How to build a better company
I didn't start out to found a production company. In fact, when it came to my career goals, I was looking for exactly the opposite: to enmesh myself in a larger organization where I could show up, learn more, climb a ladder, and feel traditional kudos. I wanted professional development, cold brew, and female mentors who were kicking ass. As with most things in my life, however, I deviated from a traditional path.
The thing is, my skills and interests have never fit into tiny boxes, no matter how much I wish they did (I have minimalist home decor life envy like mad). But that's also why I love what I do now - because I get to be the multi-faceted human that I was always meant to be. I'm a writer and I get to craft scripts. I'm a hustler and I get to negotiate. I'm a nerd and I get to build excel sheets and reflect on efficiencies and craft systems to do it even better next time. I'm a big picture person and I get to set our scope. I'm a detail person and I get to review final cuts and catch problems before anyone else. And while I would love female mentorship and to have some of the scaffolding of a career set up for me, I also live in an age of toxic work environments, and I play an active role in creating the opposite.
So, in lieu of cold brews, here are some of things I actively incorporate into our work at Kepka House that make me proud of the company I work for - in other words, proud of myself:
1) Total trust - Mike Kepka and I work best together because he likes cameras and I like organization; he talks about lens and I talk about improvement. We both have creative and organizational skill sets but have complete trust in each other's abilities, and it creates a deep seated sense of security. We're not trying to fake who we are and why what we do is important.
2) Respect - When we hire crews, even if they're freelancers we pay them union rates and debrief afterwards. I've learned so much from those debriefings - like there's a list of shitty production companies that freelancers blackball in South Carolina (and luckily we're not on it); like having gluten free and healthy items for food does actually matter; like taking the time to treat people you've hired with dignity goes a long way.
3) Humor - We joke a lot. I have a growing series of pictures of Mike standing on Apple boxes (he's short), and wearing multiple glasses (close shot long shot). He makes fun of me for constantly being in need of a fanny pack. This doesn't change when we're on set - even in front of clients - because our realness defines us, and work should be fun.
4) Inclusion - When we produce a piece, we make people feel part of the project. This starts with our pre-pro documents - which generally give background on the company, the town, local eateries and sights, as well as the script and bios of our members. We want our crew members and clients to feel connected to each other and the people we're doing the piece about in the place we are - because real connections are what matter in life, period.
5) Investment - we put our money where it does good. We stay at local B&B's, not corporate hotels; we hire from local caterers, because we want the money to mean something; we're also transparent about our budgeting process, because we want clients to understand where it goes and why.
6) Zen attitude - When we treat people (clients and crew) the way we want to be treated, we’ve found that it has a cascading effect. We end up working with better and better people, and enjoying our projects more and more - because what goes around comes around.
Always,
x ace