash out your opinions in dialogue.

By all means, write the letter. It will make you feel better. But never send it. Abraham Lincoln died with a desk drawer full of nasty letters. Be the better man or woman. Be brave. Do not hide behind a letter.

Hire the Job, Don’t Let It Hire You

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I pity you if every little task, responsibility, or minute of your day has been laid out by a job description. If you do not have the freedom to explore, discover, or experiment through your job, then you are little better than a slave.

Forcing a person to fit the itemized mold of a job description is unrealistic and myopic. Every employee has so much to offer; failure to encourage peripheral skills and passion will drive him or her out unfulfilled. On the other side of the table, applying for and interviewing to fit a job description may be equally naïve. Why sign up to do what you are told and nothing more?

Great organizations understand that human beings are not simple tools. They judge character and accomplishments over trade skills. Why do you think more than 70% of Americans secured their job through someone they knew in the company? Relationships bare the fruit and culture of success.

The dream hiring situation? First, the company acknowledges a need for talent in a certain area. They screen fresh talent and possibly give them a trial run. When a comfortable cultural fit is found, the company throws him or her into the wild. No guiding hands or operations checklists, only a dish full of puzzles to solve. Before long, the new hire will find his or her own place. Effectively, he or she will write his or her own job description.

Find a job you can make your own. If by the end of every day you have satisfied the thirst of all your talents and interests, you will know you have found the right fit.

Clean Up Your Mess & Re-Learn Something New

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It’s worth organizing and filing old documents, especially items from college. Papers you wrote. Worksheets you completed. Projects you submitted. Course readers. Class notes. To reduce the clutter in my life, I am scanning all of my college documents as digital copies and recycling the leftovers. Through the process, you skim almost everything. Inadvertently, you remember (and re-learn) old things that you learned long ago and have since forgotten. Little lessons here, little takeaways there. Organizing your life in this way is a magical experience. I suggest you try it.

Sincere Creation

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What’s the motivation behind your project? Capital gain? Attention? A greater noble effort? What do you have to prove? And to whom?

I know from my experiences in Hollywood that projects produced through a climate of unrestrained and unadulterated love for the material have a far better chance at sweeping audiences. With pure and simple love of filmmaking at the helm, a movie’s voice can be authentic, formalistic craft more cohesive, and overall execution more successful than, say, a franchise picture riddled by ambitions for ancillary market spin-offs and merchandising. Too many cooks in the kitchen, too many goals, and too many interests can shred a project into a million pieces.

How do you create great products? Simple. Make things because you love making things, not because you love the idea of making things.

Most people hear an idea and let their minds run wild. Before long, the fantasy overshadows the outstanding work that needs to be done. If you are busy thinking about the idea, rather than feeling or experiencing the idea, you’re on the wrong track.

Success will come when affection for your project is sincere.

Do not love your work. Love doing your work.

Dangerous City, Lost Angels

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In what kind of place does a man wake to sirens and screams, gaze upon his neighbors’ house engulfed in flames, close the glass slider to cut the sound, and return to bed having done nothing? Within minutes of waking, I fell back to sleep in spite of the bright flicker on my wall and common urban murmur outside. A mere annoyance, nothing more.

The morning after, I reflected on my apathy. It made me sick to think of all the similar experiences I have had in Los Angeles. I realized how cold I had become.

I have resided here for five years and seen things I hope you never see. A car on fire riddled with bullet holes in South Central; a woman mugged across the street in Venice Beach; a bank evacuated on bomb threat by USC; a motorcyclist flipped and crushed at 65 mph on the 5 Interstate; the corpse of a homeless woman lifted from a gutter downtown; a tanker truck explosion on the 105-110 overpass; prostitutes fighting over a fare in Hollywood; a SWAT-grade drug bust in Koreatown; and far too much more. My heart froze over long ago to endure such things. I am not proud of the man this city numbed me to be.

It takes a thick skin to survive in Los Angeles.

Finish Strong

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People remember you by the manner through which you leave them. Want to preserve a good reputation long term? Do everything in your power to walk away on a good note. No matter the circumstances, bring closure to the meeting or relationship. Leave nothing unsaid, unfinished, or unfriendly. Get your job done, do it better than ever, and walk out with your head held high. Leave with a positive, lasting impression.