If you’ve spent any time working at the bottom of the Hollywood food chain you know that when the higher ups get shit, it’s a matter of time before it trickles down to you.

Shit comes in many forms. Screaming, threats, passive aggressiveness, exclusion etc. but no matter the manifestation it’s never pleasant.

A boss who passes shit down the chain should not lead.

As leaders who aim to work towards the top of the filmmaking hierarchy we have an opportunity, and I would argue a duty, to STOP THE SHIT.

Today we’re talking about why this form of bad leadership exists, and what we can do to change the filmmaking cultures we’re part of.

Let’s dig in.

Shit is a sign of bad leadership

If you have to be mean, abusive or snarky to the people working with you and for you, something's wrong with your leadership.

The film industry is filled with giant ego’s, high stakes and crazy work environments.

Bad leadership starts with bad culture. It doesn't matter if its on a student film set, production company or giant corporate studio.

When the top brass shout and scream, use fear tactics and punishment it's a signal to the rest of the team. "This kind of behavior is not only good, but encouraged."

If you’ve ever seen Entourage we can both agree that Ari Gold is a great TV character, but if he was your boss you’d be in hell.

The “rite of passage” mentality of “I was treated like shit when I was coming up, so I deserve to treat you like shit” is completely backwards. It’s one of the aspects of this industry I hate with a burning passion. Instead we should do everything in our power to create a culture of mentorship and growth.

As directors we’ll always be accountable to someone, so we’re kind of in the mid-top level of the hierarchy. If your executive producers, studio execs or financiers are treating you like crap, you’re more likely to pass that vibe. We have to be careful and deliberate about how we lead.

This goes for pretty much anyone. Everyone takes shit from someone, no matter how powerful they are.

Fear based leadership is often a tactic to mask ones own insecurities. And our industry is jam packed with insecurity.

Every job in this town is treated as if it’s life or death. We put enormous amounts of pressure on ourselves and our cast and crew to do something as meaningless as delivering a blooper real for The Vampire Diaries.

I know it sounds absurd, but it’s the truth.

This pressure combined with a narrative that any screw-up can mean the end of your filmmaking career is suffocating.

The constant stress we’re working under makes people’s temper’s short, and we look for someone else to blame for our misery.

Be a farmer

So what can we do? We’re just directors after all.

A post producer I worked with put it the best: my job is to protect you from all the noise that’s coming down from the higher ups, so you can focus on being creative.

In a sense we need to farmers. Any good farmer will tell you shit makes great fertilizer.

That’s the mentality we need to adopt.

Find ways to reframe the shit into something constructive or positive.

Like we talked about way back when we discussed giving and taking notes, we need to create an environment where creative work can thrive.

This starts with hiring the right people for your project. People that can have these kinds of hard conversations that demand vulnerability and an ability to put your ego aside.

Second, it requires a few extra steps from us as directors to better communicate with our team:

• Turn problems into challenges: if you’re handed problems from your supervisors, spend the time to turn them into challenges your team can handle.
• Finding the note behind the note: we know notes rarely mean what they say, so make it your job to find the note behind the note. Do the work before you present the notes to your team if possible. Come in with solutions in mind and help your team help you in the ways they know best.
• Keep the drama on the screen: It’s funny to me how much drama goes on behind the scenes in any film production. Often more than appears on screen. Make it your mission to weed that shit out.

These extra steps are well worth the benefits they reap.

Build your team and culture with intention

I’m a strong believer in leading with intention and building a filmmaking culture you want to work in every day.

Apart from hiring the right people, which is a different conversation that deserves its own newsletter. There are a few key things we as leaders can model to our cast and crew.

Our industry is layered in secrets, NDA’s and gatekeepers. Instead lead with transparency. Share willingly and generously with your team. Make information accessible and be willing to answer questions.

Communicate openly and keep side convos to a minimum. It sucks being the person on the outside when someone’s snuck away to the side of the set to talk about something “secret.” I’m not saying everyone needs to know everything, but create a culture where secrets are the exception, not the rule.

Also don’t gossip. You’re a grown-up, and you aspire to lead people. Gossip kills trust, and you need all the trust you can get.

Finally, make a pledge to stop the shit and be an actual leader.

Conclusion

As directors we have an obligation to change our industry for the better. We need to take ownership of our own leadership styles, and create great filmmaking experiences for everyone we work with.

How are you going to stop the shit?

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