What the Producer Said to the Account Exec, The Sixth Sense

In Hollywood, the “Rider” is a clause in an artist’s contract detailing specific “needs” (read: demands) they want to have met during the course of the working relationship.  Historically, riders were added to ensure contracts were actually being read, and promoters were handling things professionally.  Meaning, if there aren’t ten bottles of Vittel bottled water in my dressing room with the caps half-way twisted off, how am I going to trust you to take care of real stuff.

Riders range from the mundane such as Lady Gaga’s request for bendy straws, to the curious reason why Barbra Streisand likes rose petals in her toilet bowl; to the legendary “no trees” request by Paul McCartney, and Billy Bob Thornton’s “no antique furniture” clause.

So, here’s what.  Famous musicians do not have the franchise on contract riders. We have them in advertising too.  However, most are passed down by word of mouth, kind of like the Mosou language China…but without the cool spirituality.

Why not write them down?  Because much like the request for no brown M&M’s in the dressing room (Van Halen), they tend to seem incredibly silly and self-serving. But, in the minds of Clients, they are necessary to ensure you are “detail-oriented”.

So, here are the top five ACTUAL (unwritten) riders I’ve had to adhere to.

Rider #5

“No one is to speak directly to the Client. Even if he is looking directly at you while he’s NOT speaking to you."  This became a problem when I ran into my Client in the hall and he DIDN’T ask me where the mens room was.

Rider #4

“All written correspondence between the Client and agency must be set in 12 point Palatino font type, or else it will not be acknowledged.”   Do you have any idea how hard it is to hand-write a note in Pala-freaking-Tino?

Rider #3

“No single meeting can last longer than 30 minutes.”  To ensure this, my Client would literally place a stopwatch on the table and stare at it while we spoke.  This made for very awkward bathroom chats.

Rider #2

“When traveling, agency employees are not allowed to have better hotel rooms or seats on the plane.” This literally made me have to switch seats with my non-frequent-flyer-card-having Client on a cross-country trip. (But I kept the deluxe mixed nuts and the hot towel).

And finally…

Rider #1

“Chopsticks must be available as an option to flatware.”  I had a Client who had an aversion to putting metal in his mouth.  He ate all of his meals with chopsticks.  In order to make him seem semi-normal, the agency always provided chopsticks with every meal.  You wanna try eating a turkey club with two sticks and tell me how that works out for you?

The point being, every Client comes with a rider.  Take it seriously.  They’re not crazy (well, not usually. Bob, you ARE crazy!). They’re just making sure you’re paying attention.  Paying attention is what keeps them paying retainers! 

And, fade to black.

What the Producer Said to the Account Executive, The Fifth!

I’ve done stand up comedy; taught college, and pitched stories to Hollywood studios.

I say this, not to be impressive, but to impress upon you that I know something about meetings.

So, here’s what.  Five rules for your face-to-face meetings with Clients and potential Clients. Follow them and I guarantee you will be in command of any room.

Show up right on time.

This one sounds simple, but the psychology goes deep.  Your Clients are very busy people with schedules that are planned out at five-minute increments.  The last thing they need is some agency dude showing up fifteen minutes early. It pisses them off and makes them feel rushed, and you’re screwed.  (I don’t need to go into what happens when you’re late, do I?)  So, if you make great time through the tunnel, deal with it.  Give your Clients their time. That’s literally why god made Starbucks.

Compliments never hurt.

The first few minutes of any meeting are usually small talk.  Shit about the weather or whatever sports team you follow because you think your Client is going to be impressed…Blah.  Find something to compliment.  Clients are unique people. They are WAY into their companies.  My brother worked for Chevrolet for 30 years and every article of weekend clothing he owned had a Chevy logo on it.  So, if you can make a compliment about the office, or something on her desk, or the latest product launch, that will set a good tone for the meeting.

Keep the Canary alive.

In the old days, they kept Canaries in coalmines.  When the oxygen dropped, the birds would die and the miners knew it was time to get the fuck out.  You need to test the air periodically in your meetings. Whether it’s a new business presentation or presenting new creative, make sure you check in with your Client every 15 minutes to ensure things are going well.  This will keep you in control of the energy in the room.

Rise up, my people.

I am 6’ 2” and 225 pounds, which in the advertising world gives me a little bit of presence.  But that presence can’t be leveraged if I am sitting during an entire meeting.  If given the option of presenting from the front of the room or your seat, ALWAYS CHOOSE TO STAND.  Even if you are 5’ 5” you’ll tower over everyone. 

Hold that thought.

There are many stories from Hollywood of negative comments being made in the elevator or lobby of the studio after a pitch. These comments would later come back to bite them on the ass and sometimes kill a deal.  The same thing happens in our industry.  If you remember nothing, remember this.  When the meeting is over:  Say goodbye. Pack your stuff.  And don’t say a WORD until you are in the car. It's a small thing that may save your account some day.  So, you’re welcome!

Hopefully you’re reading this in Starbucks waiting for your Client meeting.

And, fade to black.

Part IV: What the Producer Said to the Account Executive

Comparing the movie industry to advertising will inevitably land you in a conversation about who are the “Stars”.  This to me is obvious.  The Stars are the Clients. Why? Because Clients are the embodiment of the brand.  And the brand is what we want the consumers to love.  A can of Red Bull can’t ask for Nascar tickets, but the brand manager expects them—and he will get box seats close enough to hear the pit crew farting.

So, here’s what.  I want to talk about three key insights about Stars.  Axioms in the film industry that can definitely translate to your Client relationships.

(Side note: Stars are personalities; most actors are performers.  Performers play many roles and are usually not the focal point of the movie.  Personalities have a specific look, style or element that is well known to the audience and thus, helps to draw in the audience.  Well know Brands have Stars for Clients).

Stars are demanding.  This is not to say they are mean or abusive.  Simply they have the sense they know what they want and you are expected to deliver.  Thus, as a Producer, the best way to handle a Star is to NOT give them everything up front.  How many times have you delivered early or under-budget on a job only to have your Client demand the same thing on the next project.  Always leave something for them to demand (it’s in their nature).

Stars are fanatics about protecting their reputation.  Their image and income depends on every project going well.  One slip up can cause irreparable damage.  Crispin Glover was on his way to sure stardom until he decided to throw a side-kick at David Letterman and then became labeled “nuts.”  And has hardly been seen since.  There are tons of examples like that from our industry.  So the next time your Client is in your office, or on a shoot and seems to be stressing over a brand issue that seems like minutia to you…understand it’s the brand the consumer blames when something goes wrong, not the agency. She knows that all too well.

Small issues are usually symptomatic of a larger problem.  There are tons of stories about Stars who don’t like the size of their trailers; or the person doing their make up or the fact they can’t party for 24 hours straight in a constant state of Warlock Wizardry (ok maybe not tons). But understand the human condition at play.  Much of this is misplaced anxiety.  Your job as the “Producer/Account Leader” is to unearth the underlying issue by handling your Star with delicacy.  Writing them off as crazy will just get you written off as agency of record.

If you take NOTHING else away, remember this.  Hollywood and advertising are both industries that deal in Sensory Art.  Everything we do is about the human condition.  How you fare at recognizing and dealing with the idiosyncratic issues will determine your success. Now, go out see some Stars.

And, fade to black.

What the Producer Said to the Account Executive, Part Tres

“This business is probably the most irrational business in the world.  These days all the majors, and most of the minors, are owned by multibillion-dollar conglomerates.” 

This could clearly be a quote about the advertising industry.  However, it is a quote about the film industry by Mike Medavoy.  Mike wrote a book called “You’re Only As Good As Your Next One.” 

That to me sums up the current state of our industry’s mindset. 

For those of you who don’t know, Mike Medavoy is a prolific Producer who was involved with eight Academy Award winning films…and TONS of films that are no where near that caliber.  But Mike started off as an “agent.”  Meaning, he was in the service business.  And I think what he learned can be a lesson to us all.

To paraphrase, "most agencies are so consumed with going after the marquee brands, that they don’t even consider the possibility of actually building a brand.” 

So here’s what.  We can learn a lot about new business by taking lessons from the great Producers. Forget the sequels, prequels and franchise pictures that you are seeing make marginal success.  Go back just a few years to films like “No Country for Old Men,” and “The Aviator.” 

These were pictures that were successful because the content was original and compelling.  In my opinion there are plenty of Clients out there with brands that are original and compelling.  The fact that agencies tend to chase after the same brands like they were high school cheerleaders, to me speaks to the inferiority complex that most big agencies feel.

My friend Dan Wieden built an agency with a brand no one knew how to pronounce.  My colleagues Jon Bond and Richard Kirshenbaum built an agency on a brand before they were even an agency.

Today, they are seen as visionaries.  And rightly so.  But, understand that we can all be visionaries.  Go after a piece of business because you believe that their content is original and what they offer CAN BE compelling if the right agency gets a hold of it. 

Every major studio in Hollywood passed on Star Wars.  20^th Century Fox, which was running on fumes, was the only agency willing to take a chance.

If you run an agency, be willing to take a chance.  If you work for an agency, be willing to recommend a Client whom you think is worth taking a chance on.  That's what makes this industry so amazing!

And…Fade to black. 

What the Producer Said to the Account Executive Part 2

So, here’s what.  If you come to my house and you want a snack you might just find a box of Crunch 'N Munch. Why? Because a lot of years ago that was one of my accounts and I have always believed that Account Leaders should first and foremost be  Fans of the Brand.

If you are lucky enough to be in a pitch meeting with a Hollywood Producer (which I have been many times) you will quickly understand that there is no bigger fan of that movie than THAT Producer.  For every Titanic, Gladiator and Million Dollar Baby, there are 10 Howard the Duck’s.  Why?  Because Howard the Duck had a Producer who pitched that movie like it was the greatest thing since Home Pride Butter Topped Bread.

This is what I am not seeing as much as I should in Account Leaders.  I am not seeing people who I believe are actually a Fan of the Brand.  The crazy thing is, this is true even when they’re a consumer of the brand.  I worked at an agency that had one of the major wireless and Internet service providers.  I won’t say the name, but it’s not AT&T, Sprint or T-Mobile. 

What constantly amazed me about the account managers on the business is how openly negative they were about their Client.  Meanwhile, 100% of them used the service.  I don’t need to get into why this is the case. Simply, this is wrong, and we need to get away from it.

If you work on a brand, you need to act like this is your family business.  You need to actually believe that anyone who buys from your competition is taking food off your table. 

Great example.  When I was an Account Exec at my first agency, I had a good friend who worked on Coca Cola.  He used to literally walk the halls of our 800+ person agency at lunch time, and if you had a competitive product on your desk, he would take it and leave you a Coke. No one told him to do this.  This is simply how much he believed in his brand.  He is now the CEO of one of the most successful Digital Shops in NY.  And I guarantee you… he is still walking those halls.

At the end of the day, we are NOTHING without our CLIENTS. Be a Fan of your Brand!

And, fade to black.

Just in case you didn't believe me.

What the Producer Said to the Account Executive

 

I have been fortunate to indulge my passions for both advertising and filmmaking.  I believe the best account leaders are essentially great producers.  Most would have a successful career in Hollywood. 

So I advise everyone to put down the double-spaced; three-inch margined “advertising books” and read about people who have built empires.  Media is media. If you want to succeed on Madison Avenue, you need to follow the rules of Hollywood.  To help you get started, here are my five very subtle “conventions” which straddle both worlds.  You follow these, and success will follow you.

1. READ EVERYTHING

A good producer will read every script he is given.  Your “scripts” are the trades and news-feeds.  Make sure you are up on every article that has anything remotely to do with your Client or agency.  It WILL come up at some point in conversation.  Grab a daily dose of RSS feeds.

2. LOOK PROFESSIONAL

If you’re at the Avalon in Beverly Hills by the pool, it’s very easy to tell the Producers from the creative types. I KNOW you are in a creative business, but flip-flops and three-day shadows are the domain of art directors. YOU need to be pulled together to get the respect of Clients and your team.

3. MAKE THE RIGHT CONTACTS

Many Producers end up with strong relationships at studios because they follow the old axiom “get in where you fit in.” If you want to make it, you need to make connections at the types of agencies where you ultimately want to work.  If you want to be a planner, make sure you “Link in” with anyone and everyone at strong planning agencies. Whether they are the CEO or Administrative staff, it’s all good!

4. END EVERY CALL FIRST

May sound strange, but if you can master this you will be shocked at how much power you will gain over your team and Clients.  The trick is very simple. Literally have a written agenda when you make a call, and NEVER take a call you are not expecting. Call the person right back once you think you know what they are calling about. My favorite end line is, “I know you’re crazed, so I’ll let you get back to work.”  Never fails!!

5. CREATE A PAPER TRAIL

I cannot express how important this is in both Hollywood and Madison Avenue.  Both industries are filled with people who have no problem throwing you under the bus to save their own ass.  But you can’t hate the player when it’s really the game. Make sure all of your Client meetings and discussions are documented.  You’d be surprised what people will deny saying once their backs are against the wall.

The similarities between the advertising industry and Hollywood are endless.  As a student of both, I hope to continue to be able to provide you with best practices that will hopefully make your ride less bumpy than mine.  Good luck!

And…Fade to black.