Confessions of an Executive Producer

humidity, chaos and plenty to eat

AICP week in NY. Schmoozing. Power Meetings. Public drunkenness. And more.

We seek out old friends. We look to make news ones. And, try to avoid everyone else in between. It's like a camp reunion, senior prom and a Shriner's convention all rolled into one. At times enjoyable. On occasion painful. Always exhausting. As Woody Allen famously said 90% of life is showing up. Many of us do exactly that including yours truly.

First thing Monday morning right to AICP NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING. It's an all day affair, 9am to 4pm. We review all the business of the Association. This ranges from individual chapters status and committee progress reports to upcoming elections and pressing industry concerns. Contrary to popular belief, there are quite a few issues being addressed that provide real benefit to the membership. I won't spend too much time dwelling on the specifics. It will all be covered in a soon to be release AICP online blog/newsletter that will be informative, brief and entertaining. 

Most people are more interested in the interpersonal politics in the room than the issues being discussed. Out of respect for the board members, I won't speak out of school. I can only talk to my actions. I have an opinion on virtually every topic. I talk way too much and become increasingly cranky with each passing hour. My pontifications probably add another 90 minutes to an already way too long a day. This reason alone may lead to a Gray Davis type recall of my election. On second thought, we see how that turned out.  

Overall, the best way to describe the day is anecdotal. As I walked into the 7pm screening, I ran into Diane McArter. During a quick catch up she inquired about the Board Meeting. As we were pressed for time she asked me to give her a one sentence summary. I paused and said only "Progress". She seemed satisfied with the response. I thought it accurate. I bet my fellow board members wished the previous day I would've been as economical with my words.

After the board meeting, I attended an installment of the DGA's 75th ANNIVERSARY LECTURE SERIES. This one celebrated the TV commercial. Jeff Goodby led a panel discussion compromised of Joe Pytka, Bob Giraldi, George Gomes, Jim Gartner and Bryan Buckley. The event opened with a montage of classic TV commercials from the early 60's and leading up to present day. It was followed by Goodby introducing each director accompanied by a brief retrospective of their work. It was impressive. Viewing the work gave me a renewed appreciation for the craft, creativity and cultural relevance of our industry. Afterwards the panel regaled the audience with stories of business past and present. As much has changed, much remains the same. 

After the DGA event, I stuck to my Woody Allen philosophy and cabbed it down to THE MILL. This "eve before the show" gathering has become a go to event. I was slightly reluctant as last years scene at the door was like the fall of Saigon. Thankfully this year access was more civilized with a specific guest list accompanied by a fancy bar code system. At the party, I grabbed a beer, saw a few friendly faces then called it a night. It was beautiful outside so I decided to walk into Soho and stop at Ben's Famous Pizza for a slice before heading back to the Standard. 

On Tuesday I had a series of meetings at Epoch. No need to bore you with the details. I was curious about the Next Awards but duty called plus there are limits to my industry event toleration. Let's get right to the main event, the AICP MOMA SHOW. 

This year I broke my long standing tradition of never attending the screening. Brian Carmody chaired the show and I wanted to hear his speech. He was very respectful giving the nod to long time friend, mentor and show predecessor TK Knowles. He acknowledged the hard work of the AICP staff and his new appreciation for the job Matt Miller does. The highlight for many was his good humored stab at David Zander. 

THE PARTY. The first AICP show I attended was in 1994. In the five years preceding I looked forward to the event. I was in the museum at night. I got a chance to network. Meet people I've only spoke to on the phone or heard about through others. There were more people I wanted to see than to avoid. Today, I've become like the cranky old Uncle that sits in the corner complaining about everything yet continues to attend every family function.

"It's too hot...This is the only scotch they have...Who can have a conversation with all this noise...My feet are killing me...Is it time to leave yet...When are they going to bring out dessert..."

My rolling complaints albeit annoying were somewhat truthful. It was crowded. It was hot. It was noisy. But the good news is no one left hungry. There was food at every corner. I especially loved those pass around sliders with potato chips. I had two. My own personal cynicism aside, the show is a great and honored tradition and of significant value to the industry. 

After MOMA, I went to the BOOM BOOM ROOM at THE STANDARD for the after party. Justin from Psyop was kind enough to provide an invite for me. He did so even after spending all of Monday seated next to meet at the National Board meeting. I love this space. It's reason enough to attend. I had a Johnny Walker as a night cap and made a sociable lap around the room before turning in. 

As I exited I shared one final laugh with Lisa Rich. I then took the elevator 6 floors down to my room on the 12th floor, immediately tore off my clothes, brushed my teeth, jumped into bed and caught the 12:30 edition of Sportscenter. The perfect ending to an action packed 48 hours. 

long time no rant

I haven't ranted in a while so I'll have to take it slow and make it brief. I don't want to pull a muscle. Also, Duffin said me missed my Friday rants so I figure I'd bust one out for him. Don't blink. It's going to be quick.... 

I was one of the millions who saw "Hangover 2" over Memorial Day weekend. It was either that or Kung Fu Panda.....They say Hollywood makes the same movie over and over again. The producers of this one took that old adage literally.....It begs the question, why would they make something so unimaginative? With all the early onset of the 2012 political season, this question may be best answered by Senator Jay Billington Bulworth. 

  

Game 2 last night of the NBA finals. Another gem. I don't care if the remaining games are all blowouts, this has been the best NBA playoffs I can ever remember....You can say whatever you want about Lebron but name another player in NBA history that on any given night is a threat to grab 15 rebounds, dish out 15 assists, drop 50 points and defensively lock up the 1 through 4 man on the opposing team. As a fan, it's a joy to watch.....

Only John Stewart can turn the debate over who is taking credit for killing Osama Bin Laden and make the punchline a "Social Network"/Facebook reference.....

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Who Killed Osama bin Laden
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

I'm loving the new Fleet Foxes record "Helplessness Blues'. I'm torturing my kids as I've been playing the record to death. Oh, yeah, they are not records as I'm constantly reminded by the younger generation. So, what should call them?  MP3's? How about I just say I love the Fleet Foxes new digital download. Sounds so un-indie. Can I still say track? Here's one for your listening pleasure......

08 Lorelai

Heading to NY next week for the AICP show. The kick off to the early summer award season. After that down for a week before traveling to Cannes.....Glad I'm making this rant short. I need to save my energy. Hopefully I'll have enough left in the tank to give a full report live from MOMA. See you there.....

 

 

running a few hours late

People in LA love to be late. Tardiness, like star sightings and making left turns after the yellow light has turned red, is part of SoCal culture. Thankfully there is a bit of etiquette involved. Most people call or text to say they are running behind schedule. The norm is somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes. Albeit annoying to the punctual, I've grown to accept this as the price of admission.

Imagine you were meeting someone for lunch at 1 o'clock. On your way you got a text that read "Running about three hours late. See you at 4!". What would you do?

Who eats lunch at 3 unless your an out of work hipster or a ne'er-do-well. If your a working person it's a day killer. Most of all it shows a total lack of respect for your time. So, what to do. After getting over the anger, I'd most likely cancel and reschedule for a later date. In reality, no one would make this inane request. Or, would they?

In the last few months we have run up against a rash of postponement and cancellation on our jobs. I'm starting to take it personal. Clients have the right to change their mind. Marketing needs get altered. Someone falls out of love with the creative. Priorities take a new direction. So be it. Of course these decisions impact the vendors they've made commitments to and there are consequences for this action. 

As a rule, there are some type of guidelines involved whether they are AICP Guidelines or some variation coming directly from the client. Even when there are pre-agreed upon specs there is negotiation. We haggle over mark-up, director's fees and compensation on "pay or play" department heads. We have always found a fair compromise especially in areas of cancellation. Postponement is the gray area.

If you are producing a job and the client wants to shoot it 3 weeks later than originally scheduled I call it a cancellation and a re-book. The finances of the project would follow suit. I'd realize savings where I can but the bottom line is my director's time along with my production team and key crew have lost valuable time. This is the overriding factor to determining fair compensation and penalties. 

The cost consultants on the other hand call it a postponement since we are still shooting the same creative and we've prepped certain elements of the job. The only difference they see is we are just shooting it at a later date. They tend to gloss over the time booked and lost argument. My guess it's because postponement guidelines are more favorable than cancellation. 

The lesson to learn is to define what constitutes postponement versus cancellation. I'm of the belief if a job push passed 10 working days, it's no longer a postponement regardless what has been prepped and if the creative remains untouched. It's a cancellation and re book. Everyone involved from directors and production company to keys and line producers took the project over something else. There time has been lost. They are not salaried and must be compensated accordingly. In the end client's pay for our expertise but most of all they must pay for our time. 

Everyone deserves some grace period whether it's terminally late Los Angelenos or cost consultants. This doesn't mean they should expect us to eat lunch just in time for dinner and then ask us to pick up the check. 

decisions decisions decisions

An esteemed colleague sent an email to several other EP/Company Owners. I've deleted the names to protect the guilty. It reads:

The link being referenced is from a post I wrote in November 2009 called "Race to the Bottom". In it I spoke to the potential damage of preferred vendor lists. It resurfaced amongst my peers in response to a recent RFP being offered in the industry.

A few weeks ago I tackled the preferred vendor issue again with a post titled "I'd Prefer Not...but on Second Thought". In this recent writing I softened my anti-RFP stance by raising the possibility that preferred vendor lists may not be as evil as I once espoused. Maybe this is another reason why this erstwhile post reappeared.

One of the perils of publicly placing your opinions online is not only can your words come back to haunt you but it may also give the appearance at best as a flip flopper or at worse a Judas. After much thought, deliberation and listening to the community I've reached some conclusions. 

Being a preferred vendor has a very alluring yet deceptive tone. It can be perceived by some as cutting to the front of the velvet rope line while others view it as all access laminated pass to our own demise. Like most things in life extremes rarely come to fruition. The reality usually lies somewhere in between. 

I can name many tempting PRO reasons to be a preferred vendor for a major marketer.

What if I told you that you could eliminate 2/3 of the companies you compete with for entrance into bidding pools?

What about a chance to get your directors in on creative work they may otherwise never have seen? Maybe even introductions and entry into agencies that otherwise wouldn't consider your company?

Or how about the ability to lure in talent with the promise of more days and greater opportunities by simply flashing your preferred vendor badge?

Of course, none of these are guarantees. As a anyone in this business can attest to there are no guarantees. No one expects them or should. All we ever want is a chance to make a pitch for our services. Preferred vendors list offers potentially greater odds to do this.

There are other potential benefits such as better payment schedules, a bidding process without a cost consultant and direct client interaction and relationships. 

Pretty enticing, huh? However, this is America nothing comes for free. In return, we must provide a template of assured rates preferably, but not mandated, at a discount. Here's where it gets really smart. The prices are not determined by the client. They are determined by you, the supplier. Of course there must be a benefit to the client to be on the list but it is starting to sound, dare I say, fair.

If I was a major marketer who had the right recipe of both volume and creative spots, not only would I do it but I'd be surprised why everyone isn't lining up to join. But, I'm not a major marketer.

Here are the CONS. Or, should I say con. There is only one I can think of. Value. We are being asked to define it on a piece of paper not based on the quality of our work or the depth of our reputation. Once we do that it becomes a permanent record of how we view ourselves. It also sets us down a course of commoditizing creativity ergo our entire industry. And we cannot fool ourselves into believing this information will remain confidential. This is not a legacy we should leave to the next generation. 

Okay there are two cons. Value definition and commoditizing the future. Less tangible and lower in number than the pro RFP benefits but the cons are arguably much more powerful. Where does this leave my decision? 

I obviously understand the allure. I have publicly proclaimed taking a long hard look myself. But in the end, we all must act in what we believe is in the best interest of our individual companies. Because of this, I can neither condemn those who choose to be on the list or champion those that don't. I can only speak for Epoch.

We will not fill out an RFP. And specifically here's why. 

In the creative service industry we have limited to no assets. For the moment, we rarely if ever own IP or license our creation. Defining our business standards, determining the value of our creativity and controlling our fate is all we really have. We don't want some entity other than ourselves determining our value no matter how tempting the offer or how big the promise of financial gain. The short term gain does not offset the long term damage especially in this age of great opportuntiy brought on by media uncertainty. The future remains undefined, as it should, unless we define the present. 

For these reasons we believe there is greater value to Epoch in being off the list than there is in being on it. Greater value to our creative brand. Greater value to our reputation. Greater value to our future. And greater value to our soul. 

sunday night in the meat packing district

I flew into NY on Sunday night. I was staying at the Standard Hotel in the Meat Packing district. It's my usual spot. It's 15 minute from the office and just two blocks from the apartment I lived in from 1999 to 2003. It's like coming back to the 'hood only with obnoxiously hipper people, better restaurants and the absences of transvestites. 

When I checked into my room I unpacked my bags and turned on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. Mets versus Phillies. I don't watch that much baseball but there was nothing else on. Baseball also happens to be the perfect programming for simultaneously surfing the net. 

About 10:15 I opened up my web browser. The NY Times reported that President Obama was going to make a rare Sunday night speech. The subject was yet unknown. I switched over from a scoreless game to the various news channels. Nothing on MSNBC, Fox or CNN. The networks only report was that their news desks were emailed by the White House press department to "Get To Work". This was going to be big.

With TV pundits filling up air time until they knew of or were permitted to release any information, I went right to Twitter. I watched what was trending. While the talking heads on the tube continued to speculate, I noticed Osama Bin Laden began to trend. I clicked on the hash tag. A flurry of Tweets started coming. They were so rapid it was hard to read. The most popular post was something like this:

Osama Bin Laden Dead???????

Within a few moments, it turned into.

Osama Bin Laden Dead!!!!!!!

It took a few more minutes before the Fox News Channel reported what Twitter had already known. Geraldo began high fiving his co-host and the celebration began. This doesn't mean Fox gave the Commander-In-Chief his due but they were certainly jubilant.  

I spent the next hour waiting for the President's speech while I became mesmerized by the Twitter feeds. Lots of celebratory tweets. Many references to Trump demanding a death certificate. And a few conspiracy laced doubts. One of my favorites was Paul F. Tompkins. 

Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney must've seen this Tweet and enjoyed this bit of humor as much as me. The next day they made similar jokes. 

i was thinking should I Tweet out the news too? They are coming at a rate of 4,000 Tweets per second. I'm sure everyone knows by now. Fearful of stating the obvious, I did it anyhow. Sure enough I received quite a few direct messages back. "Really?'. I don't why I'm still amazed at how many people receive the latest news via social media as opposed to traditional outlets. 

Ironically, on this night when Bin Laden's death was announced I was only blocks away from where I stood on September 11th. I vividly remember the moment of the attacks and the days preceding it. Like most people, especially New Yorkers, I was hardly saddened by the news of Bin Laden's killing. Although, I must admit I was somewhat uncomfortable with the ensuing celebration and cheering for killing someone even if he is a murderer. I don't think we should hold a vigil but not sure a spontaneous Times Square New Years Eve like gathering is the right response either.

I'm glad Obama chose to handle the post death situation the way he did. Disposing the body without fanfare. Not releasing the photos. Stating Americans don't trot this stuff out like trophies. Maybe this entire episode will change the perception of Democrats as being ninnies. You probably won't hear it on Fox so we'll just spread the word on Twitter. We may not reach more people but at least it will quicker. 

too small to fail

Over the last 10 months, Dana and I have been building a new house. The analogies of production to construction seem endless. We both make stuff. We both rely on subs. We both must bid out our projects. There are lot of similarities but their are two glaring differences. Fiscal responsibility and delivery. 

When we were first presented with bids for the house they were too high. I asked the architect for ways to get the number lower while maintaining the integrity of the vision. We revisited the plans, made some alterations, bid some other subs and came up with a lesser number. It didn't end up where I had hoped but it was as good as it was going to get. I signed off on it. At this moment, I felt real sympathy for our clients. 

Six months into the construction I was presented with a change order (the equivalent of our overage). The stone and tile was going to cost us 40% more than we originally bid. Dana asked if the additional cost was a result of changes we made to the plan. They weren't. She naturally questioned then why the extra cost. Apparently this line was cut by 40% when reducing the cost of the overall project. The cut was based on a revised subcontractors bid. Also, the architect was going to re-design specific elements to make the stone and tile less costly. The sub dropped out of the project. The architect didn't revised the plan. The new bids came in at the original bid cost. Strange how that happens. Guess who pays? Not the supplier. The client. 

If this happens with us the agency or client just say NO. It's your problem. You mis-bid it. You live with the consequences. Unfortunately, we don't have liens on our project and our clients don't have to actually raise their children inside the commercials. 

Let's talk about the other difference, delivery date. The move in date for our house has been delayed a few times. It's not that far off but late nonetheless. We knew it would be. It always it. Their are many reasons. Subs didn't show up on time. Materials didn't make it to the site. Certain things took longer than expected. On our projects, we're never late.

Imagine this conversation with an agency or client.

"Sorry, I underbid the location fees by 10k. Please sign the overage with full bid mark-up or we're going to have to stop production. Oh, and one other thing, hope you don't mind but we're moving the shoot a week. Unfortunately the casting director couldn't get anyone on tape this week. We have no cast. Not to worry. Next week I'm pretty confident we'll get it done."

Those of us in the creative service industry are in the 100% guarantee business. Missed deadlines. Clients paying for our errors. Not delivering on our treatments. These things are simply not an option. Our competitors will pounce on our short comings. Word will spread. Trust is gone. We may as well apply for jobs at Starbucks.

It's not that we are infallible. We make mistakes all the time. We just correct them before anyone notices. We pay for them out of pocket, fix them in post, bring in more bodies. We do whatever needs to be done to fulfill our promise. 

I believe production vendors ability to produce, post and finish with pinpoint efficiency has penalized us. The bar continues to be raised every year. Faster. Better. Cheaper. We have become so reliable I had one agency EP tell me they've become less fearful of sending out inexperienced producers because they know the production company, edit house or visual efx shop won't allow them to fail. In other words, we don't just produce any more we also have to manage the project. 

So, what have we learned. We have a deeply under appreciated skill set that we don't even get paid for. We just mark-up what we spend. Failure is never an option. And, building a house is a pain the ass.

100% guaranteed.   

blame it on david stern

I've been compiling a list of topics I want to post about. The problem is that It's been nearly impossible to write. The NBA playoffs are too good. I get sucked in every night. Hard play. Stars stepping up. Dramatic finishes. Killing the blog but I still wish it would never end...

I love Pitchfork's 5-10-15-20. It's an interview series where they ask a musician what they were listening to at every 5 year interval of their life. The recent post feature legend Van Dyke Parks. At age 5 the guy was listening to Spike Jonses' "Cocktails for Two". He was obviously destined for greatness....

I don't know about you but I feel much better knowing Obama has finally been proven to be an American. If there was ever a bigger non-issue in an era of big issues, this would be it...

Ruby is into gymnastics. I'm not crazy about it but I wanted to be supportive. I started searching YouTube and found this. Pretty incredible...

 

Sadly, this comic isn't entirely inaccurate for those of us glued to our computers and addicted to the internet.... 

Brief news in social media. The NY Times reported Facebook is working with Ad Agencies. It was only a matter of time. Maybe they are more relevant than we thought....

Speaking of social media and irrelevancy, Friendster is asking all it's former members to remove all their postings, pictures and personal info as they are changing their business model. They even developed an app to help you. I wonder if the founders wake up in the middle of the night and think, if we only would've come up with this "friend" idea 3 years later....

Enjoy the last weekend of April. Spring is in full bloom and award season is around the corner. Oh the joy.....

which are you?

On occasion a commercial campaign transcends advertising and becomes popular culture. I was fortunate to participate in such a campaign, MAC vs. PC.

This long running campaign succeed in doing something all brands strive for, personal identity being defined by brand affiliation.

Courtesy of Hunch.com, we get a view into what constitutes a Mac and a PC. Macs are more liberal, prefer modern art and read Dwell. PCs are late adapters, prefer Hollywood films and are more likely to live in the suburbs. Hardly shocking discoveries but fun to look at nonetheless. 

R.A.P, responsibility anxiety disorder

I read a post a couple of weeks ago via my brother-in-law's blog. It was by Ben Horowitz who is a Tech Entrepreneur turned Venture Capitalist. He wrote about the psychology of being a CEO. It stayed with me. 

Although the CEO title isn't commonly used in production companies, editorial house, visual efx shops or any other talent based creative service businesses in our industry, they all have organizations that need to be run. This requires managing a group of people. Being responsible for the bottom line. And, trying to stay two steps ahead of the competition and our staff. These responsibilities are accompanied by a unique level of stress.

The job stays with you 24/7. We are ultimately responsible for the success and for the failures, reaping the rewards for the former and the bearing the emotional toll for the latter. Two extremes. 

Horowitz does a great job of concisely and honestly describing the feelings and frustrations associated with running a business. To his credit he doesn't simply depict the highs and lows but also suggests means on how to handle them. 

If you run your own company it will help you realize you're not alone. If you work for a company it may help you better understand the person you work for. A good read either way. 

 What’s The Most Difficult CEO Skill? Managing Your Own Psychology

jinxing the o's, the donald in 2012 and top rants of all time

Did anyone notice when I boasted about the Orioles fast start they proceed to lose 8 straight. Nothing lasts forever but does it have to get so bad so quick......

When I suffer bouts of insomnia I endlessly surf Stumbleupon. I began to notice in my sleepless daze that every 4th blog post contains a list. Top 25 Books You Must Read Before you Turn Thirty. 20 Favorite Pick up Lines. Top 10 Best Witches and Wizards in Pop Culture. By the way, I'm not making this up. Well, I am making up the every 4th post part but not these titles......When I start "list" blogging you know I'm officially bankrupt of original thought. You've been warned.....

I read this post from Austin Kleon's blog. The post is called, "How to Steal Like an Artist (And 9 Other Things Nobody Told me)". I thought it was a good thing to share with those of you in the Ad game. You can thank me after your next conference call, treatment or pitch..... 

19 months until the 2012 Presidential Election. I think I found my candidate courtesy of famed ranter Lewis Black....

The Daily Show - Back in Black - Trump 2012
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I filled up my car yesterday on the way to work. $4.37 per gallon. At this rate come Fall gas will exceed the cost per gallon of organic milk. I may have to cut back on driving and cereal consumption...

I'm fascinated by Alex Bogusky's FearLess blog. The anti-corporate messaging. The liberal causes. The interviews from the cottage. This latest image he posted called "Honest Logos" says it all about the current crusade of the former BK pitchman....  

 My favorite is the FearLess LoveMore t-shirt. I gotta get me one....

There is a blog dedicated solely to cover songs by random people. Futher proof there is a site for everything. Here's an example of a Fleet Fox cover song by an unknown female musician. It was between this and "Beat It' played entirely on old school Nintendo Game Boys.....

   

This week Radio Lab released Everynone's SYMMETRY, their follow up the hugely successful WORDS film. And who said sequels are never as good as the original. Godfather II of course being the exception that makes this a rule. Watch it once and you'll want to watch it again....

Ruby's current favorite song is Mumford & Sons "The Cave". Eliza's is Matt & Kim's "Daylight". They are either on their way to becoming true indie rock fans or loving only bands who use ampersands in their names. Assuming it's the former, my job as a parent is nearly complete.....

Happy Good Friday, Shabbat Shalom and Dayenu....Next week look for my blog post on top ten favorite family moments from passover seder.....