Creative Highlight - Photo by Ana Jovanovski
One of the most exciting moments of my career as an agent didn't happen overnight. It took four years.
Years ago, I connected with a producer at a studio that worked with one of my dream clients. That first conversation was wonderful, the kind where you both just know you'll stay connected. It didn't turn into a job right away, but it didn't lead to nowhere, either. I put reminders on my calendar and kept checking in with him, again and again.
Four years later, the call came. I was finally booking a job with that studio and production company, for that client.
I was over the moon.
Building the team
They trusted me to hire the entire creative team for a large campaign, and I knew exactly who belonged together. I paired creatives so each person knew at least one or two people on set, and I introduced others who had never met, because I knew their energies would mesh.
The shoot was in Los Angeles, and I made space to bring on an artist from the San Francisco Bay Area. At the time, it was hard for Bay Area creatives to get access to projects of that scale, and I knew having this work in their portfolio would be an absolute dream for them. They didn't have the funds to travel then, so I paid for their hotel and stay myself. I didn't want money to be the reason they missed this opportunity. Opening that door meant as much to me as landing the job itself.
Trust the process
We have to find ourselves in a moment of belief. The things we work and toil for don't always arrive the way we picture them. But when they do, it feels like a small miracle, so overwhelmingly exciting that we can't do anything but jump up and down with the biggest smile on our face.
I'm so proud of the seeds I've planted. Some took months to grow. Some took years. Some were redirected to entirely different places and jobs, simply because the person I was connected to changed roles. That's part of it too. A relationship doesn't disappear when someone moves on; it travels with them.
Name your dream clients
For years I've told creatives to outwardly project the types of clients they want to work with, and to put their dream clients on that list. Sometimes we get there and find the dream client isn't everything we imagined, and that's okay. At the end of the day, it's about the experience. I'm so grateful to have watched not only my own seeds grow, but the seeds of the creatives I've worked alongside for so many years.
Keep going
So this is your reminder: keep going. Be who you are, so you can attract the people who align with who you are. Take the time to check in with yourself, and don't let the world around you pull you away from your true creative form.
To the creatives around me
I am truly inspired and empowered by the creative minds that surround me every day. Some of you have absolutely no idea how much you inspire me. You do. And it's my job to remind you of that as often as I can, so you keep going and find the belief to see how talented you are, the way I see it.
Keep planting.
