Last evening, as I was getting ready for a dinner meeting here in Philly, I had the HBO tribute to Jerry Seinfeld on in my hotel room. He was being presented with an award, and rather than just doing the usual, they had a panel of comedians discussing what it is to be a comedian, the process, and what it’s like to work with execs, etc., in the business. It was really fascinating. Their creative struggles and issues were very much like what I see in my clients and the people I meet in all creative industries.
At one point they were talking about how the TV show Seinfeld ever got made. The panel pretty much confirmed that it somehow snuck in–under the radar, if you will. Usually, when an idea like the one for Seinfeld gets pitched, the execs reject it with comments like how the viewer won’t “get it” or how breaking the 4th wall doesn’t work in TV, etc. But somehow, Seinfeld got on.
That didn’t stop the attempts at micro-management by the execs. They would send “notes” (production notes) and the like all the time. Seinfeld was asked how he handled this. His reply is one we should all keep in mind:
[I'd tell them] Entertainment is not their field.
He meant that it was his, that he was the entertainment pro and that they had to back off and let him do his job. After all, he had made himself popular and famous doing what he thought best. He was the pro. They had to trust him. He continued:
Let the comedian do his thing–he got this far on his own–let him do his thing.
You are the pro in your field. Sometimes your clients need to be reminded of that. Do it gently, respectfully, but do it the next time they try to tell you a shoot is only going to take a half-day or the like. They came to you for your vision, your abilities, your talent. It was what you have already achieved that made them want to work with you. Most importantly, remind them that they won’t get the best results (for them!) unless they let you do your job.
