Below is a Whatsap that I sent to a younger Millennial. I typed it with great caution as to avoid sounding patronizing. This message would have been better suited as a email but said Millennial does not have an email (or likely just find email to be “so Gen-X”)…
Let me get right to it. I think it’s a bit premature to do the whole NDA thing. We’re giving “early access” to proven producers, meaning people who have experience running productions of this kind. Remember, it’s for inserts similar to Top Billing.
Please don’t be discouraged. This project is about breaking down barriers and causing some friendly disruption to the establishment. We don’t want to hurt the industry through disruption; we want to improve it. The boat we intend to rock is broadcasting—both terrestrial and satellite.
We aim for the production value to be slightly higher and definitely more creative than the usual TV programs. The goal is to make prime-time advertising more accessible to SMEs. We’re all about taking a chance on new talent, and believe me, we understand the situation you’re in because we’ve been there too. That’s why we want to build a structure based on merit first and relationships thereafter. You can spot the catch-22 there, right? How can one gain merit or experience without being given a chance? That’s a problem we’re working on and are open to suggestions on how to approach it.
Ultimately, we need about 20 committed, self-contained production units. If you’re a free agent, start assembling a team right away. Feel free to share this text with whomever. I want to offer you access to borrow or rent all that we have at a reduced rate. If you have the opportunity to get something cool for your showreel but don’t have much budget for it, come talk to us. Freebies won’t be sans quid pro quo, but understand that I’m all about clearing paths for all producers, old and new.
In conclusion, I want to humbly offer you some advice. I wouldn’t claim that this advice is universal—just my own observation. Treat production as a marathon rather than a sprint. One of the seniors involved has produced over 1,000 TV episodes and has been in the business for 20 years. If you do the math, that averages out to one TV episode per week. However, consider that on his latest shows, he takes a whole year to produce one season! That’s 23 minutes multiplied by 13 episodes. He’s at a place where he can take a whole year to produce only 299 minutes of TV. This guy is on easy street, yet he’s getting involved because, as he says, “You don’t wait until everyone is dying of thirst to make plans to dig a well.”
I’m speaking mostly for myself, but I know at least a few other directors who get very irritated with over-committed freelancers. One wants to project an image of being busy and “on the go,” but trust me, you’ll get further if you project an image of calm commitment. When you’re part of a project, that project is all that matters in the world. It should be your highest priority. Fake it if you have to!