Meeting an Executive Producer

This summer brought me much joy when I was able to attend Denver's Comic Con. Amid the fun costumes and colorful characters everywhere, there was also a more serious side to the Con. The seminars. Thankfully, the seminars were not crowded and allowed the audience to interact with the speaker. Also, being smaller in size than San Diego's convention, it also allowed being able to meet the speaker after the lecture.

I attended a lecture given by Steven L. Sears, executive producer for Sheena and writer/producer for Xena: Warrior Princess. It was very informative and fun listening to Mr. Sears relate his experiences in Hollywood to us.
One of the things that stands out most was his advice to move to L.A. He stated that living there is the only way to rub elbows with the movie industry and find projects to become involved with.

This is a summary of what he spoke about:

The Executive Producer controls everything, makes all the decisions and it’s extremely complicated. The job is full of a lot of compromise. Sometimes the staff will get an “us/them” complex, so it’s good to come out of the office and visit the set to interact with the people. It’s important for them to know who you are and that you are available to them.
He suggested we write something then produce it, as there is no other way to understand the process. It all starts with the writing.

He says the Executive Producer is the top of the heap and needs to know the whole process. It involves a lot of politics and understanding people. There will be creative and non-creative people to deal with. Knowing how to interact with people is important, but he stressed that honesty is the key. Not to bluff or be unfaithful to your own beliefs.

He told a story about how someone had tested whether he would stand up for his writing. It made him uncomfortable but he didn’t back down. Staying true to his work and creativity, the other person finally gave in and gave him the respect he deserved. He stressed that being true to yourself is very important. He also stated that being able to say “no” is very important and to mean it. Not to back down if you believe something and have to say no.

The last thing he said that stuck with me is that Producing is problem solving. Honestly, it sounds like a crazy job with a lot of things to do but it sounds so awesome! Bring it on!

Artist Management Basics

There seems to be a lot to being an Artist Manager. Some of the duties would include but are not limited to: promoting, building a fan base, booking shows, determining career moves, business deals and recording contracts. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Artist Managers do so much more. They make sure things run smoothly when the artist is on the road, on tour. Making sure the backstage rider is in place and the artist is comfortable and happy. They are the ones who make sure everything runs smoothly.

Artist Managers might have an accounting or business background, as they are usually the ones who work the business side of deals for the artist. It is recommended that the prospective Artist Manager consider taking college courses to be up to date on accounting and business practices.

Getting along with the artist is paramount to a good relationship. Some people consider the artist/manager relationship to function as closely as a marriage would. There has to be a basic groundwork of trust and respect to make it work. If either person breaks that trust, it would be very hard to reestablish the function of the working relationship. Both parties should go into a management contract understanding how important this relationship will be.

Before an artist hires a manager, they should work together informally for a time period agreed upon in order to get to know each other well. Without knowing your manager and his/her style, it would be hard to know whether you could trust this person completely. The manager should be willing and able to produce past references and be open about anything the artist would want to know before signing a contract.

Last and not least, the artist should hire legal counsel before signing any contract. He or she should invest in the legal consultation, as this will affect his or her ability to make money in the future. Going into contracts blindly can have very negative effects on the artist’s career, so this is a must.