It’s a bit hard thinking through what actually constitutes “good” within an industry. A lot of our “job” is to make things better, to introduce people, to facilitate deals and stronger projects. Generosity is about going that extra step — doing the thing that is not expected and that truly helps.
It’s Thanksgiving here in America. It’s an odd holiday and even if it’s origins are not the greatest, I still dig the spirit. Today I try to examine those that helped me when they did not need to, or whose help was beyond the call of duty. And I am only focusing on those who did this within the context of my profession; they’d be many more strictly on a personal level too. I try to always remember what has been provided to me, so I can be reminded as to how I should act for others.
Teams Good Machine & This is that corp — both of the early companies I founded were “jobs” but they were so much more too. They were teams that worked together to make something better. No one who was there was there because of the salary. Everyone probably could have made more money elsewhere. Everyone gave far more than they were compensated for. We did not have all we needed but people rarely complained. There were some extreme personalities working with us, and yet everyone found ways to not just survive but to flourish. We did not always know what we were doing, but everyone always banded together and no one made unreasonable demands. Everyone had tremendous energy but patience too. I could not have appreciated everyone enough when it was happening, but I sure do now.
HBO – Although I have only made two films with them (American Splendor, The Laramie Project), I have developed others. Whether it was in the deal making, the development process, production, release, festivals, whathaveyou, HBO has always delivered a welcome human element to an industry that is generally nasty and vicious. They have always treated me as someone they respected. They made our movies better. They got them seen far more than they otherwise would have in the hands of others. They took chances and risks when we wanted to. They were generous. They did the right thing. I can’t think of another company that I can consistently say that about. If other companies even remotely resembled their behavior, I would probably have a much more positive outlook when it comes to the film business.
Jill Godmilow – Before we founded Good Machine, James Schamus and I joined forces to produce Jill’s script of Raymond Carver’s “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”. It was a beautiful project that did not get made (Robert Altman’s “Short Cuts” got made instead). Jill was one of the few people who provided me with some mentoring — but it wasn’t about the film business. Jill’s mentoring was about why film mattered, how to explore what you loved and to still remain critical about it. She had both a student’s passion and artist’s wisdom. She synthesized all she cared about and brought it to the work. Although nothing was easy, good work was always worth it.
Kathy Kennedy – I don’t really know Kathy, but she truly lifted my spirits about the business in general. She’s a legendary producer, now running Lucas Films. Her generosity remains unrivaled to this day. When I was producing The Door In The Floor, the movie collapsed prior to production. Our lead, Jeff Bridges, got an offer he could not refuse. He hadn’t signed his contract yet. One thing after the other dug us deep in the hole. I had sunk my own funds into it as I thought for sure we were a go and it was just a cash flow issue. Although Jeff committed to his next available slot, it was a long way out and I was not going to survive until then without the money I had put into the film. He had left us to do Sea Bisquit, a film Kathy was producing. One day she called me and said she had heard we lost a lot of money when we lost Jeff. She asked for an accounting. I sent it and the next day I got a check in the mail for the full amount. My life and my career was saved.
Rich Klubeck – Rich was my agent at UTA for awhile. This is that corp was one of his first clients. Rich spent two years working with us to set up two territorial output deals with Svensk (Scandinavia) and Village Roadshow (AU & NZ). Our company would not have survived without these. Without This Is That I don’t think Anthony Bregman and Anne Carey would have had the opportunity to flourish into the great producers they became. Rich never got paid for these. The deals took incredible amounts of time and patience. He definitely helped later on the agent front, but this a fee-free act, one of generosity.
Scott Meek – Scott was a bit of mentor too, but more on the business side than Jill. He also showed tremendous passion for, as well as pleasure in, doing. He and his team put together the financing and exploitation of three of the Hal Hartley films I did. He showed me how the business side worked. He also made us all feel welcomed and worthy. He enjoyed the time he spent with all of us. He always treated us to dinner. He did not skimp. He made sure we were treated well. I did not know how rare any of that was when it was happening.
State of Cinema: Steven Soderbergh from San Francisco Film Society on Vimeo.
Steven Soderbergh – I don’t know the man very well, but it his work, and manner of work have been inspiring. Early on though he came through in a generous way, and forever that’s been the filter through which I have examined his actions. Jill Godmilow asked me to help her make a film of Ron Vawter’s one man show “Roy Cohn / Jack Smith”. Ron was dying of AIDS. His health was not good and we did not have much time to put it together. We did not need much money in film terms, but this was pre-digital, and it was going to run over $100K. A lot of people contributed to us. I asked everyone I knew. But we were only about one third the way there. I cold called Steven. Ron had worked with him. Steven came in for a significant amount and offered up all of his help and support. Knowing that somewhere there is someone who will do things for the right reasons has been crucial to my outlook and stamina. The fact that he came through again last year and delivered the State Of Cinema address for SFIFF56 was icing on the cake.
And of course, my wife Vanessa Hope – granted a great deal of the generosity, kindness, and support is personal here, but there is a lot professionally too. She is my counsel and gives me license to invade our personal time with tales of my trials, tribulations, frustrations, and fury driven by professional concerns. She hears me, gives me advice, and keeps me positive. We talk through the work we see and create, share ideas and considerations. She also shares hers with me, so within times that I have grown distant from my own creative work, I still find fulfillment in hers and her joy.
Stayed tuned for later this week:
Who Did What For Me: Sharing Knowledge http://bit.ly/1990Lc8
And in case you missed it earlier:
Who Did What For Me: Introductions http://bit.ly/17WqWaZ
