Confessions of an Executive Producer

learning to walk

One year ago today the entire advertising industry piled into a car for a New Year's Eve celebration. We were all eager to drink away our anxieties. The economy fell apart in September and the repercussion were hitting home. 

December 31st 2008 was a dark foggy night. Not paying enough attention to where we were heading, we found ourselves in unfamiliar terrain. It didn't help we were a little drunk. Now we were a little lost. 

As we sped around the curves barely maintaing control of the wheel, we inadvertently crossed the center median. Just then, a semi was coming in the other direction and...BANG! Our car spun out of control, smashing into the side rail and careening down the side of a mountain. The sudden fear of bracing ourself for the impending impact is the last thing we remembered. The world went black.

We woke up in an emergency room surrounded by doctors and nurses. It didn't look good. We could hear the faint murmurings of the medical staff. We would survive but the damage was as of yet unknown. 

The next thing we recalled was regaining consciousness in our hospital room. Peripherally we could see the nurse franticly paging the doctor. He rushed through the door. Hovering over us he waved a pen light across and into our eyes. We could see he was relieved. 

"Welcome back". He took out a tongue depressor from his top pocket and ran it across the arch of our foot. "Can you feel this?" 

"Nope"

"What about this?"

"Nothing."

"Ok. I'll be back". The doctor made some notes as he made his way toward the door.

"Are we paralyzed?

He turned toward us assuredly. "For the moment...but I think it's only temporary. Let's wait and see. You've got the best care around. There are a lot of very smart and motivated people here to help you."

This was how we spent the 1st quarter of 2009. We laid in the bed as an industry frozen with paralysis. There was no movement. We were told our parts were beginning to heal but no one knew how long it would take. Every day physical therapists moved our limbs to get some blood flowing to prevent complete atrophied although it was clear we had shed a lot of weight and lost a substantial amount of muscle. 

Some time around the end of March, we awoke in the morning with a sensation in one of our toes. We started to wiggle them. The doctor was cautiously optimistic. It was a sign of recovery but it was a long road back. 

"Doc, will we ever walk again?"

"WIth combination of your will and new technologies I believe you will. But, to be honest, it will never be as it was. Hopefully not bad. Just different." 

We were okay with that. At least we were alive. There was movement. Like the paralysis itself, the long winter thawed into spring. Slowly, we started to regain feeling throughout our entire body. By the time summer rolled around we were feeding ourselves without help from a tube or nurses. There were even moments we started to emotionally feel like our old self but the surroundings were a constant reminder of the devastating crash. 

By the fall we were back in our own home fending for ourselves. Progress continued. Little by little we were achieving our new normal. By the end of the year, we had recovered a great deal from our wounds. The scars remained and we continued to walk with a pronounced limp. We were far from being fully healed. At least we were moving forward under our own power.

This is the metaphor for 2009. The crash and it's aftermath. What about 2010?

Thanks to a four quarter flurry of clients needing to spend year end budgets and must see live events such as the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics and the Oscars we could lull ourselves into thinking things were recovering nicely. It is a far cry from the paralysis of Q1 2009 but we are hardly whole again. The means of distributing content, the viewing habits of consumer, the power of social media, and the commoditization of ideas have changed our industry forever. 

The promise of the new decade presents huge marketing demands to reach a fractured audience, an audience that ironically is more accessible than ever but even harder to reach. As an industry concepting, communicating, and executing ideas is our expertise. We must translate that expertise into the language of the next generation along with the skills to consistently congregate and mobilize a captive audience for the new media landscape. 

So the metaphor for 2010, as we lick our wounds from what for many of us was the hardest year of our business life, is to learn to walk again. So many possibilities lie ahead. Let's just know where we are going and keep our eyes on the road. 

Hope everyone has a very Happy New Year!

acorns, cheese burgers and thanking the thankless

Wouldn't it be great if you could stow away boards like squirrels do with nuts? All those jobs that compete for the same time are just stashed inside a secure place only to be taken out when work dries up. Unfortunately neither life or advertising works that way. 

At the moment, production companies are buzzing. We've even been struggling to get crews. It's quite a contrast to the start of the year when we stopped putting people on hold. Partially it was because I got superstitious. Whenever we had all our top choices available the job inevitably went elsewhere. But, mostly it was because it took us no time to crew up once the job awarded. Everyone was pretty much available. I'm relieved we are ending with a flurry salvaging a less than stellar year. I'm especially happy for the freelance pool that lives without the security of a steady weekly paycheck. 

On Wednesday night, we held the annual Epoch West Holiday party. it's starting to become a tradition. We buyout a little dive bar for the night and bring in a food truck. In the past we've hired a taco truck. This year we switched it up and went with the In 'n Out Burger truck. Great call by the Epoch staff. 

What's really nice about the party is that it's totally apolitical. There are no agencies or clients with the rare exception. The guest make up is staff, spouses, extended Epoch friends but is dominated by freelancers. It's a chance for us to buy a cocktail and some cheap tasty grub for the people in the trenches. 

At the party I had the opportunity to talk to many of the thankless people that make me and my directors look good every day. In particular, I talked to the three production managers who just made the move, were in the midst of making the move or thinking about making the move to producing. They are all very talented and more than ready for the challenge. I'm confident they will all get there in time. The problem is at the moment they're aren't enough at bats to go around. 

After 3 Tecates, 2 tequillas and 1 amazing double cheese burger with grilled onions, I reflected once again about the years past and the year ahead. I looked at all these people that contribute tremendously to the spirit of Epoch Films. They are not permanent residents but they are permanent guests. They are always welcome. I only wish that in 2010 I have more rooms available for them to stay in and can even give some upgrades. A challenging goal but that is part of the promise and excitement of a new year.

I'm off to Mexico for more Tecate and tequilla. Everyone have a great holiday. Look next week for some great guest bloggers. 

Y2K seemed liked yesterday

Epoch is good at many things, one of them is not hype. We've produced two feature films yet they don't appear on our website (we're changing that in the new year).  We've never been big into award shows. Even when we do get honored it get us into trouble (ahem, JC Penney).  We are most comfortable with self deprecation.

As an early New Year's resolution, I'm going to not be so humble and taut our own associations and accomplishments. 

A couple days ago Adweek published the best of 2000's. They broke it down into four categories - agency, brand, media and creative. It was wild to look through it. I'm familiar with most everything in the lists. Time sure flies when you're having fun...or making ads. 

In the issue, Daniel Kleinman, was named commercial director of the decade. He's actually a Rattling Stick director but Epoch represents him, at least this week. In all seriousness, it's an incredibly deserved honored. Danny is not an only amazing talent he is arguably the most diverse director in our industry. He can capture humanity and humor, epic visuals and inspiring vignettes all with equal skill and an effortless touch. Most of all he's a great man, collaborator and pleasure to work with. 

The fun doesn't end there. Adweek also selected "Get a Mac" (or as we affectionately refer to it MVP) as campaign of the decade. 

Every spot from it's inception has been directed by Phil Morrison and produced by Epoch Films. It has been a great ride with Media Arts Lab as well as with John and Justin. I'd love to share stories but I've signed NDA's and very much enjoy living in my house. I can say this, it is rare to be involved in a piece of advertising that transcends the culture. I'm proud of the contribution Phil and others have made by working tirelessly on keeping this campaign fresh and maintaining its high standard. 

That concludes my self-promoting post. I hope you liked it. I kinda did.   

  

my year in blogging top ten

As I've been looking back to move forward, I started thinking about the impact social media has had on me this year. In the the glory days of December "08, I laid out a strategy to launch my blog. I have recounted my experiences in several spaces including 'Boards online, at their October Summit and right here. 

My reasons for starting a blog are different than the reasons I continue posting. It's been an interesting evolution. Lots of learning. Many surprises. And, a few affirmations. 

Here are my top ten realizations from my year in blogging.

1.     IT WORKS. You can build a niche audience through consistent posting and addressing relevant issues.

2.     TRANSPARENCY. The more honest and open, the more receptive the audience. Also, there is very little of it in the industry.  I'm still amazed by the number of people that contact me directly but won't comment publicly. 

3.     BACKLASH. Never has anything I posted come back to hurt me or Epoch, at least to the best of my knowledge. I actually believe it has enhanced our brands. 

4.     COMMITMENT. It's increasingly more and more difficult to write consistently.

5.     TOPICS. It's increasingly more and more difficult to find things to write about.

6.     METRICS. I still don't understand how they work and probably don't care enough to figure it out.

7.     PEERS. I assumed by now another industry leader would start a blog. See numbers 2, 4 and 5 for the reason why it probably hasn't happened. 

8.     COMMUNICATION. My opinions occasionally resonate. I remain unsure if it's more monologue than a dialogue. Wish it was more the latter.

9.  ADDICTION. I feel an almost obsessive compulsion to keep posting even when I'm too busy and too  tired to do so. 

10.     DIFFERENCE. I believe it makes one. If because of a posting, one person stopped to think about their role in the industry OR their personal responsibility to it OR approached their business differently OR even watched an episode of Mad Men, it was worth the effort.  

company values

Looking back on the year, arguably the most controversial and divisive issue was the RFP issued by P&G. As I've written about in the past, P&G offered many companies the opportunity to be one of their preferred vendors. If you filled out the required paper work offering P&G below market and fixed rates you could qualify. It's stirred strong emotions within the production community. It got me thinking about the companies that were on it and the companies that were not.

When a company opens for business they make a decision, knowingly or unknowingly, what's their value proposition. In other words, why does a client solicit their services. There are many specifics but at the core it can be broken down to two simple reasons, price or quality. This doesn't mean they are mutually exclusive but one is usually the more dominant factor. 

In the case of the P&G list, when opting whether to participate, each company was faced with a variety of issues to consider. The most obvious being what percentage of your business is with P&G brands. If it's miniscule or considerable the choice is easy. If it is somewhere in the middle it becomes less obvious. This is only the financial part of the equation. There is also an emotional one. 

It harkens back to the value proposition. A client comes to Epoch for specific esthetic and skill. They are willing to pay a fairly negotiated market value for our services. Any preferred vendors list prohibits that process. Primarily for this reason, along with the fact we have historically produce so little work for P&G, we did not participate. I want the free market to determine pricing but mostly I want to position our company value proposition and expertise at a premium.  

For the record, I have no issue working on a P&G product. The only determining factor is quality of the creative and cost of production. If we find them both within acceptable means, we will be honored to compete for the work. Of course, the vendors lists may prohibit that from occurring. It is the decision we have made as a vendor and P&G made as a client.

On the other hand those that signed on for the list also made a value decision. They decided to be valued not on their expertise but rather on their price point. In other words, it's not about what they do well that sets them apart but rather the cost they can deliver on. Once again, if faced with being ineligible for a significant percentage of your company revenue it is hard to decline. I totally understand it from a business perspective. The problem lies in that P&G stated that production expertise matters little. Our acquired skill and natural talent value is minimized. 

A production company can continue to survive with the decision to participate but they must realize it has its consequences. Your value is based primarily on cost. P&G and soon other clients will expect that price point. More importantly it is how your company brand is perceived. Price over quality. 

Whether on the list or not on the list, ask what value do I place on myself and my company. Should I determine that for myself or let someone else do it for me. It's yet another good question to ponder as we enter into 2010.

Fear and loathing irrelevance

I wrote last week about the pains of starting from scratch each year. I ended the post by asking how can we, being service businesses, create something of more lasting value. I mentioned this is a new end of the year question to add to my list. So, what are the old ones? 

A few weeks back I was talking to a director I'm friendly with. He is a non-Epoch director but I won't hold that against him. A young director was soliciting his advice and asked how he went about getting signed to his first company. He told him how 10 years ago, he made a list of his top 8 companies. His strategy was if he could get signed by any of the top 8, he'd do it. If not, he'd keep working on his reel. The young director liked this advice so they did the same exercise. Much to my friend's surprise the only company he recalled being on both the current and past list was Epoch. 

I was flattered but more had a strong feeling of satisfaction. Which brings me to the question I ask myself every year. If you are a company that has been around for 20 years in an industry obsessed by youth and lives by the mantra new and improved, what we must always ask ourself...how do we remain fresh, vibrant and most of all, relevant? 

I believe the foundation for our longevity is our commitment to developing new talent and I'm not talking solely directors. Over those ten years, Epoch has evolved and expanded at our own pace. Starting a viable London office. Developing and producing two feature films with our directors. Making an alliance with Rattling Stick. Investing in Imperial Woodpecker. Acquiring KGA to form Dandelion. There are also subtler less sexy moves. Hiring Dexter Randazzo in conjunction with MPC. Utilizing the creativity of Brielle Murray to make an internal monthly cultural cheat sheet. Empowering Megan Murphree to rise to the next level of her job. Along the way I can also point to many failures. I'll refrain from listing them here, one of the perks of having your own blog. But, those failures have helped enormously in creating something lasting and relevant. 

Arguably we may not be the only company both lists. I can say for a fact, we were never number one. No of that matters to me in the slightest. What does matter is our ability to consistently maintain a high level of excellence as directors careers have risen, maintained and subsided. We have done so at our own pace never looking to be anything we are not just maximize what we are. 

As my depression subsides from facing the climb up the mountain yet again, the hope of a new year inspires me. It's the year one of our young directors separates itself from the pack. An idea will germinate and spawn a new dimension to our company. Someone in the Epoch fold will rise to a new challenge and take an initiative to add value to the company. Or, it will be something completely unexpected.

We're ready for the challenge. And like every year, I believe this will be the best one yet.

the fortunate

Over the last year many friends and business associates have been laid off, fired, let go or whatever the politically correct term is for losing your job. Some have been found new positions while many others still struggle to find a new opportunity. 

Of course in most cases we'd all prefer to be retained, especially in this economy, even if you don't love your job. It's good for the ego and better for the bank account. In the year where the mantra is "lower the overhead", the ones who bear an unspoken burden are the so called "fortunate".

The fortunate are rewarded with greater work load for the same pay, or less. The other perk is living with the anxiety of potentially being the next one on the list. The hardest part may be the lack of control of knowing that job security can't be solely earned through performance but rather the number their salary represents on a spreadsheet. It's heart wrenching to hear both the tales of those let go, those who remain and those who are in the unenvious position to make the hard decision of who stay and who goes. 

The biggest problem I see is the lay offs are merely cost cutting measures without any strategy behind them. Clients cut their budgets but still want the same level of service just for less. Its a hard position because if you don't continue to service your clients as you have in the past, albeit with less resources, someone else will. 

We get this all the time in production. We are asked to lose money out of budget but without consequence. If we bid it out for 100k more than the agency is willing to spend, we try to find solutions to lower the number. Often those solutions require creative compromises. They are accepted as long as the number on a piece of paper matches. The problem occurs when the concessions aren't honored. It creates either a contentious situation or financial loss, and some times both. 

As I see it the situation of cutting people while placing more work on those that remain and still providing the same client service isn't sustainable for any prolonged period. As the economy has moved away from the abyss toward a new reality, the organization structure, client expectatioins and the business models must begin to adapt. I'm sure many are in the midst of this process as the new year begins. I hope as they evolve they appreciate the fortunate. 

i'm lovin' it

2009 seemed to be the year social media exploded into the mainstream. Maybe it's been huge for a while but it's me that caught on this year. 

There were two social media items at years end I thought were interesting. The NY Times wrote a piece about the first Twitter Christmas. It ranged from posting special deals and shopping strategies to popular gift items and wheres the open parking spaces in shopping malls. What was most compelling to me was this anecdote from Black Friday:

After buying a new navigation system at 6 a.m. on the most frenzied shopping day of the year, Laura S. Kern of Los Angeles could not figure out why it was not giving her traffic updates. She sent a message to Best Buy’s Twitter account and within five minutes not one, but two Best Buy employees responded with fix-it advice.

Businesses are using the Twitter open platform to create better interaction between customers and their employees therefore the brand. Its more time efficient, more personal, more modern. Every brand is trying to incorporate social media into their marketing. The Christmas season is a seamless approach to utilize social media in communicating with consumers. Finding a comprehensive over arching brand strategy beyond the season is another. 

Someone at McDonald's, one of the world most recognizable brands, put together a social media strategy to create a stronger bond with their customers and enhance their image. Go through the deck. It's impressive thinking. I'n curious to see if McDonald's actually implements this strategy. Personally I won't let my kids go near the place but I'd love to see them take these marketing steps. I believe they would further distance themselves from the competition and set a new standard for other brands not just those in the fast food business. 

BDI 11/12 The Social Consumer - McDonald's Presentation

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back to zero

I was studying our status report today paying close attention to the shoot dates of the jobs bidding. Only one job December was left pending. All the other December projects were either in production, we lost to an inferior director or they just plain died. Everything else on the slate were scheduled to shoot in 2010. The lone remaining 2009 job triggered the start of my annual year end depression.

Every January we start from zero. It's like looking up from the base of a mountain. I know these peaks. I've climbed them many times before. They're wrought with obstacles and peril, challenges and thrills. Many are expected and some are not. Whatever setbacks or triumphs I experience I keep moving forward marching toward the end goal. Some climbs are better than others but I always get to the top. Once at the apex I get to look back on how far we've traveled. It's a beautiful view. A real sense of accomplishment but it lasts only for a fleeting moment. And then I realize, the slate has been wiped clean. We divvy up the rewards from the year long trek and its over. No time to waste we need to prepare for another climb. It's groundhog day and it's daunting. 

Do I have the energy to do it all over again? Is this the year it all slides downhill? Eventually I get over it. A couple jobs book in for January. It relieves the anxiety of thinking we just produced our last spot. I discover a renewed spirit and off we go into another year. 

This is the production company model in a nutshell. Eat what you kill. Some years are bigger feasts than others but if you manage your business well they'll be food left on the table, even this year.

I spent the better part of 2009 writing about issues within the industry. New modes of production. Different models for agency. Opportunities arising out of uncertainty. Yet, here I find myself suffering the same fate of December's past. 

I think one of the problems with production companies is our value is placed primary in our talent. Our business and our own expertise as entrepreneurs don't seem to have any redeeming value. We can't be sold. We don't own our IP. We have no assets. It is how we perceive ourselves. It is how we've been labeled by the industry. We are a lifestyle business. As long as the company owners and directors remain vibrant, we'll thrive. When they begin to lose interest or enthusiasm or relevance the end is near. 

This year I'm going to ask myself how can we build something that has longer lasting value? A company that can outlive our own efforts. Where each year is a building block not simply a perpetual new beginning. With the changing landscape this is more plausible than ever before. As the beginning of a new year approaches I always ask myself the same questions, I'm going to add these to that list.

the end of the tunnel

For the past 10 years people have been talking about the death of the :30 TV commercial. The doomsayers told us it was coming. In the first quarter of 2009, it look as if the storm they were predicting had finally hit. And, it wasn't any regular storm it was friggin' Katrina. 

There was wide spread panic. Everyday we were hit with news of another round of layoffs, companies not getting paid, corporations filing for bankruptcy, 50% cuts in marketing budgets. The end was near and no one knew what the future would hold. We hunkered down expecting the worse.

Eventually the rains began to slow. The winds subsided. Small breaks of sun appeared through the gray clouds. People rose from their shelters. As a community we had taken a beating but we were still standing. We began to assess the damage the storm left in its wake. There was talk of rebuilding. New ideas were being bantered about. All was not lost but it would never the same. 

Okay, maybe I'm getting a little heavy handed with the metaphor but you gotta admit this was one crazy year. 

As Thanksgiving has passed, it's now the official start of the year end evaluation season. It was unquestionably a year of transition. A year where many of us had to operate on the downside for the first time in our careers. A year where all the changes in media began to truly impact our core business. 

Leading up to the Christmas holiday, I'm going to try to take a look back at the past year and a look forward into the year ahead. Hopefully I'll cleanse my soul and start fresh having learned from the experience. I for one will be glad to turn the page on 2009 but not without getting more out of it than anxiety and stress. As uncertain as the future may still seem, I believe there is a light on the horizon. Let's start making plans to head towards it.