The art of hiring a creative team seems to be a lost one in most media. Obviously one of the big questions is “how do you break into this business”? Of course there’s no magic button. In fact, it’s gotta be about the toughest thing to break into…certainly among the toughest to make any money at. Anyways, I try to offer some advice, at least from what I look for which tends to be on the creative rather than the more purely business side of things, though having an understanding of that side is critical, just as having an “understanding” of the creative side is a benefit for a business position in the entertainment field. A few observations of what gets me going in terms of what to look for in people and in creating staffs.
Probably bad advice for a traditional environment—but for something an un-traditional as a creative staff, I believe these elements are pretty critical–Staffs of GREAT entertainment entities are filled with oddballs and crazies. In fact, a HUGE reason many entertainment companies like many radio stations today are vulnerable because they fail to have that edgy people component, the ‘imagineers’ to borrow from Disney, to drive the “entertainment” part. Probably the exact same thing exists in music, TV, Movies etc…I certainly read about Hollywood visionaries and Artists pissed off that the big companies are filled with people that talk about creating magic…but it just ain’t their skill set and the result is a lofty mission statement with zero AFDI. Anyways, a few thoughts of what I personally think are the qualities and attitudes that make a difference in the creative space:
PASSION: That fire. That electric commitment. Often fueled by memories of how that first song you bought was pivotal in your life. It should be SO ingrained in your DNA that NOT working in this field is not an option.
PALS: You may have amazing pals—and they should probably join your thing, but limiting hires to pals limits the potential of the team you build…plus it can create friction in the hallways among those who aren’t your pals.
CONVENIENCE HIRES: The worst! Hiring because it’s convenient. Guy lives in town….I have his phone number and he can be here next week….Guy out of work and will come in cheap…Guaranteed mediocrity.
HISTORY: You can’t build the future unless you understand the past. Back in radio, I was impressed with people who have studied the great radio battles even if they happened years before they were born. With the Internet, one can re-live the way KHJ unseated KRLA in 1965 or what happened in 1962 when WQAM automated for six months….or even more recent things. Obscure stuff to a lay person, but armed with this sense of history is powerful in the same way an Artist who has studied the masters has a clear edge. Of course it’s what you DO with that knowledge, but man, it is potent stuff that can really give you a depth and understanding of both how to win and how to make a difference going forward. Some of the principals behind these historical events are timeless.
AVOID BURNOUTS: It’s a high burnout business. Resume might look great but decent chance there’s a burn out factor. Back in ‘98 at XM I took Hugh Panero the CEO to LA to meet various Industry people, he came back with the concept of collapsed heads and expanded heads. Collapsed meaning fried. Expanded meaning enlightened. Kinda like wine–some ages and improves, some turns to vinegar. Very observant.
KNOW THE MINORS: Ya gotta make a decision. Going after free agents from big markets or rookies? You gotta know the farm system so you can make the right hires. Too often it’s about convenience rather than studying what’s out there in the minor league…that’s got the chops to be the NEXT star.
POSITION HIRING: Critical. Putting the puzzle together. There’s a baseball analogy here. The best teams are the well rounded teams. A team that has 25 sluggers may score 200 runs a game but without defense the other guys will score 300. Or take a great band, the best are balanced. At early XM it was the balance. A United Nations of backgrounds. We had people from Telecom, Cable, Retail, Technology etc…running the company. Drilling down to programming we had people from NPR, Big stations, Small stations, music industry, artists, unemployable eccentrics, etc…The point is that we hired by Position. People with very specific skills that they can immerse themselves in. Years ago we had an executive who actually said to me “My job is to make your and your people’s life miserable”. Oh great. Of course he didn’t make my life miserable, because it would take A LOT more than someone with a bad attitude to do that! I suppose it was his way of “motivating”. Placing people where they can thrive emotionally and creatively sounds simple but I run into SO many people who are smart but out of position and miserable. What a waste.
SPIRITUALITY: Weather it’s a sense of mission, or a war like approach to the job at hand—there’s a spiritual thing where you MUST feel and believe you are here to do something that contributes to something bigger than numbers or ratings.
POSITIVE PEOPLE: I recall walking into a station and you could tell it was a loser by the tone of the receptionist. Bad vibes permeated the place. Bad vibes USUALLY start from negative attitudes that spread. In fact, Bad vibes ALWAYS start from “people”. Keep the negative types out of the joint and it can’t spread. Positive doesn’t mean unrealistic –to me it means more of an outlook and attitude. Got a challenge/problem/issue? A positive will figure out how to adapt, deal with it and move forward, a negative will get into this “This place blows…screw it”…. They might hide it–but even THINKING it gets no-one anywhere. I think a lot of negativity is created by people not feeling appreciated, so some who are outwardly negative may actually be very positive–if they are interacted with better….understood…and allowed to shine. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. If ‘ya can’t respect EVERYONE you work with–there’s a problem there.
WHACK FACTOR: Give me a person that can quote Bugs Bunny lines from mid-40’s Bugs and I’m sold.
OUT OF THE LOOP: When we interviewed a big league Urban Programmer named Maxx Myrick, we asked what his passion was—it was Jazz. Guess what, we made him PD of “Real Jazz”—Find out where people’s passion is…if they have the aptitude, put them there! Even if they are out of the traditional loop.
CONFIDENCE: You can smell it a mile away…Confidence and even cockiness CAN be channeled into swagger and focus. Both good things.
DISCIPLINE & DETAIL OR LOOSE CANNON: No standards here—some stars can’t tie their shoes. Big deal. Others are obsessive perfectionists. It’s all good. Everyone is different. The bottom line is…TALENT! I see NO sense in not hiring someone because “they’re different” or lack some traditional quality —if they got the talent that’s good enough. And I believe EVERY position is about talent–not just on air….a great janitor requires talent.
ECCENTRICS: Eccentric Doctors or Police Officers…bad. Eccentric people in the entertainment business—Well Yeah! Key: Eccentric all the way to the bank.
CHEMISTRY: What kind of place you setting up?? Chemistry check! Will they fit? …in fact someone too normal might fail somewhere…Just as someone too whacked would fail at a conservative Bank.
CREATIVE BATTING AVERAGE: Come up with 100 ideas and 30 work—GREAT! No-one will remember the 70 that failed…you are a .300 hitter. All-Star. Looking for people who step up to the creative plate and TRY to hit homers…but aren’t afraid to strike out.
DATA HEADS/ROCKET BOYS: Sorry, in a creative environment, they drive me nuts. HOWEVER—people or a company who balance data/research AND the creative thing ARE dangerously attractive.
BAD LISTENERS: Sorry, this REALLY drives me nuts. You know—the hyperactive types who can’t turn it off. Well, turns me off. Excitement and energy is great…but not knowing when to shut your trap and soak it in is better. Sometimes I believe the music and radio business has forgotten how to THINK as everyone is trying to out BS everyone with fast talk and having all the answers.
EGO CASES: that’s OK…as long as it’s backed up with some action. Ego problems, inferiority and other issues best left for a psychologist…but they are rampant in this creative business…gotta live with it.
MOXIE: Look it up if you don’t know what it means.
BORING PEOPLE: Personally I can handle outrageous, even difficult …anything but BORING. At least not in our side of the business.
APTITUDE: THE #1 people problem in media. Saw it a lot in TV. Great sales person is elevated to General Manager. Now magically, they know EVERYTHING about News, Content, Production, Engineering etc…Why? Because now they are General Manager! Next thing is they are approving production, designing creative, etc… Anything sexy, they’re in on. MANAGING is more about hiring, inspiring and liberating vs. ego driven “I’m the boss therefore I have the answers.”
Once you got the right crew, it’s all about DEVELOPING the talent. Talent DOESN’T only mean on air or visible-to-the-public talent—EVERY position requires talent. The key is hiring people that have “it” –then unleashing ‘it’ into action. Not easy…definitely fun hearing what ‘it’ can become from a passionate and focused mix of people working on a creative project. A few keys include–
COMMUNICATION: I always find that the combination of:
*All Hands Meetings—where you can really get evangelical…Inspire and hopefully motivate and educate on the mission at hand
*Face-To Face meetings—Details are best explored here
*Parties—Sure.
*Inspirational memos that focus on the big picture—outlining the big picture
*Informational memos that focus on the details
CREATE THE ENVIRONMENT FOR MAGIC TO THRIVE: Some entertainment companies are like banks…no wonder they sound about as interesting. Some media companies are kinda like banks too. I remember the Old Warner Brothers in Burbank…the place oozed magic—no wonder it was a creative oasis. NAME ONE TRADITIONAL MEDIA COMPANY, OR EVEN ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY THAT FODDERS THAT ENVIRONMENT TODAY. The Tech companies are often known for creative environments. Maybe that’s a reason THEY are leading innovation.
DE-CLICHE THE WORK ENVIRONMENT: Ever go into an office with those “Success is Mission #1” Posters with a picture of a soaring eagle…the kind you buy in Airline in flight magazines? If you see that in an office—RUN! Many leaders in entertainment business send the WRONG message. Might be right at Citibank…but not in our world. A sales intern at Aetna might get inspired by this—but anyone inspired by this kind of fluff in our world is scary.
RAH RAH STUFF: It can fail because it’s often too transparent. We’re too cynical. Just be real. That’s all it takes. Open and up front about the challenges. That’s good. The Rah Rah can be inspired from the top, but the lasting rah rah is created bottom up from the people in the trenches. A happy staff with a mission usually creates victory which makes the leaders happy, when the workers aren’t happy and the leaders are—-problem. Nothing leads to an “us vs. them” faster…
EMPATHY: A great staff consists of totally unique individuals. Empathy is what makes it go. Unleashing and understanding how each individual ticks. The overall spirit is the aggregate of each individual. That doesn’t mean letting everyone do what they want–that’ll be anarchy, but UNDERSTANDING how people think and what pushes the buttons can make everyone’s life a ton more productive.
It’s going to take some rebels to change all of this…and there’s too much opportunity to keep the rebels down…young and old…as there’s SO much to rebel against, with new ideas. The rebels are out there, winning and going to win. The myth is that the rebels are the “new” generation. Nope. I’d put old guys like Jobs and Murdoch right in there with “new” rebel thinkers. It’s all about weather one is sitting back in “the boys club” or thinking like a rebel. And there’s a tendency to think that the Boys club are old guys…not necessarily, as they are recruiting young guys for the club too. It’s all about a state of mind and a will to “fight” the average.
A good start in de-BSing an environment is talking normal instead of buzz wording everything (popular buzz words and their meanings):
PING: Call
BAKE IN: Add to
YOU THE MAN: (this one is plain scary, usually used by VERY White executives trying to have some ‘soul’) Nice Job
GANGBUSTERS: Did Great
HOME RUN: Did REALLY Great
METRICS: Numbers
OFF LINE: Shut up and we’ll talk about it later
OWN: If it screws up it’s your fault
DOWNLOAD: Here’s what happened
PRE MEETING: Let’s make sure we are all saying the same thing by having another meeting
DIVERSITY: Different stuff
ACTION ITEM: Something you gotta do
IDEATE: Come up with stuff
ASSUMPTION: Guess
…a lot more to this, but those are a few thoughts.
–Lee Abrams, former Tribune Chief Innovation Officer
