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.